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, with furniture under tables and chairs for hire in Bloemfontein. Wedding builds get their own guide: wedding tent hire in Bloemfontein.
Marquee hire is one of five structures in the Tent hire Bloemfontein range, beside stretch tent hire in Bloemfontein, frame tent hire in Bloemfontein, gazebos and the furniture hire.
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.