A multi-weekend festival on the lakefront is planned in stages: the crowd, the site, the count, the accessible units, the servicing and the day-of contact. This checklist follows those stages in order, using the format of the largest recurring event in Milwaukee as the worked example.
Key takeaways
- Summerfest ran three weekends in 2025, from 19 June to 5 July, with 602,231 attendees by organizer count.
- Plan the count from the peak hour on the busiest day, not the total attendance across the festival.
- Walk the site with the organizer before any unit is set, and mark the drains, the low corners and the crowd routes.
- Set the accessible count per area and agree it with the organizer, because no Milwaukee share was sourced.
- Write a servicing schedule for each weekend, with extra visits in the afternoon peaks and the hottest days.
- Name one day contact who can change the plan while the festival is running.
Stage one: the crowd and the calendar
Start with the calendar and the crowd. The number of weekends, the open hours each day and the expected attendance by day set every later decision in the plan.
Summerfest's 2025 run covered three weekends and drew 602,231 attendees, up about 8 percent on 2024, by the organizer's own release. The 2023 figure was 624,407 and the 2019 figure was 718,144, so the crowd moves from year to year and the plan is set for the year being planned.
The 2026 dates are not printed in this guide. Outlets disagree on them, and the organizer's own page is the source to check before any date is written into a plan.
Ask the organizer for the expected crowd for each day, not just a season total. A quiet opening Thursday and a headline Saturday need different counts, and the plan should show both.
Stage two: the site walk
The site walk is where a plan becomes a placement. The walk is done with the organizer's site map, on the ground, before any unit is ordered.
Mark the stages, the food rows, the gates and the reserved spaces on the map. Then walk the main paths, the lake edge and the low corners, and note where water stands after rain.
On a lakefront site, the wind and the turf decide the placement as much as the crowd. Units are set on the firmest ground, anchored, and kept off the low points where water collects.
Walk the route from the gates to each unit as a guest would. A unit that is hard to reach in a crowd is a unit that will not be used, and the placement should be moved until it is easy to find.
Stage three: the count
The count is worked out from the peak hour, the length of stay, the heat and the accessible need. It is a range while the crowd is uncertain and a number once the organizer confirms it.
Take the peak-hour crowd for the busiest day and divide the grounds into areas. Each area gets a count that serves the people likely to be in it at that hour.
Add the length of stay. Guests who stay all day use the units more than guests who come for one act, and the servicing has to cover the total use across the day.
Test the count against the servicing. A large count with a thin schedule leaves dirty units by the afternoon, so the count and the schedule are agreed together.
Stage four: the accessible units
Accessible units are counted on their own line, placed on the shortest level route from the gates, and checked daily. The count is agreed with the organizer for each area.
No binding Milwaukee or Wisconsin share for accessible units at events was sourced, so none is quoted here. The organizer's own accessibility plan, if it has one, is the document to check the count against.
A route across grass or gravel defeats an accessible unit. The route is planned on the firmest surface available and kept clear of the queue.
Check the accessible units each day for loose rails, blocked doors and missing seat covers. A fault found on the first morning is a repair; one missed until the last weekend is a complaint.
Stage five: the servicing schedule
Servicing is written before the festival opens, with visit times for each weekend, extra visits for the peaks and a rule for the hottest days.
Set visits before the gates open, in the gaps between the afternoon peaks and the late crowd, and after the last show. A schedule that only covers the end of the day leaves the afternoon line unserved.
Share the schedule with the organizer. The record of each visit is kept so the organizer can show what was done and when, which is the simplest answer to a complaint.
Heat changes the schedule. On the hottest days the visits are brought forward and the units are checked for the vent and the seal.
Stage six: the day contact and the close
A single day contact, a written change process and a close-out record keep the festival's restroom plan working from the first gate to the last pickup.
Name one person on the organizer's side who can change the plan during the festival. Every change is made through that person and written on the plan.
After the final weekend the units are collected in the agreed window and the grounds are left clear. The close-out record shows every unit placed, serviced and collected.
Keep the record for the next year. The count, the placement and the servicing from this year are the starting point for next year's plan.
Stage seven: the first weekend review
The first weekend is the test of the plan. A short review at the close of the first weekend corrects the count, the placement and the schedule before the next two weekends begin.
Review the servicing record for the weekend against the schedule. A unit that needed a visit every hour is an under-served area, and the count for that area is raised before the next weekend.
Review the placement with the day contact. A unit that stood in the wrong place or drew a line that blocked a path is moved, and the new spot is written on the plan.
Review the complaints and the reports from the crew. A complaint about a damaged latch or a wet floor is fixed at once, and a repeated one is taken as a sign the schedule needs a change.
Stage eight: the weather and the grounds
Lakefront weather changes the grounds between one day and the next. A plan that works in a dry week needs changes after heavy rain or a gusty afternoon, and the checks are written into the schedule.
After heavy rain, check every unit for level, for water at the base and for a door that no longer latches. A unit on a wet dip is moved to firmer ground before it is used again.
After a gust, check the anchors and the signs and banners near the units. A loose sign that strikes a unit is a hazard as well as a repair, so the crew checks the area around each unit.
Keep a note of the weather on each day of the festival. The record shows which days needed extra checks, and it is the basis for the plan the following year.
When the crowd is bigger than the forecast
A festival crowd can outrun its forecast in a single afternoon. The plan has a rule for a bigger crowd written in advance, so the change is a call, not a scramble.
Agree the threshold in advance. The organizer and the vendor agree the crowd figure at which an extra unit or an extra visit is added, and the cost and the lead time for each addition are written on the plan.
Keep a spare unit or a standby crew where the organizer agrees to it. A spare unit that is not used costs less than a line that is left standing at the busiest hour.
After a bigger-than-forecast day, record what was added and why. The record turns a surprise into a figure the next year's count can use.
Close-out and the record for next year
The close-out record is the most useful document a festival produces for its restroom plan. It shows the count, the placement, the visits and the faults, and it is kept for the following year.
List every unit placed, with its spot, its type and whether it was accessible. Record the pickup date and time, and confirm the spot was left clear.
Record the visits by weekend and by day, with the peak visits marked. A schedule that was kept and a schedule that was missed look different on the record, and both are worth knowing.
Keep the faults and the repairs in the same record. A repeated fault at one spot is a placement problem, and the next year's plan should move that unit before the festival opens.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should the restroom plan be set?
As soon as the organizer's site plan is ready, because the placement and the accessible count depend on it.
Are the 2026 dates in this guide?
No. The outlets disagree, and the organizer's page is the source to check before any date is used.
Does Milwaukee require a restroom plan?
No City of Milwaukee portable-toilet requirement for events was found. The plan is agreed with the City's event office and the organizer.
How many units does a festival like this need?
The count is set from the peak hour and the length of stay for each area. No binding ratio was found, so the number is agreed with the organizer.
Who should sign off the plan?
The organizer's named decision-maker, with the day contact named as well.
What if a unit fails on the busiest day?
It is taken out of use, the day contact is told, and a replacement or a repair is arranged as fast as the crew can reach the site. The record shows the fault and the fix.
Sources
This guide is general information for Milwaukee County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.