Free planning tool

Where will everyone park?

Enter guests, how they'll arrive and the spaces at your venue. See how many cars to plan for and whether you need overflow parking or shuttles.

Take out guests arriving by shuttle, rideshare or transit, then divide the rest by guests per car. 150 guests at two per car with 10% by rideshare is about 68 cars. Subtract venue spaces to see the shortfall, and allow roughly 300 square feet per car, lanes included, for an overflow field.

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Guests

Guests per car

Couples and families share cars. Your guess for your crowd.

Arrive by rideshare, taxi or transit

Ride a shuttle you provide

For hotel blocks or remote parking.

Parking spaces at the venue

Include street parking you can count on.

Space per parked car, including lanes

sq ft

For sizing an overflow field. Tight, attended parking uses less.

Cars to park

135 guests driving, 2 per car

Spaces short

Plan overflow parking or a shuttle

8,400 sq ft

Overflow area needed

About 0.19 acres at 300 sq ft per car

Guests by rideshare or transit

Mark a drop-off point near the entrance

Drive (135)Rideshare or transit (15)Shuttle (0)

Parking on a lawn or a street closure may need permission from your town. Fencing, lighting and signs for an overflow lot can be rented.

Price these rentals

How it works

Using the parking and shuttle estimator

Step 1Guests and carsHow many come per car.
Step 2Other ways inRideshare, transit and shuttles.
Step 3Venue spacesSee how many you're short.
Step 4Plan shuttlesVehicles for your arrival window.

The method

How we work out the numbers

Drivers are guests minus shuttle riders minus rideshare and transit guests. Cars are drivers ÷ guests per car, rounded up. The shortfall is cars minus venue spaces, and the overflow area is the shortfall × space per car.

Each shuttle makes (arrival window ÷ round trip) loops, rounded down, with at least one. Shuttles needed = riders ÷ (seats × loops), rounded up. Planning the rest of the day? The timeline builder and rain plan checklist cover arrivals in bad weather.

Questions

Parking and shuttle estimator: FAQ

How many parking spaces do I need for 150 guests?

If guests come two to a car and 10% arrive by rideshare, 150 guests bring about 68 cars. Fewer per car or no rideshare means more. Enter your own numbers to see your count.

How much space does an overflow parking field need?

Planners often allow about 300 sq ft per car once you include driving lanes. Attended, tight parking can use less. The calculator lets you set it.

How many shuttles do I need?

Divide shuttle riders by seats per vehicle times the loops each vehicle can make in your arrival window. A 30-minute round trip in a 60-minute window gives two loops per shuttle.