Christmas Present Tent

Skyline Tent Co., Charlottesville, Va., United States

This is a 30' x 30' gable Navi-Trac® cleartop on a leveled deck with a 9' x 10' clear marquee connected. The event was for a local investment firm’s annual holiday party. The tent was completely “wrapped” in a red fabric—complete with a large white bow—to give the illusion that the tent was a huge Christmas present.

This was a lot harder than it looks. The installation had to be scheduled for night and the “wrapping” had to be installed at the last minute to keep the surprise. Permitting was a challenge because of the exit requirement and proximity to the railroad right-of-way. The weather was windy and made the fabric installation extremely difficult.

The client wanted the tent to be eye-catching despite its small size and a unique and festive visual effect for the guests. Decor inside included white carpet with custom fuzzy white tablecloths, white lounge furniture, and birch centerpieces and red draping to complete the red and white decor. The tent was installed on leveled decking with ramps to seamlessly expand the interior space. It also needed to provide privacy from passing traffic and passing crowds.

The tent was installed in the central business district of a busy pedestrian area. The tent produced more comments and interest for a tent of this size than anyone would have guessed. The turnout was extremely high and the restaurant had to provide security to keep out party crashers and curious passersby. The most challenging aspect will be creating an even more interesting design for 2009.