How Allentown's special event process works
Allentown's Bureau of Special Events handles permits for events that use city-owned property, city equipment or city services. Key points from the city's guidance:
- A standard special event application should be submitted at least 90 days before the event, with payment and a detailed site map.
- Several city departments review applications, which is why the lead time is long.
- The site map must show where portable toilets, vendors and dumpsters will go, and every reviewing department has to sign off on it.
- Events expected to draw more than 1,000 people must contract on-site trash and recycling dumpsters.
- The city does not provide electricity, water, restrooms or dumpsters for events. Organizers arrange these themselves.
Because restrooms are on you and must appear on the site map, mark the ADA units and handwashing stations too. Lining up a provider before you apply makes the application easier and avoids last-minute scrambling. Confirm current forms and fees directly with the city.
Local events and venues
Allentown's calendar runs from spring through the holidays. The Great Allentown Fair, one of Pennsylvania's oldest fairs with roots going back to 1852, takes over the fairgrounds on 17th Street for the week leading into Labor Day. The Lehigh Parkway hosts the Lights in the Parkway holiday display, and the city's parks see walks, races, cultural festivals and concerts through the warmer months. Coca-Cola Park, home of the IronPigs, and the PPL Center downtown draw large crowds, and private events around those dates can feel the squeeze on rental inventory.
Construction across the Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley has become a major warehouse and logistics hub, and downtown Allentown has seen a long run of redevelopment. Both kinds of projects need job-site toilets. Large warehouse sites may need units placed at several points across a wide footprint, while downtown projects often contend with limited space for a service truck. Toilet counts on these jobs grow with the workforce under OSHA's sanitation rule, and weekly service is the norm.
Seasonal notes
Allentown has warm, humid summers and cold winters with regular snow. Summer events benefit from shaded placement and more frequent servicing on long days. Winter construction rentals should include freeze protection, and someone on site should keep a path to the units clear after storms. Spring rain can soften fields at park venues, so choose firm, level ground for placement.
Planning your order
- Guests: about one standard unit per 50 people for a four-hour event; more for longer events or when alcohol is served.
- Accessibility: follow Access Board guidance of at least 5% of units per cluster, with each ADA unit on an accessible route.
- Upgrades: restroom trailers for weddings, VIP areas and corporate gatherings; handwashing stations near food vendors.
What it typically costs
In the Allentown area, a standard event unit typically runs about $100–$225, monthly construction rentals with weekly service roughly $125–$225, and restroom trailers often fall between about $800 and $2,500 or more. Quotes vary with distance, timing and service frequency.
Get free quotes
Post your Allentown job on Rental Site Services with your dates, location, headcount and any permit requirements. Lehigh Valley companies shown on this page can reply with no-cost pricing, so you can weigh them against each other.