Loxton Walk Festoon Lighting

UK First Batcap, Zero upward light spill Festoon Lighting Installation

Loxton Walk is a new mixed-use destination in Marylebone, London providing 27,200sq ft. of flexible retail, leisure and dining space. Four avenues from George Street, Blandford Street, Gloucester Place and Baker Street lead visitors into Loxton Walk, an open-air retail courtyard, designed to be a communal amenity for residents, office workers and visitors alike.

LOXTON WALK FESTOON LIGHTING GALLERY

Play Video

The Brief

Our brief was to deliver a festoon lighting solution that would enhance the character of the development, strengthen its evening atmosphere and support Loxton Walk’s positioning as a welcoming, high-quality destination. The solution needed to be flexible, sustainable and programable to keep the scheme fresh. The requirement extended beyond the supply of just the decorative lighting and called for a complete turnkey service, including project management, full system design, layout planning, rigging consultation, specifying fixtures and fittings, on-site installation and production level programming.

The Solution

Field and Lawn recommended a Maxi-Led, Globe Series, semi-permanent architectural festoon product, because it combines aesthetic impact with long-term durability and low running costs.

Importantly, the system provides complete control through a full spectrum RGBW LED, offering more than 16.7 million hues, which can be programmed into dynamic animations and effects. The globes deliver a warm, welcoming light that enhances the character and appeal of the development, reinforces Loxton Walk’s position as a premium social destination.

Our in-house team designed the layout to maximise visual impact and installed 223m of festoon lighting featuring 378 globes. We completed the installation over night to minimise disruption to local businesses.

Additionally, the client can programme the festoon lighting to celebrate key dates, such as Valentines Day, national occasions and major retail events, with time coded scenes creating immersive lighting displays when required. Users can control brand colours, animations and colour combinations, down to individual bulb level. Furthermore, to support the scheme long-term, we have provided an ongoing maintenance package that includes 6 and 12 months inspections, ongoing technical support and training. Enabling the client to programme lighting animations in-house.

Elevate your space with COMMERCIAL festoon lighting

Ready to enhance your streetscape? Field and lawn are commercial outdoor lighting experts and we can plan, design and install a unique, sustainable and engaging scheme that will enhance your space.

Innovation

This installation is the first festoon lighting scheme of its kind in London. The innovative Maxiled “Bat Cap.” prevents upward light spill by creating an optical baffle that directs light towards pedestrian level and eliminates any nuisance light spill to overlooking neighbour properties. As a result, this protects the night sky, reduces light pollution and supports urban biodiversity.

To support the installation, our in-house team designed and manufactured bespoke fixings specifically for Loxton Walk. We powder coated the fixings to match the existing facias, while the custom-fabricated U-channel fixing solution delivered a seamless finish. This approach demonstrates Field & Lawn’s ability to create tailored fixing systems that integrate with existing infrastructure.

Technical specifications and sustainability

The lighting operates from standard 13amp mains power and uses two control units to provide resilience and redundancy. An ethernet connection with 5g node enable cloud-based programming and remote control.

Compared with traditional festoon or decorative lighting, which typically consumes around 10W per lamp, the RGBW LED globes are just 2.35W per lamp, reducing electricity consumption by approximately 75%.

The product is both IP68 and IK07 rated for protection from dust, water and impact, while meeting BS EN 60598 and IEC 60598 standards. The UV-stabilised polycarbonate construction delivers long-run durability expected for continual outdoor operation. Each globe provides 80 lumens, creating a warm, atmospheric canopy effect, that suits social spaces, dining environments and pedestrian areas where ambience takes priority over brightness.

A huge thank you to the team at Maxi LED for providing the imagery and incredible drone video of the project.

Event Marquees for Y Not festival

Posted on 4 Sep14 Sep by Hollie Ursell

Sell out success as Y Not festival expands

Y Not Festival is an annual four-day music event set in the rural, rolling countryside of the Peak District, attracting around 33,000 fans. As Y Not festival continued to grow in popularity, organisers needed to expand the site’s infrastructure to accommodate increased visitor numbers. While enhancing the experience for festivalgoers, artists and production teams.

Building on a successful partnership that began in 2018, Field & Lawn were appointed to deliver the expanded package of festival marquees and temporary structures across the site. Overall this included hospitality areas, artist facilities, production spaces and family amenities. Notably, the project increased from 24 structures in 2025 to 39 structures in 2026, reflecting the festival’s ambitious growth plans.

How we helped Y NOT

Working closely with the festival organisers, Field & Lawn delivered 3,685m² of marquee space, creating the site wide temporary infrastructure for the festival.

The team completed the installation over an 11-day programme through meticulous planning and close collaboration. Despite the site’s remote location and increased project scope, the Field & Lawn team coordinated logistics, allocated crews efficiently and scheduled deliveries carefully to keep the project on track. Futhermore, ongoing communication between Field and Lawn’s operations team, site crews and the festival organisers kept the project running smoothly from start to finish.

Client feedback

We have added significantly more marquees to the festival site this year and a new immersive themed bar structure and they have really added to the festival. The project has its challenges, working across a large site and the team from Field and Lawn are always on hand with solutions to get the job done"

Ollie

Y Not Festival

NEW for 2026

For 2026, Field & Lawn delivered two immersive themed bar marquee structures, each measuring 20 x 25m. Including The Pit, complete with staging and production and The Hog & Barrel, with custom country pub façades.

Working with the festival production team, Field & Lawn led the technical development of the façades, ensuring the designs integrated safely with the structures. As a result, the team transformed creative concepts into a practical solutions that provided a focal point within the arena.

Futhermore during the planning phase, Field and Lawn optimised equipment scheduling and developed a phased installation programme. The team prioritised catering, event control and security, before moving on to entrances, media and artist catering. Consequently, this approach reduced plant hire requirements, lowered overall costs and improved the overall efficiency across the site.

get your festival marquees installed by the experts

Are you looking for event marquees and structures for your festival? Our expert team can help you deliver the temporary festival infrastructure you need, from a single marquee to a site-wide solution. Get in touch today to discuss your requirements.

A Comprehensive Guide To Shortlisting Marquee Providers

Posted on 20 Aug4 Sep by Hollie Ursell

How to shortlist marquee providers for UK events

Selecting your right event marquee providers for a large-scale UK event can feel overwhelming. With so many providers to choose from, service levels, expertise and project timelines can vary. Having a structured shortlisting process is essential to ensure you select the most suitable provider, especially for public sector events.

Field & Lawn has built a reputation through decades of experience delivering temporary event infrastructure and marquees to major festivals and concerts, shows, and corporate events across the UK, as well as working for both public sector bodies and private organisations.

This expert guide walks you through a step-by-step approach to evaluating marquee providers if you need to hire, procure or get a quote for temporary event structures. We will explore how to assess service scope, verify safety credentials, test scalability and the overall suitability of the event you are working on.

Marquee with wooden flooring and a cooking class set up

M&S corporate marquee stand in a festival with grass and people visiting

New hospitality structure at Hamilton Park Racecourse, Nr Glasgow

The quick guide on how to shortlist marquee providers

We know event organisers are busy! So, read our quick condensed guide to finding the right marquee hire company:

1. Define your event requirements – Understand the number of guests, how you intend to use the marquees, the site conditions, and the upfront build and dismantle timeline needs.

2. Verify safety credentials and compliance – Check and importantly request evidence of MUTA membership, ISO certification, and insurance documentation.

3. Assess service scope and equipment – Make sure the marquee provider stocks the marquee types, finishing options and ancillary items you need. This can include flooring, heating, power, linings and various types of doors.

4. Evaluate capacity – Ensure the provider can resource your requirements, checking both equipment capacity and staffing levels, especially in the peak event season.

5. Reviews and recommendations – Verify with other event organisers by checking past reviews and speaking to event planners who have previously used the provider. It’s a good starting point to ask for case studies or even arrange a visit to an event they are supplying, to assess the quality of their equipment and installation.

Finding and shortlisting marquee suppliers for your event

1. Define Your Event Requirements

Start by documenting what your event actually needs. Make note of the expected guest capacity, the type of activities planned, and any special requirements such as catering areas, staging, or VIP hospitality zones. If you have a multi-day event, note the full timeline including setup, event days, and breakdown periods

Secondly, a clear understanding of your marquee location helps you to communicate effectively with potential providers. If you have used the site previously you may be familiar with everything there. However, if you are working on a new event in a new location it may be best to visit the proposed site if possible. Check the ground conditions and ask the provider how the equipment will be delivered. This will help identify any access routes for delivery vehicles, and highlight any obstacles that might affect the installation process.

Consider the weather too. UK events need structures that handle rain, wind, and temperature fluctuations. Document any heating, ventilation, or lighting requirements. These details form the foundation of your shortlisting criteria.

Does your marquee provider have adverse weather plans?

A competent marquee provider should have a documented adverse weather plan. Our guide on marquee wind ratings explain how you can mitigate the risks of adverse weather during your event.

2. Verify safety credentials and compliance

Safety is a non-negotiable. Your shortlist should only include providers who can demonstrate current safety certifications and industry memberships. Look for MUTA membership and ISO accredited processes. MUTA is the UK’s only trade association dedicated to raising standards in marquee and temporary structure hire.

Ask for copies of public liability insurance. Request risk assessments and method statements for previous installations that will be similar to yours and assess the detail provided in these. A reputable provider will have these documents ready without hesitation, together with any relevant policies, such as health and safety, sustainability, social value, together with procedures for your records.

Additional accreditations and standards, like Constructionline registration, and Safe Contractor approval further demonstrate their commitment to safety. These credentials indicate systematic approaches to quality management and health and safety. If you are compiling an approved contractor list for event delivery, these accreditations can make the approval process smoother if you need to present documentation to venue owners, local authorities or wider organising committees.

3. Assess marquee providers service scope and equipment

Not all marquee providers offer the same services or types of marquees. Some specialise in basic tent hire, while others can deliver complete event infrastructure through a range of complimentary products like clearspan marquees solutions and pagoda structures. For large-scale events, you will typically need a provider who can handle everything from the ground up. Make sure to review the provider’s equipment range. Can they supply the marquee sizes you need? A provider who has an extensive in-house stock will reduce your need to coordinate multiple suppliers and make the process smoother.

Our expert tip

If visual consistency and installation efficiency is a key driver for your event, look for a supplier that has a wide range of clearspan marquee options. These structures provide the best balance between appearance, flexibility, weather ratings and installation speed. Find out everything you need to know about these versitle structures, and if they will tick the required boxes for your marquee provision by downloading the clearspan marquee hire guide.

Ask whether the provider offers any customisation options. Large corporate events often require bespoke branding, glazed walling and variety of structures to support everything from premium hospitality to back of house infrastructure and equipment. These structures can also be used for search and security checkpoints, long runs of bars and entrances for larger events.

If the event you are planning is more focused around corporate and hospitality, you may also need to check if the supplier can provide bespoke internal configurations and partitions. Understanding the extent to which a provider can accommodate these requirements will help you assess whether they are a right fit. Providers who handle everything from initial consultation through to post-event breakdown save you significant co-ordination effort.

Ancillary items and finishing touches

Field and Lawn provide everything you need for your marquee hire, from seamless and sustainable temporary power to the fine finishing details like flooring, access ramps and linings.

4. Evaluate scalability and capacity of the marquee providers

Large-scale events demand providers with genuine capacity. Ask directly how much marquee space the provider holds across their operation. Companies with regional depots typically have better geographic coverage and larger stock reserves. Did you know, Field and Lawn hold over 800,000 sq. ft. of tentage across three regional branches.

Discuss scenarios where your requirements might change. Can the provider add extra structures at short notice? Can the provider also supply traders and exhibitors if required under an official supplier agreement. What happens if guest numbers increase after booking? A suitable provider should have contingency stock and the operational flexibility to respond to changes in scope and increases in capacity.

For multi-site events or festival, check whether the provider can service multiple locations simultaneously. This becomes critical during peak event season between May to August. Providers with distributed depot networks offer faster response times and lower delivery costs and less transportation miles, reducing the negative environmental impact.

Where do Field and Lawn Operate?

Field and Lawn are well placed to support events across the UK with marquees and structures. We have three regional depots in Edinburgh, Runcorn and Bristol. We provide marquees for events across the UK.

5. Check Marquee providers installation approach and logistics

Time-critical projects need marquee providers who can meet tight deadlines. Ask about typical lead times from order confirmation to installation completion. Discuss the logistics in detail. A site plan is helpful to denote where each marquee will need to be installed. Where will equipment travel from? Does the provider use in-house transport and installation teams, or do they subcontract? In-house marquee installation teams typically offer better quality control and more reliable timelines because the same company manages the entire process.

Request a breakdown of the installation schedule. How many days before your event will setup begin? When will the crew complete the build and hand over the space? Understanding these timelines helps you coordinate with other suppliers such as caterers, AV teams, and decorators for a seamless install. Providers who can work around other trades demonstrate valuable operational experience. For urgent requirements, check whether fast-track installation is available and ensure that you have sufficient time to take over from the marquee provider to complete any fit out.

The Field and Lawn difference

Field and Lawn have been providing event marquees for over 40 years. Our process is transparent, tested and ISO accredited. Find out more about how our systems make hiring temporary event infrastructure seamless

6. Review quality and communication

Strong communication during the planning phase predicts strong support during your event. Pay attention to how potential providers respond to your initial enquiries. Are they quick, helpful, and knowledgeable? Do they offer a site visit and guidance? Ask whether you will have a dedicated point of contact for managing the project. Working with a named project manager who understands your event from start to finish prevents information getting lost between the brief and the setup. This becomes especially important when you have multiple stakeholders and changing requirements.

Discuss contingency support during the event itself. What happens if something needs attention once guests arrive? For example, will a standby crew be available? Reputable providers have procedures for on-site support and emergency response.

7. Request marquee providers for references and site visits

Before finalising your marquee shortlist, speak with previous clients. Ask providers for references from events similar to yours in scale and type. Contact these references directly and ask specific questions about reliability, quality, and communication.

Additionally, request to see the provider’s portfolio of completed projects. Look for evidence of events comparable to yours, as well as high-quality photographs from their own installations which tell you more than generic stock images ever could.

If possible, arrange a site visit to see their equipment in person. Some providers welcome visits to where you can inspect the condition of their stock. Clean, well-maintained equipment indicates professional operations. This visit also gives you a feel for the company culture and the team you would be working with.

How Field & Lawn can help you deliver your event marquee requirements

Field & Lawn brings over 40 years’ of experience in the UK events sector. With regional branches in Scotland, the Runcorn, covering Manchester and the North, and Bristol, covering the South and Wales. We hold over 800,000 square feet of marquee capacity, making it one of the largest operations in the country. This scale means Field & Lawn can handle major festivals, corporate events, and agricultural shows without capacity constraints.

The company operates with MUTA membership, ISO certification, Constructionline Gold status, and Safe Contractor approval. These accreditations reflect a systematic commitment to quality and safety that protects your event and simplifies your vendor approval processes. Whether you need clearspan marquees for hospitality, storage structures for backstage operations, or complete site-wide festival infrastructure at scale, Field & Lawn delivers the expertise and equipment to make your event succeed.

Ready to start your Marquee Providers shortlisting process?

Contact Field & Lawn for a consultation and discover how their dedicated project managers can support your next large-scale UK event.

FAQs

How far in advance should you start shortlisting marquee providers?

Begin your shortlisting process at least 9 to 12 months before peak season events such as summer festivals or outdoor shows. Field & Lawn and other established providers book up quickly during busy periods. For off-peak events, 3 to 6 months typically gives adequate lead time. Starting early ensures you have time for site visits, reference checks, and contract negotiations without rushing decisions.

What questions should you ask when evaluating marquee provider references?

Ask references about reliability, communication quality, and problem resolution. Specifically, enquire whether the provider met agreed timelines, how they handled any issues during setup or the event itself, and whether the reference would hire them again. Field & Lawn encourages potential clients to speak with previous customers because positive feedback from similar events builds confidence in the partnership.

Can marquee providers handle last-minute changes to event requirements?

Established providers with large stock reserves can often accommodate changes at short notice. Field & Lawn maintains significant capacity across regional depots specifically to handle late requests, changes and urgent additions. Discuss flexibility during your initial conversations and clarify any additional costs or limitations that might apply to late changes.

What is MUTA and why does membership matter for marquee providers?

MUTA is the UK’s trade association for marquee, tent, and temporary structure providers. Membership indicates commitment to professional standards, ethical practices, and quality workmanship. MUTA members agree to codes of conduct and are audited annually for compliance. Choosing a MUTA member like Field & Lawn gives you recourse through the association if disputes arise.

What should you look for in a marquee provider's portfolio?

Look for events similar to yours in scale, type, and complexity. A proven track record and long-term repeat customers show original photographs from actual installations rather than generic stock imagery. Field & Lawn’s project portfolio includes major UK festivals, corporate hospitality builds, and agricultural shows.

Behind The Scenes Insight Into Activating Your Festive Display

Posted on 17 Jun3 Jul by Hollie Ursell

How we Programme, activate and control Christmas lighting schemes

Have you ever wondered what happens in the days, hours and minutes before the all-important moment when we switch on a Christmas lighting scheme? Our Operational Project Manager Karl Roberts, shares a behind the scenes insight into how we carefully co-ordinate every aspect to ensure a seamless Christmas light switch on events.

There’s a moment every BID Manager, Town Clerk or Shopping Centre Manager looks forward to in the build up to the busiest trading period of the year. The moment crowds gather to see the Christmas lights switched on for the very first time. It looks effortless and easy but behind the lights is a tried and tested system, that has been expertly engineered to make it happen like clockwork.

This is your behind-the-scenes look at how we plan for, programme and control festive lighting “switch-ons” across the UK and why clients choose us when they need a Christmas lighting contractor they can trust.

Its all theatre and spectacle – or is it?

Christmas lighting switch-on events are a big draw, with local celebrities, children and community leaders involved in the spectacle. Our role as the festive lighting contractor is to ensure that moment happens exactly on cue and the system performs perfectly for the duration of the season, be that in busy town centres, high streets or other high-footfall commercial locations like shopping centres.

Karl shares that our activation approach is built around three principles:

Flexibility to design and operate the scheme around your needs
Reliability that is built into every stage of our process
Efficiency to deliver maximum impact, safely and sustainably

Flexibility built into the design

When considering your Christmas lighting design, we don’t just think about the visuals, although they are very important, we also deeply consider how you want to control and operate your scheme. For example, if you want to have certain elements of the display on longer or controlled by a separate system, we design, build and install the solution around when and how you want to control your Christmas lights.

No two clients want the same operating plan. Some need a single, unified switch-on across the whole scheme. Others want zoning, for example tree lights on earlier than overhead features, certain streets or areas activated for late-night shopping or feature pieces reserved for a specific time of the evening for maximum impact. We programme every scheme in a way that is completely tailored to the client and the location.

For many installations, one remote can activate the entire scheme or we can programme multiple remotes to allow greater control and flexibility. If you want the lights to come on at the same time every evening, while still having the option for a live switch-on, we can incorporate timers, so your scheme follows a planned schedule after the first switch on event.

Every site has different supply types, plug formats, access constraints and even after undertaking detailed surveys, “surprises” can be found. We have seen it all. Our control equipment is designed as a versatile, plug-and-play system, adaptable to the power supplies we’re connecting into. Rather than restricting schemes to conform to one rigid setup, we design every control system to suit the infrastructure available. This makes deployment quicker, reduces complexity, crucially eliminates avoidable points of failure and improves overall reliability.

If your lighting is semi-permanent, for example festoon lighting that is installed for late summer or lighting for Ramadan or Diwali, we use the very same system and approach. This gives you control to switch your lights on and off at the right time every evening, or we can pre-programme the system on set schedules, while adjusting them as the nights get darker earlier.

Karl Roberts – Operational Manager at Field and Lawn – Karl Roberts | LinkedIn

See how our schemes transform spaces and bring joy throughout the festive season.

Reliability. Is everything better in the cloud?

Reliability is critical in commercial festive lighting because you only get one chance to deliver the experience. When it comes to reliability, there has been several advancements in smart technology for controlling Christmas lights.

We have appraised these systems and “smart” doesn’t always mean “better.”

Karl expands on why…

Many modern systems lean heavily on Wi‑Fi or cloud connectivity. On paper, they promise long ranges and remote access. In practice, when you’re working in town centres that are saturated with competing signals, interference and skyscrapers in central London, network dropouts and third-party variables that you can’t control can put cloud based “smart” solutions at risk of failure. In addition to that, with any cloud based system, there are security risks as well as additional data costs to consider as you will need a SIM card to use these systems.

Our approach is deliberately different, we have used it on all our schemes for many years. We use a localised RF (radio frequency) control system that doesn’t rely on Wi‑Fi, SIM cards, data plans or external control centres to function. That matters not only on nights when you don’t get a second chance such as switch on events, but throughout the whole festive season.

We check performance and if we see any indications that it may not perform as planned, we would simply add extra remote control boxes to strengthen coverage. This would be very costly and complicated with cloud-based systems and could mean complete and last minute re-programming work at significant costs.

Has it ever failed?

In the lead-up, our team carries out repeat tests to confirm performance. We’ll run checks using our switching system, confirm no interruption to the power supply, and perform what we call “flash tests” to verify the switching is responding reliably under real conditions. When it comes to the countdown event, even when one remote can operate the entire scheme, we never rely on one person holding one device. We position a secondary technician with a backup remote so if anything unexpected happens we can still hit the moment perfectly.

Importantly, with remote or cloud-based systems, even with all the testing and checking, you are still at risk of downtime should the technology drop out.

Though the activation, we maintain and hold a master remote that controls the full installation and gives us the ability to programme additional remotes quickly if required (for a client team member, an event host, or an on-site co-ordinator). This gives clients flexibility without compromising control and ensures our engineers can test, override, and support without relying on retrieving a remote from someone’s on the day (or night).

Our rule is to keep it simple and we have refined our equipment, which is all programmed in-house to reduce accidental switching. One of our older remote systems had several buttons which did add to the chance of a false activation. Since then, we’ve refined our handsets down to a key fob style remote with just two clear and simple controls. On and Off! Removing cluttered buttons and the risk of catching the wrong one in the heat of the moment has made things much easier for our clients. If clients choose to operate the scheme manually, we take the time to show them the controls with a full briefing prior to handing over the scheme.

Efficiency

Our activation system has been designed for efficiency at every stage from installation and testing to switch-on night and day-to-day operation. One of the biggest efficiency gains comes from the fact that our switching system is plug-and-play. Rather than relying on complex cloud-based infrastructure, our control equipment is designed to adapt to a wide range of site conditions, locations and power supplies.

Because our system is so flexible, we don’t need to over-engineer a project or introduce unnecessary equipment which can increase the chance of failure. This makes the scheme easier to manage not just on switch-on night, but throughout the season. Our system is made, managed and installed in-house. This means we know the equipment inside out and can programme, adjust or expand the system quickly.

Efficiency and sustainability of festive lighting schemes can be improved by only using what you need, when you need it. As we can timed daily operational periods and zoned activation across different areas of your scheme, it will reduce the energy consumption of your Christmas lighting. The level of control means you can power a scheme, or parts of the scheme down on your own schedule.

Planning your Christmas lighting scheme?

Work with a team trusted to deliver a seamless, reliable switch-on in live public spaces across the UK. Choose a partner that plans for every detail, from power supply through to live event activation and on-site standby support.

Start your festive lighting installation – contact us.