Festival Site Planning Guide
How to design a festival site layout that works — stage placement, audience flow, infrastructure routing, and emergency access. Festival site planning determines how the event operates. A well-designed site flows naturally; a poorly designed one creates bottlenecks, safety hazards, and operational chaos.
Stage Placement & Orientation
Stage placement is the single most important site planning decision. Main stages should face away from each other to minimize sound bleed between simultaneous performances. Sun position matters — stages facing west put afternoon sun directly in the audience’s eyes. Wind direction affects audio coverage and generator exhaust routing. Physical separation between stages must be sufficient for both acoustic isolation and audience movement between stages.
Power Infrastructure Routing
Generator placement and cable routing must be planned before anything else goes on the site map. Generators need vehicle access for fuel deliveries, clearance for exhaust, and distance from audience areas to manage noise. Feeder cable runs from generators to distribution panels follow paths that avoid pedestrian crossings where possible. When cable must cross pedestrian paths, cable ramps or aerial crossings are required. Power routing that works on paper may not work if cable paths cross vehicle lanes or vendor placement areas.
Audience Flow & Capacity Management
Audience flow between stages, vendors, restrooms, and entry/exit points must accommodate peak traffic without bottlenecks. Main pathways between stages should be wide enough for high-volume two-way pedestrian traffic. Pinch points — narrow paths between fencing, vendors, or structures — create crowd management risks. Audience viewing areas at each stage must be sized for the expected attendance at peak acts, not average attendance. ADA-accessible paths and viewing areas are required throughout the site.
Vendor Village & Food Court Layout
Vendor placement affects audience flow, power distribution, and fire safety. Food vendors need power for cooking equipment, water access, and fire suppression clearance. Merchandise vendors need weather protection and sightline visibility. Vendor areas should be positioned along natural traffic paths between stages to maximize exposure while avoiding congestion in viewing areas. Power drops for vendor rows must be pre-planned — adding vendor power after the site is built is expensive and disruptive.
Backstage & Production Compounds
Backstage areas need vehicle access for trucks and artist transportation, separation from public areas via fencing and security checkpoints, and adequate space for production offices, catering, dressing rooms, and equipment storage. Production compounds should be positioned behind stages with direct access to the stage wings. Loading areas need sufficient room for truck turning radius and simultaneous load-in/load-out operations.
Emergency Access & Safety Planning
Emergency vehicle access lanes must remain clear throughout the event. Fire lanes between structures, stages, and vendor areas must meet local fire marshal requirements. Medical stations should be positioned for rapid access to any area of the site. Evacuation routes must be marked and communicated to all staff. The site plan should be reviewed by the local fire marshal and emergency services before the event — changes required during the event are costly and disruptive.
Planning a Festival?
From 2-stage community events to multi-stage festivals — site planning that handles every variable.
Discuss Your ProductionSite Planning FAQ
Common questions about festival site layout and planning.
Minimum 200–300 feet between stages for basic acoustic separation, more for larger systems. The required distance depends on system size, stage orientation, and acceptable bleed levels. Stages facing away from each other require less separation than stages facing each other. Site constraints often limit ideal spacing, so system selection and scheduling adjustments compensate.
