Double-Decker Tents for Events: One Structure, Two Ways to Use It

Sometimes an event needs more from a space than the ground alone can give, whether that is more room for guests or more height for what you are putting inside. A double-decker tent answers both by building up instead of out. Each Liri double-decker is a tall, two-story clearspan structure, and the same frame can be used in two ways: left open as a single tall volume, or fitted with a mezzanine floor, turning it into two usable levels.

How Double-Decker Event Tents Maximize Space

The whole idea behind a double-decker is making the most of a fixed footprint. Instead of spreading out across ground you may not have, you build upward, which can be the difference between a workable layout and a booking you have to turn away on a crowded fairground or a site boxed in by existing buildings. How you use that vertical space is up to you, and that is where the two configurations come in.

Every Liri double-decker is a tall clearspan, built on the same modular system as our traditional structures. You can extend the length in 5m (16 ft) bay sections with no set limit, so the same core structure can stretch to fit a golf championship one month and a corporate exhibition the next. The interior carries the height of two stories, roughly up to 8m (26 ft) of clear space from the ground, which gives you plenty to work with whether you keep it open or add a floor.

One Frame, Two Ways to Use It: Open or With a Mezzanine Floor

A double-decker is really one structure with two configurations, and choosing between them comes down to whether you want height or a second floor.

Left open, a double-decker is a single tall volume with no interior floor dividing it. The full height stays clear from the ground up, which is exactly what you want for the things that need room to breathe: vehicle reveals, tall staging, concert rigging, and large exhibits or machinery that cannot sit under a low ceiling. 

Add a mezzanine floor and the same structure becomes two usable levels. A finished deck goes in partway up, and almost any Liri tent you already own can sit on top as the upper structure. That makes the mezzanine the choice for events that need people on a real second floor, such as VIP hospitality, lounges, and elevated viewing. It also gives you the flexibility to use existing inventory as your second-level tent, so you can build a two-story setup without investing in a separate structure.

Liri’s Double-Decker Tent Lineup

A-Frame, Dome, Arcum, and Cube are roof designs, not different structures. You choose the roofline that fits the look you want and the job the tent has to do, while the double-decker frame underneath stays the same. The A-Frame Double Decker is the classic gable profile with a higher peak, commonly sold from 15m (49 ft) to 30m (98 ft) wide. The Dome Double Decker carries a curved Arcum roofline in the same 15m (49 ft) to 30m (98 ft) range, and because most of the small parts are shared, you can switch a structure between the Dome and A-Frame profiles. The Cube Double Decker uses a lower roof profile than the A-Frame pitch, which makes it a popular pick when you plan to add signage or parapets, and it offers the widest span flexibility at 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m, 30m, and 40m (33 ft to 131 ft) with vertical sidewalls that make the most of the upper floor.

Whatever roofline you settle on, every double-decker accepts the full Liri accessory range, including glass walls, clear PVC window sidewalls, interior and exterior staircases, front-view balconies, lining and curtains, glass or sliding doors, transparent roofs and walls, and rain gutter systems.

Double-Decker Tents for Golf Tournaments and Sporting Events

Sports and outdoor events are where double-deckers really earn their keep. With a mezzanine floor, you get seating and hospitality on two levels at once: at a golf tournament, spectators watch from an elevated upper deck while the ground floor handles dining and lounge functions, all from a single footprint at the edge of the course. The same two-level setup works at motorsport paddocks, equestrian grounds, and tennis hospitality, where elevated sightlines command a premium and a tiered upper deck turns the structure into a grandstand with a roof.

Left open, the same family of structures handles the bigger, taller jobs at these events, from main stages to large exhibits and displays. And across hospitality more broadly, a mezzanine upper level almost always becomes the VIP space: a quieter, elevated room with the best views on site. You can see more of these setups on our sports and recreation and hospitality pages.

Is a Double-Decker Tent Worth It for a Rental Fleet?

If your calendar includes annual sporting events, recurring exhibitions, or a roster of clients who keep asking for elevated VIP space, a double-decker can become one of the highest-yielding structures in your fleet. If you expect to use one only once, a ground-level clearspan is usually the smarter buy, and a mezzanine is worth a look when you would rather build the second level from inventory you already own.

This is where Liri’s modular system pays off. The structure comes apart and redeploys again and again, and it ships from centrally based US inventory in Kansas City, Kansas, which keeps lead times and freight predictable when you are planning a full season. Our event rental industry solutions are built around exactly this kind of repeat-deployment model.

Built to Carry Crowds at Height

A structure that can carry people at height has to be built for it, so the engineering is not something to gloss over. The uprights and roof beams on every Liri double-decker are made from high-strength extruded and anodized aluminum (6061/T6), and the covers are double PVC-coated polyester textile that is flame retardant. When you add a mezzanine floor, it is finished with waterproof splints about 28mm (1.1 in) thick over the flooring support, so the upper level is solid underfoot.

Our double-decker structures are designed to meet the highest National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and to pass state Fire Marshal inspections, and they are engineered to withstand winds up to 115 mph. Liri also carries U.S. Engineered Structural Evaluation, U.S. Flame Retardant Certification, and California State Flame Retardant Registration. Each structure can stand on concrete, sand, grass, or gravel, which keeps your siting options open from one venue to the next. Liri Tent US supplies the structure and works alongside your install team to get it where it needs to be.

Talk Through Your Configuration

The right setup depends on whether you need an open volume or a mezzanine floor, how tall the space has to be, and how often you plan to deploy the structure. Those are quick questions to work through with a specialist. Call Liri Tent US at 866-829-7203 or request a quote to size the right structure for your events.

Engineered tents that last = Return on investment.

Frequently Asked Questions