Tent House Guide · Quantities

How Much for How Many Guests: A Rough Guide to Pandal Size, Chairs, Food Counters, Coolers, Halwai Team and Bedding

Bharat Tent & Light House · 15 October 2026

Tent Size for 100 to 1000 Guests: Chairs, Coolers, Counters

The most common confusion at booking is this: with 300 guests, how big should the pandal be, how many chairs, how many coolers? Order too little and you run short on the day; order too much and you waste money. Here is a rough guide from our day-to-day work so you can estimate in advance. The exact numbers always depend on your site's measurements and the function, so treat this as a starting point. Bharat Tent & Light House, Khorra gives you the right counts for your place and guests at booking.

First: "total guests" and "seated at once" are different

At a wedding 500 people come, but they don't all sit together. People come and go and dinner runs in turns. So:

For weddings, engagements and bahu-bhoj, seating for half to two-thirds of the total guests at once is usually enough
At a jagran, katha, satsang or public meeting nearly everyone sits together, so space and chairs or durries are needed for the full count
For a pangat, lay as many rows of durries as people who sit at one time; the rest eat at the next pangat

The rough guide at a glance (wedding-type functions)

Total guests	Approximate structure size	Chairs	Buffet lines	Coolers in summer
100	Large shamiyana or small pandal, about 30×40 ft	60–70	1	2–3
200	Pandal, about 40×60 ft	120–140	2	4–5
300	Pandal, about 50×70 ft	180–200	2–3	6–8
500	Large pandal, about 60×100 ft	300–350	3–4	10–12
1000	Our largest pandal or a German hanger, about 100×100 ft	600–700	6–7	18–20

These are estimates, not rules. Space for the stage, food counters and kitchen is added separately, and the pandal's length and width change to fit your courtyard or plot.

Chairs: you don't need one per guest

At a wedding, order chairs for the number seated at once, not the total
Add 10–20 VIP chairs or sofas for the front row and elders
At a jagran or public meeting, chairs for the full count, or durries in front with chairs behind

Food counters and crockery

At a buffet, plan roughly one serving line per 100–150 guests so queues stay short
Keep a few more plates than guests, since many people go back for more
Separate counters for sweets, chaat or water keep the main line moving

Coolers and fans in summer

In an enclosed pandal, roughly one cooler per 400–500 sq ft
1–2 extra coolers near the stage, where the couple sits for hours
On very hot days, adding mist fans to the coolers makes a quick difference

The halwai team

The bigger the menu, the bigger the team; still, as a rough guide:

100 guests: a halwai and 2 helpers
300 guests: a halwai and 4–5 helpers
500 guests: a halwai and 6–8 helpers
1000 guests: more than one bhatti and a team of 12–15

Lights and generator

The bigger the pandal, the more floodlights and jhalar; count the house and lane lights separately
The generator's size depends on the total load of lights, coolers and sound, so tell us at booking what will run

Bedding for guests who stay

One mattress per person staying, plus a quilt in winter
Keep 5–10 extra, because relatives always increase at the last moment
Durries to lay underneath

This gives you a fair estimate to start the conversation. For exact counts, WhatsApp us the guest count, the function and the site measurements or a photo: we'll send the count for every item in writing, from the pandal and chairs to counters and coolers, so nothing falls short and nothing extra comes. 99918 64283.

FAQ

How big a pandal do 500 guests need?

For a wedding-type function where not everyone sits at once, roughly a 60×100 ft pandal, 300–350 chairs and 3–4 buffet lines. The exact size depends on your site's measurements.

How many chairs should I order for a wedding?

Based on the number seated at once, not the total: usually half to two-thirds of the guests. A jagran, katha or public meeting needs chairs or durries for nearly the full count.

How many coolers does a summer wedding need?

In an enclosed pandal, roughly one cooler per 400–500 sq ft, so about 6–8 for a 300-guest pandal, plus 1–2 near the stage.

Can you set up a pandal for 1000 people?

Yes. Bharat Tent & Light House, Khorra's largest pandal takes about 1000 guests, and if needed all 1000 can be seated at one time. Usually not everyone sits at once, which is why the table above lists 600–700 chairs for 1000 guests; if you want everyone seated together, say so at booking. Send us the site measurements and we'll decide between the pandal and a German hanger.

How do I get the exact counts?

WhatsApp 99918 64283 with the guest count, the function and the site measurements or a photo. We send the count for the pandal, chairs, counters, coolers and bedding in writing.