Ballast
How to Secure a Marquee on Hard Ground
Car parks, courtyards and paved sites mean you cannot peg down. Here is how to hold a marquee steady on hard standing using weights.
The short answer
On hard ground you cannot stake or peg, so a marquee is held down entirely by weights. Put a heavy block on every leg or upright, load the corners and any exposed side more heavily, and run guy lines to weights where the frame allows. The bigger the marquee and the more open the site, the more weight each point needs. On a paid event or a public site, do not trust the frame's own weight or a couple of corner blocks: weight it properly, all round.
Why hard ground changes the job
On grass you can drive stakes through the foot plates and peg out guy ropes, and the ground does a lot of the work. On tarmac, block paving or a sports hall floor there is nothing to fix into, so every bit of hold comes from weights sat on the frame. That makes the weighting more important, not less, and it is why marquees on car parks and courtyards need a proper set of blocks rather than an afterthought.
How to weight a marquee on hard standing
- Weight every leg or upright. Not just the corners. Every leg is a potential lifting point in a gust.
- Load the corners and exposed side heavier. Corners and the windward side take the most force, so put more weight there.
- Guy lines to weights. Where the frame has guy points, run the lines down to blocks rather than trying to peg into the ground.
- Manage the sides. Solid side walls turn the marquee into a bigger sail, so either weight much more heavily or take walls off in strong wind.
- Keep it low and even. Spread the weight around the whole frame so no single point is left light.
How much weight?
A marquee needs more per point than a small gazebo, and the figure rises quickly with size and exposure. The 100kg block is the usual choice for marquee legs, stepping up to more than one per leg on large or exposed frames. Treat any figure as a starting point rather than a safety rating, and confirm the ballast for a specific structure with the marquee manufacturer. Our guide on how much weight you need covers the principles.
Which blocks to use
100kg blocks stack to build up the hold a marquee needs, and the 40kg is handy for smaller frames and guy points. See the marquee and gazebo weights page, or the full products range for every size and price.
Common questions
How do you secure a marquee on concrete or a car park?
With weights on every leg, since you cannot peg into hard ground. Use a heavy block on each upright, more on the corners and the exposed side, and run any guy lines down to weights rather than the ground.
How much weight does a marquee need?
More than a gazebo, and it rises with size and exposure. The 100kg block is the usual choice per leg, with more than one on large or exposed frames. Confirm the figure for a specific structure with the marquee manufacturer.
Can you use guy ropes on hard ground?
Yes, but run them to weights rather than pegs. Anchor each guy line to a concrete block so it pulls against a dead weight, which works on any surface where you cannot drive a peg in.
Is securing a marquee different to a gazebo?
Same principle, bigger numbers. A marquee has a larger frame and catches far more wind, so it needs heavier weights per point and more attention to the corners, the exposed side and the walls than a small pop-up gazebo.
Related guides
More on weighting event structures down:
Weights for your marquee
UK-cast concrete weights in 40kg and 100kg, in sets to cover every leg, delivered UK-wide. See the range and prices, or tell us the structure and site for a quote.
Ballast Blocks
UK-cast concrete ballast weights and kentledge for events, construction, fencing, marine and industrial anchoring. A Gala group brand. Visit Gala Tent.