Frame or peg-and-pole — which suits your Bloem site?
The ground decides. A frame marquee stands on a freestanding aluminium skeleton weighted at the legs, so it rigs on the paving, tar and cobbles of Bloemfontein's complexes and campuses where pegs are banned. A peg-and-pole marquee is the classic canvas silhouette — cheaper per seat, faster to rig — but it needs lawn or field that takes pegs, which suits smallholdings, church grounds and township yards.
| Frame marquee | Peg-and-pole marquee | |
|---|---|---|
| Stands on | Paving, tar, decking, grass | Lawn or firm soil only |
| Centre poles | None — clear interior | Yes — work around them |
| Winter fit | Sealed and heated easily | Sidewalls added on lawn |
| Price | From R1,850 | From R999 |
Glass marquees for Bloem functions
Glass marquees carry the Free State's premium work: judicial and government functions, UFS graduations and gala dinners, and estate weddings in the Woodland Hills and Bloemfontein golf-estate belt. Glazed walls hold the heat in through a cold Bloem evening and frame the garden or the Naval Hill skyline. Book at least two months out — Free State glass stock is limited.
Marquee sizes for Bloem functions
Seated functions need 1.2–1.5 m² per guest: 5m × 10m carries 50 guests, 10m × 15m carries 100, 10m × 30m carries 200 and 15m × 30m carries 300. The full chart with dance-floor allowances and rand bands is in tent hire prices in Bloemfontein.
What a marquee hire includes
Every marquee quote covers transport, rigging by a Bloem crew, weighting or pegging to the site, and take-down after the function. Sidewalls come standard on winter hires — a June evening in Bloemfontein drops below freezing, and sealed walls with heaters keep the function comfortable. Draping, lining, flooring, stages, lighting and heaters quote as add-ons on tent hire prices in Bloemfontein, with furniture under tables and chairs for hire in Bloemfontein. Wedding builds get their own guide: wedding tent hire in Bloemfontein.
Common questions
How much does marquee hire cost in Bloemfontein?
Framed marquee packages start at R1,850 with tables and chairs in the Free State market. A dressed 100-guest wedding marquee runs R8,500–R18,000, and glass marquees price at roughly double an equivalent frame.
What size marquee do I need for 100 guests?
100 seated guests need about 140 m² — a 10m × 15m marquee. Add a dance floor and the working size moves to 10m × 20m.
Are glass marquees good for cold Bloem evenings?
Yes — glazed walls seal the structure and hold heat in, which suits the Free State's cold winter evenings for graduations, gala dinners and formal weddings. They price at roughly double a frame marquee.
Can a marquee stand on campus or complex paving?
Yes — a frame marquee weighted with plates makes no holes, which is why Bloemfontein complexes and the UFS and CUT campuses approve it. Peg-and-pole structures need lawn.