What you need for a chamber music festival
A chamber music festival needs more than instruments and chairs. You also need a practical drinks service, clearly arranged reception furniture, working lights and enough power accessories for the performance areas. This shopping list covers the items most likely to be forgotten, including spare batteries, serving equipment and equipment for moving instruments safely. Use the expected audience size and number of performances to adjust quantities before you shop.
What to bring
Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.
Furniture
- Concert chairsqty 90
- Foldable tablesqty 8
- Buffet tablesqty 3
- Coat racksqty 3
- High tablesqty 4
- Stoolsqty 8
Tableware
- Water glassesqty 100
- Wine glassesqty 90
- Coffee cupsqty 60
- Tea glassesqty 40
- Dessert platesqty 90
- Cake cutleryqty 90
- Coffee spoonsqty 60
- Serving plattersqty 12
- Serving tongsqty 6
Equipment
- Music standsqty 18
- Lectern lampsqty 12
- Extension cordsqty 8
- Power stripsqty 8
- Microphone standsqty 2
- Wireless microphonesqty 2
- Compact speakersqty 2
- Musical instruments
- Instrument cartsqty 2
- Batteriesqty 24
Lighting
- Standing lampsqty 4
- Mood lightingqty 4
Decorations
- Tableclothsqty 10
- Flower arrangementsqty 6
- Menu standsqty 6
- Directional signsqty 8
- Name card holdersqty 20
- Cloakroom numbersqty 120
Kitchen
- Coffee machinesqty 2
- Kettlesqty 2
- Thermos flasksqty 6
- Coolersqty 4
- Ice containersqty 2
- Cutting boardsqty 3
- Chef's knifeqty 3
- Bread knivesqty 3
- Measuring cupsqty 3
- Serving plattersqty 8
- Storage binsqty 12
- Aluminum foilqty 2
- Cling filmqty 2
Cleaning
- Waste binsqty 8
- Vacuum cleaner
- Mopqty 2
- Bucketsqty 3
- Cleaning clothsqty 20
- Hand broomsqty 3
- Toilet brushesqty 4
- Hand soap dispensersqty 4
Catering
- Groceries
- Coffee beans - 3 kilo
- Black tea - 120 bags
- Herbal tea - 60 tea bags
- Sugar - 2 kilos
- Sweeteners - 200 pieces
- Whole milk - 8 liters
- Oat milk - 4 liters
- Lemons - 12 pieces
- Still water - 12 bottles
- Sparkling water - 12 bottles
- Cola - 6 bottles
- Cola Zero - 6 bottles
- Orange juice - 8 liters
- Apple juice - 6 liters
- Non-alcoholic beer - 24 bottles
- Dry white wine - 12 bottles
- Dry red wine - 6 bottles
- Prosecco - 6 bottles
- Beer - 48 bottles
- Ice cubes - 10 kilos
- Baguettes - 12 pieces
- Wholemeal bread - 6 loaves
- Butter - 1 kilo
- Cream cheese - 1,5 kilo
- Young cheese - 2 kilos
- Brie - 1.5 kilos
- Hummus - 1.5 kilos
- Pesto - 4 jars
- Olives - 2 kilos
- Grapes - 4 kilos
- Apples - 40 pieces
- Pears - 30 pieces
- Strawberries - 3 kilos
- Cucumbers - 8 pieces
- Cherry tomatoes - 3 kilos
- Carrots - 3 kilos
- Bell peppers - 12 pieces
- Mixed salad - 2 kilos
- Walnuts - 1 kilo
- Almonds - 1 kilo
- Cashews - 1 kilo
- Plain chips - 12 bags
- Paprika chips - 8 bags
- Rice crackers - 8 packs
- Butter cookies - 8 packs
- Dark chocolate - 1 kilo
- Milk chocolate - 1 kilo
- Brownies - 6 trays
- Mini quiches - 120 pieces
- Puff pastry snacks - 120 pieces
- Falafel balls - 100 pieces
- Garlic sauce - 2 bottles
- Mayonnaise - 2 bottles
- Mustard - 2 bottles
- Ketchup - 2 bottles
- Balsamic vinegar - 2 bottles
- Olive oil - 2 liters
- Salt - 500 grams
- Black pepper - 250 grams
- Italian herbs - 2 jars
- Paprika powder - 1 jar
- Napkins - 400 pieces
- Coffee filters - 200 pieces
- Stirrers - 300 pieces
- Paper straws - 100 pieces
- Disposable food containers - 50 pieces
- Baking paper - 2 rolls
- Dish soap - 2 bottles
- All-purpose cleaner - 2 bottles
- Toilet cleaner - 2 bottles
- Disinfectant spray - 2 bottles
- Hand soap - 4 bottles
- Hand sanitizer gel - 4 bottles
- Paper towels - 8 rolls
- Toilet paper - 24 rolls
- Paper towels - 8 rolls
- Trash bags - 80 pcs
- Diet biscuits - 4 packs
- Gluten-free crackers - 4 packs
- Vegan spread - 1.5 kilo
- Vegan mini quiches - 40 pieces
- Gluten-free brownies - 30 pieces
Tips
- Allow one concert chair per audience member, plus 5–10 spare chairs for late changes, volunteers or accessibility needs. Place chairs with enough room for musicians, music stands and instrument movement.
- For a reception lasting two hours, plan roughly two drinks per guest in the first hour and one per guest in the second. Add at least 10% extra water, glasses and serving supplies so a busy interval does not stop service.
- Count one music stand and one lectern lamp for every musician who needs printed music, then add 1–2 spare lamps and a full spare set of batteries. Test all lamps before the first rehearsal, not on the concert day.
- Check every performance area for power before equipment arrives. Use enough extension cords and power strips to reach speakers, microphone stands and lighting, while keeping cables away from entrances and audience walkways.
- Prepare reception supplies at least one day ahead: tablecloths, serving platters, tongs, dessert plates and cake cutlery are easy to overlook when the main focus is the repertoire. Keep a separate box for coffee spoons, cups and tea glasses.
Frequently asked questions
- How many chairs do I need for a chamber music festival?
- Provide one concert chair for each expected visitor and add 5–10% spare capacity. For 120 guests, that means at least 126 chairs, with more if volunteers or musicians use the same seating area.
- How much drinking water should I buy for a chamber music festival?
- Plan around 500–750 ml of water per visitor for a short concert programme, and closer to 1 litre for a festival day with several performances. Add 10% extra for musicians, volunteers and warm rooms.
- When should I buy and test festival lighting and batteries?
- Buy or collect lighting, extension cords, power strips and batteries at least 3 days before the first performance. Test every lectern lamp, standing lamp and microphone accessory during the final rehearsal.
- How many glasses and serving items are needed for the reception?
- For a standing reception, provide one water glass and one wine glass per guest, plus 10–15% spare glasses. Match the number of dessert plates, cake cutlery, serving platters and tongs to the largest expected serving round, not the average attendance.
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