Field day season is intense — most schools cram theirs into a 6-week window between mid-May and mid-June, which means popular inflatables (obstacle courses, big slides, water games) book out months in advance. If you're a PTA volunteer, athletic director, or parent organizer, this is the timeline we walk people through every year.
6+ weeks out: Lock in your inflatables
This is the deadline. By 6 weeks before your field day, the Mechanical Bull, big obstacle courses, and water slides for the most popular dates (the Fridays of May/early June) are usually already booked. If you wait until 4 weeks out, you're choosing from leftovers.
- Decide your event date and rain date (rain dates do not need to be a Friday)
- Survey the field where you'll set up — measure available space, identify power outlet locations (or note where you'll need generators)
- Pick 3–5 inflatables that match the age range and group size
- Get a written quote with COI included
- Pay deposit to lock the date
4 weeks out: Logistics + permissions
- Confirm the COI is on file with the school's facilities office (we'll have already sent it)
- Confirm setup time — most schools want us on-site 90 minutes before the first class arrives
- Plan your station rotation so each class spends 15–20 minutes per inflatable
- Recruit parent volunteers — typically 1 supervisor per inflatable plus a few floaters
2 weeks out: Communications
- Send the parent email with what kids should wear (sneakers, sunscreen, hat, water bottle)
- Confirm the rain plan in writing with administration
- Send the schedule to teachers so they can prep their classes for the rotation
1 week out: Final check-ins
We'll call you the week of to confirm the address, delivery window, setup spot, power access, and contact person for the morning. This is also the moment to double-check the rain forecast and start mentally preparing for the rain date if needed.
Day of
We arrive 60–90 minutes before the first class. Setup takes about 45 minutes per inflatable, depending on the item. We do the safety walkthrough with whoever's coordinating the event, and the volunteer supervisors get a quick briefing.
What we need on-site
A 110V outlet within 100 feet of each inflatable, or a clear spot to set up a generator. A clear path from the parking area to the setup spot. And one school point of contact who's reachable by phone during setup.
Most popular school items
Across the hundreds of field days we run, these are the items that consistently get the highest engagement:
- Champion Obstacle Course — keeps groups of 6–8 kids cycling through every 2 minutes; great for K–5
- Big Wave Dual Lane Water Slide — for warm-weather days; pair with bathing suit notice in the parent email
- Color Castle (large) — broad age range, can fit 8–10 kids at a time
- Carnival games rotation (axe throwing for older grades, plinko, basketball shootout)
Budget benchmarks
Most elementary school field days fall in a sensible range when you book 3–4 inflatables plus a carnival game station. PTAs sometimes offset cost with t-shirt sales, sponsorships, or pre-event raffles. Non-profit / school pricing is built into our quotes by default — just mention you're a public or parochial school when you request.
