Marquee vs Pergola: Which One Should You Buy?
Buy a marquee if you want covered space you can put up when you need it, move, and pack away, from $199. Buy a pergola if you want a permanent, fixed roof structure that becomes part of the house, typically $4,000 or more installed. Marquee for events, pergola for everyday outdoor living.
The short version
- Marquee, a framed fabric structure you assemble for the day and pack down after. Cheap by comparison, moves anywhere on the property, no builder, no concrete. Sizes from the 3x3m (9m², $199) up to the 12x7m (84m², $2,299).
- Pergola, a fixed timber or aluminium structure bolted or footed into your yard or deck. Costs several thousand and up, often needs approval, and lives in one spot forever. In return you get a permanent outdoor room that can add value to the house.
- The honest split, if the cover is for events you host a few times a year, a marquee wins on cost and flexibility. If you want shade over the same patio every single day for the next twenty years, build the pergola.
Side by side
| Marquee | Pergola | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $199 to $2,299 | ~$1,000 to $25,000+ (typical AU range) |
| Permanence | Temporary, up for the event | Permanent, part of the property |
| Council approval | Usually not needed at home | Often needed, varies by council |
| Install time | About 20 minutes for the 3x3m, up to a few hours for the 12x6m and 12x7m | A weekend DIY, or days to weeks built |
| Portability | Move it anywhere, take it with you | Fixed. It stays where it is built |
| Lifespan | Years of seasonal use if stored dry | Decades |
| Best for | Weddings, parties, markets, functions | Everyday shade over one fixed spot |
The real numbers
Cost is where the two stop being comparable. Here is what each actually runs in Australia.
- Marquees, our live pricing: 6x3m 18m² at $249 (about $14 per m²), 9x3m 27m² at $349 (about $13 per m²), 6x6m 36m² at $949 (about $26 per m²), and the 10x5m 50m² at $1,599 (about $32 per m²).
- Pergolas, typical Australian ranges: a flat-pack DIY kit you build yourself commonly lands around $1,000 to $3,000 in materials. A timber pergola supplied and installed by a builder commonly runs about $4,000 to $10,000. Louvred or insulated-roof aluminium systems commonly run about $8,000 to $25,000 and up depending on span and finish. These are typical market ranges, not quotes, so price your own job properly.
- Approval and paperwork: a marquee you put up for the weekend and take down is generally not building work. A pergola is fixed to your land, so it often falls under building or planning rules. Some councils exempt small, low, detached structures, but the thresholds differ by state and council, and certification fees add to the build cost. Ring your council before you commit either way.
- Setup, in practice: the 6x3m goes frame up and roof on in under an hour with two people and no special tools. The 10x5m is a two to three person job, allow an hour or two the first time. A pergola is a weekend at minimum if you are handy, and weeks of lead time once a trade and an approval are involved.
- Weather: the 6x3m, 9x3m and 10x5m come fully enclosed with removable side walls, so you can seal out driving rain, which an open pergola cannot. The 3x12m is frame and roof only, no side walls, and it is currently sold out. The trade-off is wind: a marquee has to be weighted or pegged down properly and taken down in serious weather, while a pergola is engineered to stay put through it.
So which do you buy?
Buy the pergola if the cover is for daily life rather than events. If you want to walk out to a shaded patio every morning, grow a vine over it, hang lights and a fan off it, and never think about it again, a marquee is the wrong tool. A pergola also does something a marquee never will: it becomes part of the house and can lift what the property is worth.
Buy the marquee if the cover is for occasions. Weddings, 21sts, Christmas lunch, a market stall, a work function, a school fete. You get far more covered space per dollar, you put it where the event is instead of where the footings went in, and it folds into a bag the rest of the year. Start with the 6x3m at $249 for around 30 standing or 12 at dining tables, step up to the 9x3m at $349 for about 45 standing, take the 6x6m at $949 for a fully enclosed 36m² footprint, or go to the 10x5m at $1,599 for a 50m² wedding footprint. Not sure on size? Run your guest count through the marquee size calculator.
Plenty of people should buy both, and that is not a cop-out. A pergola over the back deck covers everyday life. A marquee comes out when 60 people turn up and the deck seats twelve. Hiring cover for a genuine one-off is a fine call too. This guide is about what to own when you know it will not be a one-off.
Common questions
Is a marquee cheaper than a pergola? Yes, by a wide margin. Our marquees run $199 to $2,299 for 9m² to 84m² of cover. A DIY pergola kit commonly starts around $1,000 to $3,000 in materials, an installed timber pergola commonly runs about $4,000 to $10,000, and louvred aluminium systems commonly run $8,000 to $25,000 and up.
Do I need council approval for a marquee? For a temporary marquee you set up in your own backyard for an event and pack away afterwards, generally no, because it is not permanent building work. A pergola is fixed to your land, so it more often falls under building or planning rules, with thresholds that differ by state and council. Public or commercial events can carry their own separate requirements, so check with your local council either way.
Can a marquee handle rain and wind like a pergola? For rain, a marquee is arguably better: the roofs are water resistant PE, and the 6x3m, 9x3m and 10x5m come with removable side walls, so you can close the whole thing in. An open pergola cannot. The catch is wind. A marquee must be weighted or pegged down properly and taken down in serious weather, whereas a pergola is built to stay up permanently.
How long does it take to set up a marquee compared with building a pergola? The 6x3m marquee goes up in under an hour with two people and no special tools. The 10x5m is a two to three person job, allow an hour or two the first time. A DIY pergola kit is a weekend at minimum, and a built pergola is days to weeks of work plus any approval lead time before that.
Which is better for a wedding or a big party? A marquee, clearly. You size it to the guest count and put it where the event is: 6x3m covers about 30 standing, 9x3m about 45, 6x6m about 60, and the 10x5m about 80 standing or 33 for a sit-down dinner. A pergola is stuck at whatever size and spot it was built in, and it will not enclose a crowd against weather.
One more thing, it is yours to keep
A pergola is a one-off build you live with. A marquee is a bit of kit you own and reuse: every birthday, every long weekend, every market season, out of the bag and back in again. Buy it once and the covered space is on hand whenever you need it.
Every marquee on our marquees for sale page is ready to order, except the 3x12m, which is sold out. Orders are dispatched in about 2 business days (the 6x6m, 8x4m, 12x6m and 12x7m are pre-orders, shipping end of November 2026), with free delivery to most of Australia. Questions? Call 07 3106 8866 or email support@brisbanemarqueesales.com.au.
