Can I hire a marquee in winter months?

Yes. Winter marquees for hire are increasingly popular, particularly for weddings and Christmas events, partly because venues are less in demand and often more flexible with dates. With the right heating, flooring and insulation, a marquee in winter can feel every bit as comfortable as a summer event.

Are marquees warm in winter?

They can be, when specified correctly. A properly insulated, well heated structure with raised flooring and fully enclosed sides will hold a comfortable internal temperature even when it’s freezing outside. The specification is what makes the difference, not the season itself.

How do you heat a marquee in winter?

Most winter setups combine a few things: Diesel or electric heaters sized correctly to the space Strategic placement to avoid cold spots and draughts near entrances Good insulation through linings, flooring and fully enclosed sides Your supplier should calculate the required heating output based on marquee size, guest numbers and the expected outside temperature. This isn’t something to guess at.

How much does a winter marquee cost?

Costs vary depending on size, specification and site. A winter party setup can sometimes cost more than a basic summer configuration, due to: Additional heating and fuel or electricity Insulated flooring and thermal linings Extras like covered entrances and outdoor heaters That said, winter dates are often more available and sometimes better priced overall than peak summer weekends. For an accurate figure, it’s best to get a tailored quote based on your guest list, site and date.

How far in advance should I book a winter marquee?

For popular winter dates, especially around the festive season and early in the new year, we’d recommend booking at least 6 to 12 months ahead. That gives you: More choice of dates and structures Time to plan heating, flooring and access properly Room to adjust your décor and layout as your plans come together

7 Tips for Creating a Warm Winter Marquee Event

There’s a stubborn myth going around that marquees are strictly a summer thing: blue skies, garden weddings, warm evenings and nothing else. It puts a lot of people off even considering a winter marquee wedding or a festive party under canvas, which is a shame, because some of the most atmospheric events we’ve built at Star Marquees have happened on the coldest nights of the year.

A well-planned winter marquee isn’t a compromise. Done properly, it’s warm, it’s genuinely cosy and it gives you something a fixed indoor venue can’t: total control over your own space, on your own terms, regardless of what the weather’s doing outside. The trick is knowing exactly what makes a marquee warm, rather than crossing your fingers on the night.

We’ve built and styled marquees across West Yorkshire through plenty of frosty evenings and more than a few wet ones, so we know precisely what separates a cold, uncomfortable tent from a properly heated marquee guests don’t want to leave. Here are our seven tips, plus what to think about if you’re planning a winter event marquee hire in the region.

Why Choose a Marquee for a Winter Event?

A marquee in winter gives you flexibility that a fixed venue simply can’t match. You’re not fighting other couples for the same December Saturday, you’re not paying peak season venue prices and you get to shape the space entirely around your event rather than working around someone else’s carpet and someone else’s lighting rig.

Here’s what a winter marquee lets you do that a hotel function room or village hall won’t:

Host anywhere you like. A scenic garden, a field, your own back lawn or a country venue, rather than being limited to whoever has availability
Tailor the size and layout exactly to your guest list, instead of squeezing into or rattling around in someone else’s fixed room
Control the heating, lighting and décor completely, shaping the whole atmosphere around the season rather than adapting to what’s already there

Modern winter ready structures are built to handle cold, wind and rain when they’re properly specified for the job. With the right insulation, robust flooring and efficient heating, a heated marquee is a genuinely practical choice for an outdoor celebration that still feels warm, intimate and considered, not a gamble on the weather.

Tips for a Warm Winter Marquee Event

1. Heaters

Heating is the backbone of any comfortable winter event marquee hire. The goal isn’t just to add warmth. It’s to maintain a consistent temperature from the first guest arriving to the last one leaving.

Size the heating correctly for your space and guest numbers. Work this out with your supplier rather than guessing, since an undersized setup will never quite catch up
Position multiple units around the perimeter and near entrances to eliminate cold spots, particularly where doors open and close throughout the event
Consider a heated gazebo for smaller garden areas, drinks receptions or a dedicated smoking spot, if a full marquee heater setup feels like overkill for that section

A well-planned heating layout is what turns a basic structure into a genuinely warm space. Done right, guests forget it’s freezing outside within minutes of walking in.

2. Flooring

Cold, damp ground is one of the biggest comfort killers at any winter party and it’s often the thing people forget to plan for until they’re standing on it.

Raised cassette or boarded flooring lifts guests off cold, wet ground entirely, which matters far more than people expect once the temperature drops
Add carpet or a non-slip finish on top for extra warmth underfoot and safer footing, especially once the dancing starts
Pay close attention to entrance areas, where muddy tracks and draughts tend to creep in first

For any garden based event, proper flooring isn’t a nice extra. It’s essential for protecting both your guests and the site itself.

3. Lighting

Lighting shapes how warm a space feels almost as much as the actual temperature does. Harsh, cool white light can make even a well heated winter wedding feel clinical and flat.

Choose warm toned bulbs and festoon lighting for a soft, golden glow rather than a stark white one
Layer in chandeliers, uplighters and candle style LEDs to build pockets of warmth around the room, not just one central light source
Combine ambient overhead lighting with table lamps or fairy lights for depth. A flat, single layer of light rarely feels cosy, however warm the bulbs are

Good lighting doesn’t just support your wedding marquee winter decoration ideas. It makes the whole space photograph beautifully too, which matters when the light outside disappears by 4pm.

4. The Location

Where you actually site the marquee matters just as much as what goes inside it and it’s often the detail people think about last.

Pick a spot sheltered from prevailing wind and driving rain, rather than the most photogenic corner of the garden regardless of exposure
Make sure access from parking to the marquee is easy and well lit, for guests and delivery teams alike
Check ground conditions properly. Avoid low lying areas that flood or turn to mud after a few days of winter rain

A thoughtful location choice reduces heat loss, improves safety underfoot and makes the whole setup smoother for your event team on the day.

5. Winter Accessories

It’s the small touches that turn a functional space into somewhere guests actually want to linger.

Bring in candles wherever you safely can. Even a few grouped together give off a warm, golden glow that overhead lighting just can’t match, and they add a festive feel that fits the season perfectly
Add seasonal foliage like eucalyptus, pine or trailing greenery through table runners, doorways or hanging arrangements. It brings a natural, rich colour into the space and gives guests a real sense of the outdoors without any of the cold that usually comes with it

These extras cost relatively little against the overall event, but they’re consistently the details guests mention afterwards. Candlelight and greenery in particular do a lot of quiet work, giving a winter marquee that lived-in, festive warmth that’s hard to get from heating and lighting alone

6. Colors

This one won’t change the actual temperature, but it changes how warm the space feels and that perception genuinely matters.

Lean into deep reds, burnt oranges, golds and rich greens for a properly seasonal, enveloping feel
Use warm neutrals (cream, taupe, warm grey) as your base, then bring in colour through linings, tableware and florals
Avoid large areas of stark white or cool blue, which read as cold under winter lighting even when the room’s perfectly warm

If you’re planning a winter wedding, let your colour scheme actively support the warmth you’re already building with heating and lighting, rather than working against it.

7. Exterior

Guests notice the outside of your marquee before they ever step through the entrance and first impressions set the tone for the whole evening.

Add covered walkways or a porch entrance so people arrive dry, not damp and cold before the event’s even started
Use outdoor heaters near smoking areas, photo spots and any queue lines, so stepping outside doesn’t mean stepping straight back into the cold
Keep paths clear, well lit and gritted if there’s any risk of ice underfoot

A well considered exterior makes the whole hire feel professional and thought through, rather than an afterthought tacked onto a warm interior.

Choosing the Right Marquee for Winter

Not every marquee structure performs equally once the temperature drops and for a winter event, the structure itself plays a bigger role in comfort than most people realise.

Insulation and lining: thermal linings and fully enclosed sides trap heat far more effectively than basic canvas ever will
Frame and roof strength: the structure needs to handle wind, rain and in some parts of the country, snow load, not just look good in a photo
Integrated services: neat routing for heating, lighting and power without cables or ducting compromising safety or the finish

If you’re comparing options for hiring a marquee in winter, ask your supplier specifically about structures designed for cold weather use, rather than trying to stretch a summer only setup further than it’s built to go. A clearspan marquee with solid PVC sides, for example, holds heat and stands up to wind considerably better than a lighter, traditional pole tent. Worth knowing before you commit to a structure.

Planning a Winter Marquee Event in West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire winters are unpredictable at the best of times, cold winds, driving rain, the occasional sharp frost, which makes planning ahead more important here than almost anywhere else.

We’re based locally, so we know which fields flood after a few days of heavy rain, which gardens have slopes that need extra groundwork before anything’s erected and how the wind coming off the Pennines behaves differently to a still evening down in the valley. That’s not a small detail. It’s the difference between a marquee dropped in and hoped for the best and one that’s actually suited to your specific site.

A few things worth building into your planning if you’re in the region:

Choose sites with good drainage and firm access for delivery vehicles. A beautiful spot that a lorry can’t reach in December causes problems nobody wants on the day
Factor in earlier sunsets when planning both lighting and photography, since darkness falls well before an evening event even gets going
Build in extra time for setup and heating warm-up before guests arrive, rather than cutting it fine

Whether you’re planning a winter garden marquee near Leeds, a Christmas party in Bradford or a wedding in a village most sat-navs struggle to find, having a team that already understands the local ground conditions and weather patterns takes a genuine amount of stress out of the process and means far fewer surprises on the day itself.

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Get a Free Quote for Your Winter Marquee Event

Winter doesn’t have to mean putting your event plans on hold. With the right heating, flooring, lighting and a structure genuinely built for the season, your marquee can feel every bit as special as a summer celebration, arguably more so, with that warm, candlelit atmosphere only winter really delivers.

If you’re planning a wedding, party or corporate event in West Yorkshire this winter, get in touch with the Star Marquees team for a free, no obligation quote. We’ll talk through your site, your guest numbers and exactly what you’ll need to keep everyone warm, comfortable and glad they came.