Hire outdoor furniture for garden parties, festivals and terraces. Rattan sets, picnic benches, folding tables and parasols from Expo Hire.
Outdoor furniture shapes the way guests use a garden, terrace or open event site from the first drink to the last speech. Expo Hire hires 4-seat rattan table and chair sets, rattan loungers, 180cm folding garden tables, folding garden chairs, 6ft and 8ft picnic benches, 3m and 4m parasols and heavy parasol bases for summer events and hybrid indoor outdoor venues.
Outdoor furniture works best when the organiser starts with guest behaviour. A garden party where guests graze, stand and move between lawn games needs a different seating mix from a summer terrace where guests sit for two-hour drinks blocks. Rattan sets create lounge spaces and suit receptions, hotel terraces and corporate hospitality because the low seating encourages guests to settle. The material is UV resistant, which helps it hold up through summer use, but the layout should still give guests shade where possible. Folding garden tables and chairs solve a more practical problem. They suit dining runs, overflow seating and service layouts where the team needs fast set-up and fast clear-down. A 180cm folding table gives a familiar working size for buffet support, dining or registration. Picnic benches create communal seating that many festivals and school events prefer because they seat groups fast. As a guide, a 6ft picnic bench set seats about 6 people and an 8ft set seats about 8. Parasols then control the comfort of the space. A 3m parasol needs a proper base, and exposed sites should use at least a 25kg base as a minimum for that size. Larger parasols or windier sites may need more ballast or a more sheltered position. Hybrid venues often need outdoor furniture to sit well beside indoor furniture, so finish and scale matter. A modern conference venue may pair rattan lounge seating outside with sofa groups inside, while a rural wedding may pair picnic benches outdoors with banqueting tables in the marquee. The mix should feel deliberate from one zone to the next, not like spare stock parked on the patio.
Outdoor layouts often improve when the organiser uses three simple furniture zones. Lounge seating near the bar or drinks point gives guests a place to settle. Dining seating near the food service gives them a place to eat without carrying plates across the full site. Shade near the sunniest edge protects guests who want to stay outside through lunch. Folding tables and chairs help fill gaps between those zones because the team can move them fast if the weather changes or the guest count shifts. Parasols should sit with enough base weight and enough clearance for circulation. A parasol that shades one table but blocks the path to the bar creates more frustration than comfort.
A 6ft picnic bench seats about 6 people.
An 8ft picnic bench seats about 8 people.
Use at least a 25kg base for a 3m parasol on an exposed site.
Many summer parties use a mix of rattan lounge seating, folding dining tables, picnic benches and shaded parasol areas so guests can choose how they use the space.
