Sizing Power for Festival Stages: A Producer's Guide

Festival power sizing is an exercise in addition. Every device on the site — from the main stage PA to a food truck's fryer — draws watts that must be supplied, distributed, and backed up. A clear load survey is the foundation of a reliable power plan.

Begin with the main stage. A touring-grade PA and lighting rig for a mid-size festival commonly draws 150–250 kW. Add video walls, moving lights, and effects, and the stage alone can approach 400 kW. Vendor villages, site lighting, security, and first-aid tents add another 50–200 kW depending on scale.

Distribute the total across multiple generators rather than one oversized unit. A 250 kW main generator for the stage, a 100 kW unit for vendors, and a smaller inverter for site lighting gives redundancy, simplifies distribution, and lets you scale down overnight loads.

Engage a power provider early in production planning. They'll perform the load survey, design the distribution, schedule fuel, and supply on-site technicians — turning a complex power problem into a managed service so production can focus on the show.