Preparing your garden or field for a marquee: before, during and after

Updated 6 November 2026 · By the Marquee Assembly team

Short answer: To prepare a site for a marquee, measure the space with room around it for fixings, check access for vehicles and long frame sections, mark any buried cables, pipes, drains or septic tanks, mow the grass a few days before, and clear furniture and obstacles. Afterwards, expect some yellowing and flattening of the lawn, which usually recovers within a few weeks with watering and mowing.

Choosing the spot

The best position is usually the flattest, firmest area with good drainage and enough room around it. Look for space for the marquee itself, a margin for stakes or weights, guy ropes on pole marquees, and room for a catering tent, toilets and generator nearby but not in the way.

Avoid low spots where rainwater collects
Keep clear of overhanging branches and, where possible, mature tree roots
Stay well away from overhead power lines
Think about views, the route from parking and where the sun will set
Check the distance to the house for power, toilets and water

Access for the crew

Frame marquees arrive as long aluminium sections, often several metres long, along with flooring panels, weights and boxes of fittings. The crew need a route from the vehicle to the site that is wide enough, firm enough and without tight corners. A narrow side gate, steps or a long walk across a field all add time and may need extra crew.

Where the delivery vehicle cannot get close, everything has to be carried by hand, which can turn a half-day build into a full day. On larger jobs a telehandler or tractor and trailer may be used across fields, so the route needs to be firm enough for machinery as well as people, especially after rain.

Measure the narrowest point on the route, such as a gate
Tell the company about steps, steep slopes or soft ground on the route
Arrange parking for crew vehicles close to the site
Let neighbours know if shared access or driveways will be used

Ground checks

Check	Why it matters
Buried electricity cables and garden lighting	Stakes can strike cables, which is a serious safety risk
Water, gas and irrigation pipes	A punctured pipe can flood the site or create a gas leak
Drains, soakaways and septic tanks	Weight and stakes can damage them, and soft ground above can sink
Slopes and dips	Affect flooring, levelling and the choice of structure
Soil type	Clay, sand and made ground hold stakes differently
Hard standing and edges	Weights may be needed where stakes cannot go in

Share anything you know with the marquee company before the site visit. If there are no plans of buried services, they may use a cable avoidance tool before staking.

The week before

Mow the lawn two or three days before the build, leaving it short but not scalped
Clear garden furniture, toys, pots and anything in the build area
Pick up dog mess and remove fallen branches
Water the lawn lightly in a dry spell so the grass is not stressed, but avoid soaking it just before the build
Make sure pets will be kept away from the crew and equipment
Confirm the exact position and have someone on site when the crew arrive

Fields and farmland

Fields bring their own checks. Livestock should be moved off well in advance so the grass can be cut and the ground cleared, and electric fencing needs to be switched off or moved away from the build area and walkways. Ruts, molehills and rabbit holes are trip hazards for guests in the dark, so walk the route from parking to the marquee and fill or mark them.

Agree vehicle routes that avoid soft ground, ditches and field drains
Arrange temporary trackway or matting if the ground is wet
Plan where cars will park and how they will get out if it rains
Check the timing against grazing, cutting or harvest plans

Sloping sites

Most gardens and fields have some fall. Small slopes are handled by levelling the marquee legs and laying flooring that takes up the difference. Steeper slopes may need a raised, levelled platform floor, which adds cost and time but gives a flat, safe surface. On very steep or uneven sites, a step may be needed at the entrance, with a handrail or ramp where guests need it. Mention slopes at the quoting stage so the price reflects them.

A simple way to judge the slope is to stretch a string line with a spirit level across the area and measure the drop at the far end. Share that figure, or photos taken from the side, with the marquee company.

After the marquee comes down

Grass under flooring for several days will usually look yellow and flattened, because it has been without light. This is normal and it almost always recovers. Water it in dry weather, avoid mowing it very short for the first cut, and give it a few weeks. In a hot, dry summer recovery can take longer.

Stake holes are usually filled or trodden in by the crew
Bare or damaged patches can be reseeded in spring or early autumn
Rutting from vehicles is best fixed by lifting and refilling rather than rolling flat
Report any damage to the marquee company promptly, with photos