School Marquees
Marquees & Gazebos for Schools
Custom school marquees and gazebos, printed with your school's logo
Custom printed marquees and gazebos for schools — built for sports carnivals, fetes, presentation days and the canteen tent that lives in the store room eleven months a year. Engineer-certified frames, waterproof UV-resistant tops, and full-colour printing of your crest with no limit on colours. Delivered Australia-wide.
Also searched as school gazebos, custom branded gazebos, school shade tents, branded pop-up tents or school event marquees — all the same product. These are for sale, not for hire: your school owns it and uses it every term, and every price includes GST, with freight quoted separately.
Build your school's marquee in the online configurator and watch the price update as you go — size, frame, fabric, printing and accessories, with GST included.
What size marquee does a school need?
Most Australian schools buy the 3m x 6m. It gives you 18 square metres of shade — enough for a full class group, a first-aid station with beds, or a canteen with two serving tables — and it still packs into one wheeled bag. Schools that want two shade points instead of one buy a pair of 3m x 3m marquees; schools tight on storage or lifting help buy the 3m x 4.5m.
| Size | Shaded area | Frame weight (40 Series) | What schools use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3m x 3m (3x3) |
9 m² | 26 kg | House bays at athletics, a single stall at the fete, a check-in desk. Buy four in house colours and the carnival marks itself out. |
|
3m x 4.5m (3x4.5) |
13.5 m² | 33 kg | The compromise size. Noticeably more shade than a 3x3, still liftable by two staff, still fits a standard store room shelf. |
|
3m x 6m (3x6) |
18 m² | 46 kg | The most common school purchase. Class group shade, first aid, canteen and BBQ, presentation-day seating, wet-weather cover for a whole year level's bags. |
Frame weights above are the frame only. A 3m x 6m frame is a genuine two-person lift — if it's going to be carried across an oval by whoever is rostered on, add the deluxe wheeled bag and it becomes a one-person job.
How much does a school marquee cost?
A school marquee is priced as a frame plus a top, so the figure depends on the size, the frame and fabric you choose, how many panels you print, and what you add — walls, weight plates, bags. The marquee builder prices your exact configuration as you build it, with GST included, and no quote request needed to see the number. Most schools build on the 40 Series Pro Steel frame with a 600D top. What the printing choices actually mean:
| Printing | What gets printed | Who chooses it |
|---|---|---|
| Plain colour, no printing | A top in your school's colour, no logo. | Schools that need shade now — but printing cannot be added to a top later on. |
| School name on 1 valance panel | One eye-level panel on the front edge of the skirt. | The smallest step up from plain. Works if the marquee always faces the crowd. |
| All 4 valance panels | Four eye-level panels right around the skirt. | Fetes and carnivals, where people walk up from every direction. |
| 2 roof + 2 valance panels | Two opposite roof faces plus two opposite skirt panels. | The usual school choice — readable from the ground and from the far side of the oval. |
| Fully printed — 4 roof + 4 valance | Every face of the top, eight panels in all. | Presentation days, gala days, and anything that ends up in photographs. |
Walls, weight plates, gutters and bags are priced separately and added in the builder. There is no artwork fee and no limit on the number of colours in your crest. Price your exact configuration in the builder →
Where schools actually use them
A school marquee is rarely bought for one event. It gets used across the year by whoever books it out of the store room — which is exactly why the frame quality matters more than it looks like it should.
Athletics and swimming carnivals
House bays, timing tables, the first-aid point. Four 3m x 3m marquees in four house colours does more for carnival organisation than any amount of chalk on the grass.
School fete and market day
Add half walls at counter height and a 3m x 6m becomes a proper stall — cake stall, plant stall, second-hand uniforms. Half walls are made in the same fabric as your top and added in the configurator.
Presentation and graduation days
Shade over the seated rows, or a covered stage. A printed roof means every photo a parent takes has the school's name in it.
Interschool sport and gala days
The marquee that travels. Your school's name over the bags, the drink bottles and the parents — at someone else's ground.
Open days and enrolment events
A welcome point at the gate that looks like the school spent money on purpose. Add a printed full wall as a backdrop.
Outdoor classrooms and wet-weather cover
Reading groups, art, science outside. Add the rain gutter system to join two marquees into one continuous covered run.
Shade, sun protection policy and duty of care
Every Australian school running a SunSmart or sun protection policy has the same practical problem: the oval has no shade, and the events that matter most happen on it in term 1 and term 4 when UV is at its highest. Portable marquees are how most schools close that gap without a capital works project.
- Both of our top fabrics are UV-resistant, waterproof and fire-resistant, and block direct sun over the full footprint of the marquee.
- Shade is only half the job — direct shade doesn't stop reflected and scattered UV, so it works alongside hats, sunscreen and scheduling, not instead of them.
- A marquee is a temporary structure. It should be weighted or pegged whenever it's up, supervised while in use, and taken down in strong wind or when the site is left unattended.
If your school needs documentation for a risk assessment or a WHS sign-off, ask us — we can supply the frame certification and fabric specifications for your file.
Which frame should a school choose?
For almost every school, the 40 Series Pro Steel is the right frame. It is built for regular event use, and event use is what a school does — a handful of days per term, not five days a week. Schools in the Northern Territory, Western Australia or North Queensland, or schools that leave a marquee standing for days at a time, should step up to the 50 Series.
40 Series Pro Steel
Recommended for schools
- 40mm powder-coated steel hexagonal leg
- Reinforced truss bars, nylon connectors
- 2-year frame warranty
- Lighter to carry: 26 / 33 / 46 kg
- Priced by size in the configurator
50 Series Super Heavy Duty
Harsh climates and near-daily use
- 50mm aluminium hex leg
- Super-strength truss bars, aluminium connectors and foot pads
- 5-year frame warranty
- 31 / 39 / 53 kg
- Priced by size in the configurator
Which top fabric?
Both fabrics are waterproof, fire-resistant and UV-resistant. The difference is how long the printed colour holds up under Australian sun.
| Fabric | Best for | Colour-fade warranty |
|---|---|---|
| 600D PVC-coated polyester | The standard. NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, ACT and most of southern QLD. | 12 months |
| 580GSM 100% PVC | Heavier, holds colour better under harsh sun. NT, WA and North QLD. | 24 months |
Printing your school logo, crest and name
The marquee top has two printable areas: the four sloped roof panels, seen from a distance and in every photograph taken from the stands, and the four valance panels — the skirt around the edge, which sits at eye level and is what people read when they walk up. You choose how many of each to print.
- Two roof + two valance panels is the school sweet spot: readable from across the oval and up close, without paying to print the two faces nobody looks at.
- Full colour, no colour limit. Complex crests, gradients, photographs and house colours all print the same way, at the same price.
- No artwork fee. Send us a vector EPS, AI or high-resolution PDF after checkout. We lay it up and email you a free mock-up, and nothing prints until your school has approved it. As many revisions as you need.
- Printing can't be added later. The fabric is printed before the top is made up, so a plain top you already own can't be printed on. If there's any chance you'll want branding, buy it printed the first time.
- Roof, valance or both. A 3x3 printed gazebo with the crest on the roof reads from the far side of the oval; a gazebo with your school logo on the valance reads from two metres away. Most schools do both.
- Lead time: plain tops dispatch straight away; printed tops take 10–14 days from artwork approval. Order well before the carnival.
Walls can be printed too. A marquee with walls closes the whole thing in — a printed 6m full wall turns the back of a 3m x 6m into a photo backdrop or a sponsor board for the P&C's supporters. Dust covers and replacement tops are available separately.
Wind, weights and packing away
This is the part most suppliers skip. A pop-up marquee is a large sail on four legs. School ovals are open, exposed and often on a rise — the two most common ways schools lose a marquee are leaving it up overnight and leaving it unweighted on asphalt.
On grass
Guy ropes and pegs are included with every frame. Spare in-ground stakes and guy ropes come in 6-piece sets — worth having, because pegs are what goes missing.
On asphalt or concrete
You can't peg a quadrangle. Use a 15 kg weight plate on every leg — 15 to 20 kg per leg is the accepted minimum for an open-sided marquee. Add walls and you need considerably more, because a walled marquee catches wind like a sail instead of letting it through.
When the wind gets up
Take it down. No pop-up marquee of any brand is designed to be left standing unattended in strong wind, and weather damage is not covered by warranty.
Packing away
Always pack away dry — a top folded away wet is the fastest way to ruin an expensive print. Tops are machine washable in cold water with mild detergent. Dust covers are sized to the marquee and added in the configurator.
How schools order
Build the marquee you want in the online builder — size, frame, fabric, printing, walls and accessories — and the price updates as you go. Everything goes into one cart as a single kit.
- Build and price it online. No quote request needed to see the number.
- Need a formal quote for the P&C or the business manager? Build it, then send us the configuration and we'll issue a written quote with our ABN on it, ready to attach to a requisition.
- Pay by card, or send a purchase order. Schools and P&Cs can order on a PO and be invoiced directly — see below.
- Checkout, then artwork. We email you after the order asking for your crest. Free mock-up, unlimited revisions, nothing prints until you approve.
- Delivered Australia-wide direct to the school.
We accept school purchase orders
Schools and P&C associations don't have to put a marquee on someone's personal credit card. Send us your purchase order with the configuration you've built and we'll invoice the school directly, with our ABN on the tax invoice for your finance records.
Card and online payment are still there if that's simpler — a PO is an option, not a requirement.
School marquee FAQs
What is the most popular marquee size for schools?
The 3m x 6m. It shades 18 square metres, covers a full class group or a canteen setup, and still packs into a single wheeled bag. Schools wanting several separate shade points buy multiple 3m x 3m marquees instead.
How much is a printed school marquee?
It depends on the size, the frame and fabric you pick, and how many of the eight printable faces you print. The marquee builder prices your exact configuration in about a minute, with GST included, so there is no quote request just to see the number. There is no artwork fee and no limit on the number of colours.
What is the difference between a school marquee and a school gazebo?
In Australia the words are used interchangeably for the same product: a pop-up frame with a fitted fabric top. The rough convention is that anything under 16 square metres is a gazebo and 16 square metres or more is a marquee — so a 3x3 (9 m²) and a 3x4.5 (13.5 m²) are usually called gazebos, and a 3x6 (18 m²) is usually called a marquee. Some suppliers call all of them school tents. It is the same product on this page whichever word your school uses.
How long does a printed school marquee take to arrive?
Printed tops take 10 to 14 days from the moment you approve the artwork mock-up, plus delivery. Plain marquees dispatch straight away. If it's for a carnival, allow at least three weeks from order.
How many people are needed to set up a school marquee?
Two. The frame concertinas out and pops up in under 60 seconds, but the top needs two people to fit and every size is a two-person lift. A 3m x 6m frame weighs 46 kg — with the deluxe wheeled bag, one person can move it across the oval.
Can we print our school logo on a marquee we already own?
No. The fabric is printed before the top is sewn up, so printing can't be added to an existing top. You would need a new printed top, which can be bought on its own and fitted to your existing frame if it's the same size and series.
Can a school marquee be left up overnight?
We don't recommend it. A pop-up marquee is a temporary structure and should be taken down when the site is unattended or when wind is forecast. Damage caused by extreme weather is not covered by warranty.
Do you deliver school marquees anywhere in Australia?
Yes. Marquees are delivered Australia-wide, direct to the school address. Prices shown on the site include GST.
Do you accept school purchase orders?
Yes. Schools and P&C associations can order on a purchase order and be invoiced directly, with our ABN on the tax invoice, rather than paying by card. Send us the configuration you built in the marquee builder along with your PO.
Can we get a written quote for a purchase requisition?
Yes. Build the configuration you want in the marquee builder and send it to us, and we'll issue a written quote with our ABN and full itemisation that your business manager or P&C treasurer can attach to a requisition.
Build it, price it, and see it before you commit
Pick your size, frame, fabric and printing in the builder. The price updates as you go, and the whole kit goes into one cart.
Open the marquee builder