For more than three decades, we’ve built stages for every type of event imaginable in more locations than we can remember. Historic buildings, rock festivals, rooftops, and the list goes on. If you can put a stage on it, there’s a good chance we’ve done it at some point. Our Steeldeck stage hire services are designed with quality and flexibility in mind, helping you to achieve your vision and put on an unforgettable event.
For a festival to be a successful event for organisers and a memorable experience for audiences, all elements need to be right—including the quality and appearance of the stages. That’s where we come in! Steeldeck Rentals has been a trusted partner for festivals in the UK for decades.
Festivals are as diverse as the audiences they attract, and each comes with unique requirements. So, it’s important to have a reliable partner to create stage solutions that suit a vast range of requirements. From small to significant and intimate to internationally known, our team can give you what you need to make your next event a success.
The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru) is an annual festival of Welsh language Music and Poetry. Attended by over 150,000 visitors, it’s considered to be the largest festival of its kind in Europe – held in a different location each year, alternating between North and South Wales.
In previous years Steeldeck has supplied dry hires to the festival, but in 2022 another company pulled out of supplying the main stage at short notice. We stepped in and built the stage and Choir riser, a total of around 300 decks. Subsequently, our Manchester team were approached in March 2023 by Technical Manager Llyr Jones to quote for staging and seating hire in the two main pavilions.
The Pavilions are large marquees built in a field (the Maes). Capacity for Pavilion 1 is 1,000 and Pavilion 2 is 500, so it was necessary to arrange the seating to be tiered whilst considering the height of the marquee. As the event is televised, the seating tiers needed to incorporate camera platforms and technical control positions, as well as being securely braced to ensure camera stability. The way in which our seating tiers are designed and constructed means that Steeldeck were the ideal supplier to provide a bespoke solution for the Eisteddfod, including smart black upholstered seats. We have the flexibility and capability to design our tiered seating from the ground up to meet specific requirements.
Creation Group are a full-service production company who specialise in brand activations, catering to a range of prominent clients including White Claw, Bacardi, ASOS and Red Bull. Their wealth of experience in elevating brand identities is proven by their delivery of compelling and contemporary designs for their clients.
For a number of years, we have collaborated closely with Creation, participating in various large-scale festivals and brand activation initiatives, consistently prioritising design-led innovation.
The team behind White Claw, the ‘Hard Seltzer’ sparkling beverage wanted an innovative display at this year’s British Summer Time (BST) festival in Hyde Park. The design for White Claw comprised two double-stacked shipping containers, complete with an open-air balcony on the upper floor. Creation approached Steeldeck to deliver the foundations and create a stable level platform for the activation.
Creation needed a highly robust flooring solution capable of withstanding the structural loads they were dealing with, and Steeldeck has the flexibility to deliver reinforced materials to accommodate hard wearing support in specialised scenarios like these.
Having originally supplied our kit to Creation in 2021 across three different sites, we were well-equipped for this year’s activation. This year the project presented several challenging aspects as the site at Hyde Park had a strict maximum load limit in place. The structure needed to possess the strength to support the White Claw installation loads, safe for the audience to walk on it, and designed to accommodate uneven ground within the parameters of the limitations of the venue.
We collaborated brilliantly with Creation’s design team and their engineers to find innovative solutions that allowed us to meet these restrictions without compromising the overall design. The final install was a fantastic success, and we were delighted to be a part of the delivery and design.
Factory International commissions, produces and presents a year-round programme of original creative work and special events at Aviva Studios, its landmark new home in Manchester, online, and internationally through its network of co-commissioners and partners. It also stages the city-wide Manchester International Festival (MIF) every other year and we regularly provide staging and seating for indoor and outdoor performances across a huge range of different venues.
Factory International’s Technical Manager John Gilleese contacted us in late October to ask if we could provide bespoke curved stages to house lighting equipment for “First Breath”, a lighting installation by world-renowned visual artist Luke Jerram. The installation would be the first project to use the outdoor spaces of Factory International’s new home and was to take place amid a building site.
This summer we were busy planning for the UK music festival season, preparing designs for events taking place up and down the country ready to build staging and structures. From conversations with our clients and industry insiders, there was a real spirit of forging ahead this year particularly given cancellations over the last few years.
The almighty Glastonbury Festival spread over 900 acres at Pilton in Somerset took place for another brilliant year for five days between 21st and 25th June. We are fortunate to have worked at Glastonbury over the years and were excited once again be part of such an incredible event. This year we supplied over 1,200 pieces of Steeldeck equipment, both on a hire only and build basis to some of the Festival’s most beloved areas such as The Park, Block 9 and Arcadia.
In Heaton Park at Parklife in Manchester, and Bluedot situated in the stunning grounds at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, we built stages and supplied the production risers.
Towards the end of June and beginning of July, we were installing at Hyde Park for BST (British Summer Time) where an eclectic mix of icons took to the stage over three weekends. Over the years we have built various decks, stages and thrusts for Elton John, Robbie Williams and Green Day to name a few.
We were thrilled to be part of the team for the third year running to deliver most of the stages and supply all the production risers for Kendal Calling. The festival supports emerging artists and is in the most picturesque setting in the Lake District.