Event & festival generator rental in Houston, TX
A typical large outdoor event / festival setup needs about 22–37.5 kW, usually a towable (trailer-mounted) generator. Adjust the list below to your equipment, then compare 11 Houston providers that fit.
What size generator do I need?
Pick what it's for, adjust what you'll power, and get a size range from published wattage tables. Confirm the final size with the rental company.
| What you'll power | Watts each (running) | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| PA sound system | 500–2,000 | 2 |
| DJ setup (speakers + mixer) Del Rey Party Rentals · +1,500 W start-up surge | 1,000–2,000 | 1 |
| LED screen / video display | 200–500 | 2 |
| Outdoor light string (per string) | 250 | 10 |
| Uplight (each; 8 uplights = 400 W in the source example) | 50 | 16 |
| Holding & warming cabinet (each) | 1,000–1,500 | 4 |
| Catering cooking equipment (full setup) | 1,500–3,000 | 2 |
| Electric grill / griddle (catering) | 1,200–2,000 | 2 |
| Commercial refrigerator Champion Power Equipment · starts at up to 2,000 W | 600–800 | 2 |
| Misting / cooling fan (each) | 50–300 | 6 |
| Air conditioner, 13,500 BTU (each) Champion Power Equipment · starts at up to 3,500 W | 1,500–2,000 | 0 |
| Tent heater, LB White LB170 (each) | 2,000–2,500 | 0 |
Under a tent? Add tent heaters or fans above if you'll use them. The generator itself must stay outside: Ready.gov says at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages.
Running load 16,600–29,700 W, plus 1,500 W for the largest start-up surge, plus a 20% buffer.
Reference: Large outdoor corporate or social event: 15,000–30,000+ W load, book 20–50 kW+ (Del Rey Party Rentals).
- Type
- Towable (trailer-mounted) generator
- Fuel
- Diesel (most towable rental units)
- Ask for
- Heavy-duty cables sized for the load
- Distribution panel / spider box (and Cam-Lok cables on larger units)
- Sound-attenuated (“whisper”) towable unit
This is an estimate from published averages, not a quote. Give the rental company your actual equipment list (labels show watts) and confirm the size. How we calculate
- Power Plus 20–3,250 kW ✓
- Worldwide Power Products Rental Division 10–2,000 kW ✓
- Aggreko Rental Solution - Pearland 25–1,500 kW ✓
- Mustang Cat - Houston 11–3,520 kW ✓
- Mustang Cat Rental & Parts Store - Baytown 11–3,520 kW ✓
- Mustang Cat Rental & Parts Store - Channelview 11–3,520 kW ✓
- Mustang Cat Rental & Parts Store - Houston Southwest/Missouri City 11–3,520 kW ✓
- Mustang Cat Rental & Parts Store - League City 11–3,520 kW ✓
11 Houston providers for large outdoor event / festival power
Worldwide Power Products Rental Division
Aggreko Rental Solution - Pearland
Stag Power Rentals
Turn Key Events
EquipmentShare
EquipmentShare
EquipmentShare
EquipmentShare
EquipmentShare
Comet Party Rentals
Jaguar Tents & Events
Reference sizes from the industry
Large outdoor corporate or social event: 15,000–30,000+ W load, book 20–50 kW+ (Del Rey Party Rentals: Event Power Guide).
FAQ
What size generator do I need for a large outdoor event / festival?
For the default setup below (2 × pa sound system, 1 × dj setup, 2 × led screen / video display, 10 × outdoor light string, 16 × uplight, 4 × holding & warming cabinet, 2 × catering cooking equipment, 2 × electric grill / griddle, 2 × commercial refrigerator, 6 × misting / cooling fan), published wattage tables give a running load of 16,600–29,700 W. Adding the largest start-up surge and a 20% buffer gives about 22–37.5 kW. Confirm with the rental company using your actual equipment list.
Which Houston rental companies fit?
11 Houston-area providers in our directory state something on their own website that matches this use (unit type, events, construction or residential service). Sizes are quoted on each provider's page.
Other uses in Houston: Wedding · Backyard party · Food truck / vendor booth · Construction site · Home backup during an outage · RV / camping