Blog · 2026-10-10 · 5-minute read
Restrooms for Musikfest Vendor and Private Areas: A Planning Checklist
Ten days, roughly a million visitors across downtown and SteelStacks, and a city permit process that asks who your restroom provider is. Here is how private areas, sponsors and vendor rows plan their units for the first week of August.
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When is Musikfest 2026, and when should units be booked?
Musikfest runs 10 days starting the Friday before the first Saturday in August; in 2026 that is July 30 through August 9. ArtsQuest has run it since 1984 across downtown Bethlehem and SteelStacks. Private areas and vendor rows that bring their own restrooms should book by mid-June, because the same week overlaps the Blueberry Festival wrap-up and the Great Allentown Fair build-out at the end of the month.
Dates and history: Musikfest.
How many units does a private area need for ten days?
Size the peak evening, not the average: count the people in your area during the 7 to 10 PM headliner window and take that count ÷ 100, multiply by 1.25 because beer is sold, round up, make at least one of the units accessible, and add a hand wash station per 10 units. A sponsor tent with 300 guests on peak nights needs 4 units (3 standard + 1 accessible) and 1 hand wash station, serviced every morning.
| Private area | Peak headcount | Units (total) | Of which accessible | Hand wash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsor tent | 300 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Vendor row (8 food stands) | staff only, ~40 | 1 | 1 | 4 (one between each pair of stands) |
| Private rooftop / lot party | 150 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Volunteer base | 80 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
What does the City of Bethlehem permit require?
The Special Event Application reviewed by the City's Special Events Review Team names your portable restroom company, contact and the setup and pickup dates and times, and it recommends two toilets per 500 attendees with 5% accessible, plus servicing and restocking for events lasting more than one day. Food vendors also need a Bethlehem Bureau of Health license and a hand-washing station with running water; sanitizer alone is not accepted.
Forms: Special Event Application and the hand-washing station requirements. Street placement needs the separate Engineering right-of-way permit.
How does delivery and daily service work during the festival?
Units go in the day before gates open, inside the setup window on your permit, and come out the morning after closing night. Service runs at 6 AM every day: pump, wipe, restock, deodorize, with a text to the area manager listing the units done. Peak nights (both Saturdays) get a second visit mid-afternoon. Service is $35 per unit per visit; the units themselves are on the weekend event rate.
- June. Book units, confirm the cluster map, send us the permit setup window.
- Week before. Walk the site; mark truck lanes and the vendor gate.
- July 29. Delivery and staking; hasps on every unit.
- Daily 6 AM. Service run; text report.
- August 10. Pickup inside the teardown window.
Related questions
Can you deliver inside the fenced festival footprint?
Inside the setup window on your permit and through the vendor gate you name. Units are hand-dollied up to 100 feet on paved paths once the truck is at the gate.
Official sources cited on this page
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