--- title: "Festival Catering Planning: Step-by-Step Guide | Bite Me" description: "From trader-to-attendee ratios and pitch spacing to generator load, water bowsers, Occasional Licences and wet-weather plans — how UK festival catering really gets booked." lang: en json-ld: | { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Planning Festival Catering: A Step-by-Step Breakdown", "description": "From trader-to-attendee ratios and pitch spacing to generator load, water bowsers, Occasional Licences and wet-weather plans — how UK festival catering really gets booked.", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lee Marshall" }, "datePublished": "2026-01-05", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Bite Me (Scot) Ltd", "url": "https://www.bitemeevents.co.uk" } } --- [![Bite Me Events logo](/assets/bite-me-logo-JVN35Tbs.png)](/) [Home](/) Services Products [Our Work](/our-work) [Reviews](/reviews) [About](/about) [Promoters](/promoters) [Traders](/traders) [Contact](/contact) [Call Us](tel:+447726679073) [Back to Blog](/blog)Festival Planning # Planning Festival Catering: A Step-by-Step Breakdown Lee Marshall 5 January 2026 9 min read Festival catering in Scotland presents unique challenges: unpredictable weather, remote venues, multi-day logistics, and crowds that range from a few hundred to tens of thousands. Getting the catering right requires methodical planning — not just booking a few food trucks and hoping for the best. This guide walks through the step-by-step process of planning festival catering, drawn from our experience operating at festivals across Scotland. ## Step 1: Define Your Festival's Catering Needs Before contacting any caterers, answer these questions: - **Daily attendance:** How many people per day? Multi-day festivals often have different numbers on different days. - **Camping vs day-ticket:** Campers eat on-site for every meal. Day visitors may eat one meal. This dramatically affects trader numbers and menu requirements. - **Event hours:** An 8am–11pm festival needs breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night food coverage. A 12pm–8pm event needs lunch and early dinner only. - **Audience demographics:** A family festival needs kid-friendly options. A craft beer festival needs food that pairs well with alcohol. A music festival needs fast, hand-held food that can be eaten standing up. - **Competitor events:** What food offering do similar festivals in Scotland provide? Meeting or exceeding that standard is your benchmark. ## Step 2: Calculate Trader Numbers Use these ratios as starting points, then adjust based on your specific event: - **Food vendors:** 1 per 200–400 daily attendees for single-day events. For multi-day camping festivals, increase by 30–50% because attendees eat all meals on-site. - **Drinks vendors:** 1 per 300–500 attendees. Alcohol sales typically peak in the afternoon and evening. - **Coffee:** At least 1 dedicated coffee unit. For festivals with camping, 2 units — one near the main stage area and one near the campsite. - **Sweet treats:** 1–2 dessert/sweet vendors. These are impulse purchases with high margins. For a 2,000-capacity two-day festival with camping: plan for 6–8 food traders, 2–3 drinks vendors, 1–2 coffee units, and 1–2 sweet treat vendors. That is 10–15 catering points in total. ## Step 3: Curate the Menu Mix Menu diversity is not about having one of everything — it is about ensuring your audience can find something they want without excessive overlap. Aim for: - **No more than 2 traders in any single cuisine category** (e.g., maximum 2 burger vendors) - **At least 2 options suitable for vegetarians and vegans** - **A range of price points** — from £4 snacks to £12 premium dishes - **Breakfast coverage** for camping festivals — bacon rolls, coffee, and pastries from early morning - **Late-night food** — pizza, loaded fries, and hot dogs for the post-headline crowd ## Step 4: Plan the Site Layout Where you place food traders directly affects customer flow, queue management, and sales performance. Key principles: - **Position high-demand vendors near main footfall routes** — burgers, bar, coffee near stage areas and entrances - **Distribute traders across the site** — clustering all food in one area creates congestion. Spread vendors to encourage exploration and reduce queuing. - **Place coffee near campsite exits** — for morning trade at camping festivals - **Separate food and drinks areas** where licensing allows — this improves queue management - **Plan for waste points near food areas** — bins and recycling stations should be accessible ## Step 5: Manage Compliance and Licensing Every trader needs verified documentation. For festivals, this is especially critical because local authority officers frequently inspect larger events. Create a compliance checklist and deadline: 1. **8 weeks before:** All traders confirmed and deposits received 2. **6 weeks before:** Compliance documentation deadline — food hygiene, insurance, gas safety 3. **4 weeks before:** Occasional licence applications submitted (if applicable) 4. **2 weeks before:** Event brief issued to all traders — arrival times, pitch map, power info, waste procedures 5. **Event day:** On-site compliance check before gates open ## Step 6: Power, Water, and Waste Most professional food trucks are self-contained for power and water. However, at multi-day festivals, traders may need: - **Generator fuel top-ups** or access to event power supply - **Fresh water replenishment** — daily for intensive operations - **Grey water removal** — confirm procedures for waste water disposal - **Waste cooking oil collection** — arrange a designated collection point - **General waste and recycling** — coordinate with your event's waste management provider ## Step 7: Weather Contingency Scotland's weather is the single biggest operational variable at any outdoor festival. Your catering plan must account for: - **Heavy rain:** Only fully enclosed units should be deployed. Open-sided gazebo setups become unusable in sustained rain. - **High wind:** Loose signage, gazebo structures, and lightweight equipment become hazards. Professional food trucks and trailers are anchored and stable. - **Cold temperatures:** Hot food sales increase in cold weather. Ensure traders carry enough stock to meet elevated demand for hot drinks and comfort food. - **Ground conditions:** After rain, grass pitches become muddy. Confirm all trading units can operate on soft ground and that vehicle access routes remain passable. ## Step 8: On-Site Management On event day, someone needs to manage the catering operation. This includes: - Coordinating trader arrivals and setup - Confirming all units are operational before gates open - Handling issues — equipment failures, stock shortages, customer complaints - Managing last orders and packdown at close If you manage traders yourself, allocate a dedicated person to this role. If you use a [full-service catering supplier](/services/event-catering), on-site management is included. ## Conclusion Festival catering in Scotland requires planning that goes far beyond "book some food trucks." Trader ratios, menu curation, site layout, compliance management, weather contingency, and on-site coordination all need to be addressed systematically. Planning a festival and want catering handled properly? [Get in touch](/contact) — we will build a complete catering plan for your event. ## Need Event Catering? Get a same-day quote for your event. One supplier, complete coverage, anywhere in Scotland. [Get a Quote](/contact) [07726 679073](tel:+447726679073) ## More Articles [ Event Planning ### How to Choose Event Catering: The Complete Guide 8 min read ](/blog/how-to-choose-event-catering)[ Catering Tips ### Food Truck vs Traditional Catering: Which Is Right for Your Event? 6 min read ](/blog/food-truck-vs-traditional-catering)[ Compliance ### Food Hygiene Requirements for Events: What Organisers Must Know 7 min read ](/blog/food-hygiene-requirements-events) [![Bite Me Events logo](/assets/bite-me-logo-JVN35Tbs.png)](/) Bite Me (Scot) Ltd — full-service event catering supplier. 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