Category: Stretch Tent Hire

Festivals flourish the finish to the summer

The Oak looking resplendent with its patterned jacket on at Trystonbury

After a glorious 28′C finale to September and then a 30′C beginning to October its been a beautiful finish to the summer season. Over The Moon have been festival focused with a fantastic Trystonbury 2011 which kept us very busy the last 2 weeks of September. See the Trystonbury Facebook page for all the great feedback on how we organised a fabulous weekend. If you’d like us to do the same for you see MyVeryOwnFestival.com for more ideas.

This week the festival focus continues with us down at our Somerset base providing a stretch tent for the Lantern Festival, which is in its second year. This is a children friendly knees up with some great bands that have appeared at Glastonbury Festival.

The summer season is coming to end. October sees us at the providing the vintage military for Pinewood Studios and then exhibiting at the Showman’s Show with Intent and EagleBars.

Over The Moon at Glastonbury for 3rd Year

It was a hard weekends work at Glastonbury Festival this weekend past. Over The Moon was on site from Friday to Monday 20th. We put up the G Stage back stage bar (our traditional marquee) as the PussyFoot cabaret bar

G Stage Backstage Bar, Glastonbury 2011

On the saturday we put up the G-Stages front of house,25x14m Stretch Tent for the third year running.

And on the Monday we put up a Medieval and Pop-Up for the ‘Oink In The Meadow’ cafe in the camping area A.

Stretch Tents Galore

It was hard going in the rain all weekend, and the stretch tent erection was delayed when we hit a water main we hadn’t been notified about!! 3 hours later we started the work (7pm) finally finishing in the dark at 1am. Hard going but we were determined to get it done as planned.

This is the 3rd year stretch tents have been at Glastonbury and they are going from strength to strength. From 2 in 2009 to 20 this year. Intent is growing its presence.

Stretch Tents & Tipis added to Marquee Best Practice Guide

Over The Moon has been following the MUTAmarq guidelines since we started. The document codifies the best practice for the industry and is a requirement of our insurers that we follow it. For us, specialising in stretch tents, the previous guide was lacking in not having anything pertaining to these new fabric structures. The new version of the guide has now rectified that. Over The Moon is pleased to be at the forefront of developments in event fabric structures.

MUTA, the trade association for the marquee and fabric structure industry, has published a revised version of the MUTAmarq Code of Practice after a period of review over the 2010/11 low season. ‘Safe Use and Operation of Marquees and Temporary Structures’ \was last revised in spring 2008 and the new version reflects changes to the industry since then. The document recognises the growth of non-standard fabric structures in unusual shapes and configurations, and addresses health and safety issues including the need for a biannual StructureSafe on-site safety course and increased preventive measures to combat the hazard of hidden underground services.<

Venue owners and event organisers continue to carry the legal obligation to offer a safe place of work and in doing so to disclose the whereabouts of underground services. However where there is any doubt as to the location of underground cables and pipes, it is the responsibility of the contractor to establish their location. MUTA in its latest guidance recommends its MUTAmarq Accredited Contractors to scan the work site before driving stakes into it in order to prevent accidents, and avoid injury or damage to property.

Other changes to the Code of Practice include the following areas:
Scope – to include all temporary demountable fabric structures
Stability – to cover tipis and non-standard structures
Electrical installations – to clarify the need for a qualified electrician
Naked flames – importance of carrying out a thorough risk assessment
Client awareness – to clarify their responsibility to provide a safe site
Training – requirement for members to provide adequate safety training to crews
Personal Protection Equipment – to clarify when to use hard hats
Fire exits – to include good practice to provide an additional exit

There have also been minor changes to terminology – for instance to refer to all structures covered by the guidance as “fabric structures” to include a wider range than traditional pole and framed marquees.

Bunker Bash – Military Theme 16th Birthday Party

Over The Moon journeyed north to Glasgow for the 1st of April to produce a military theme party. The client’s brief was a military themed event and to cover a large 7mx4m pond right in the middle of the lawn. The pond span was too large for the vintage military tents to go over so we offered to camouflage a 19x15m Intent. We also used sides from our military tents to edge the Intent to add more olive green and the lived-in look of a military base.

We also added props like ammo crates, jerry cans, parachutes and lots more camo nets around the garden. The client had a large stage built over the pond that was suitably camouflaged and the look was completed with 180 combat ready 16-18 year olds. The night went off with a bang.

To view the full album of images go to our Picasa Gallery.

Click links for info on Intents and Military Tents.

Bunker Bash - Military Theme Party

US Military solar powered stretch tent

We were pleased to be sent a link, from one of our clients, to this article about the US military developing stretch tent looking solar powered canopies. These tents would be popular at many of the green minded festivals if the technology goes commercial. Like the internet, mobile phones and the myriad other products this would be another example of military technology having great benefit for non-military users.