Frequently Asked Questions

“Gazebo” and “pop-up marquee” describe the same folding shade structure — the terms are used interchangeably in Australia. In practice, “gazebo” often refers to lighter consumer models, while “marquee” is used for commercial-grade frames. Hercules specialises in heavy-duty, engineer-certified marquees built for schools, councils, clubs, events and business — not disposable consumer gazebos.

Pop-up Gazebos are designed for temporary event use. They are built in a portable shade structure, typically made from metal and constructed with a concertina system that allows for erection and fold-down in less time. Thanks to this feature, they are also convenient for packing in a carry bag for transport. This convenience makes the pop-up gazebo very different from a permanent structure that is likely to remain undisturbed for many years. If you are looking for a permanent shelter that can be anchored and located somewhere permanently, the pop-up gazebo is not the best option. Otherwise, pop-up gazebos are handy and perfect when you need a portable shade for the backyard, a sports game, a camping trip or trade events.

A cheap gazebo is not designed to last. Some of our customers are not first-time gazebo buyers, they learned from past experience and acknowledge that choosing quality over price is almost always the sustainable choice because it eliminates waste and improves efficiency.

We supply one of Australia’s largest ranges of pop-up marquees — from entry-level to industry-strength — to suit every use and budget.

The range includes (listed from standard to strongest):

• Light — entry-level lightweight pop-up marquee
• HEX 45S — strong steel-frame marquee
• HEX 45A — best-selling heavy-duty aluminium marquee
• PRO 40 — commercial square-leg aluminium marquee
• PRO 57 — industry-strength flagship aluminium marquee
• PRO MAG — next-generation magnesium marquee: our lightest heavy-duty flagship

We also offer a wide range of canopy colours and accessories to complement your purchase.

– Schools & sports clubs: PRO 57 or PRO 40 for frequent, long-term use; HEX 45A for lighter budgets.
– Councils & government: PRO 57 or PRO MAG for public events where safety and presentation matter most.
– Market stalls & small business: HEX 45A is our best-seller — easy to handle, strong and affordable.
– Premium / high-end brands & corporate events: PRO MAG — flagship strength with much lighter handling.

Not sure? Tell us your use case and our team will recommend the right frame.

The Pop-up Marquee by Hercules™ instant shelter is easy to erect and take down due to its unique frame structure and offers dependable sturdiness on all occasions. The canopy is manufactured using high-quality fabric which is waterproofed, fire retardant and has guaranteed UV protection to UPF 50+.

A Hercules pop up marquee can offer many years of dependable performance if properly taken care of. Please make sure you read our user instructions carefully before you start using the marquee to prevent damage to the marquee canopy due to misuse, accident and poor care.

We offer SIX marquee frame options to suit different applications and two fabric options for our canopy. If you have questions about choosing the right marquee and canopy for your use, please don’t hesitate to ask our experienced Hercules team.

Yes! All of our Hercules marquees are designed with a concertina system that allows for a quick setup. No tools or assembly is required. It is easy to pop up and fold down by the maximum number of two people. The fastest time for basic structure set-up can be in just 60 seconds!

Hercules Marquee is a trusted functional temporary shelter.

Our canopy and sidewall are made from the best quality imported fabrics and materials. High-density polyester fabric with 320g/m2 PVC coating tends to be strong, stretchy, and colourfast. Each marquee is 100% waterproof, fire-resistant, and has guaranteed UV protection to 50 SPF. It’s A REAL PROTECTIVE shelter designed to withstand most of the weather conditions in Australia. You will feel confident that your family or your fellow will be comfortable, safe and proud of it.

Our alloy marquee range is engineer-certified to withstand wind speeds of roughly 50–80 km/h depending on model and size — up to around 80 km/h on 3-metre frames and around 50 km/h on 4-metre frames. Each alloy model is backed by an individual wind-action engineering report prepared by a registered professional structural engineer under Australian Standard AS/NZS 1170.2.

That said, no pop-up structure should be left up in strong winds or unattended. Always respect the weather and secure your marquee properly with pegs, guy ropes and weights.

Yes. Every alloy Hercules marquee is backed by an independent wind-action engineering report certified by a registered professional structural engineer under Australian Standard AS/NZS 1170.2. This certification is a key reason schools, councils and government bodies choose Hercules for public events.

A pop-up gazebo is essentially designed for shade, not designed to withstand high wind speeds and heavy rains. It is super challenging if keep it erected in extreme weather no matter how prepared you are, as this can cause a gazebo serious damage.

We advise you never to assume that there is no wind and to make sure that your gazebo is always properly secured by pegs and guy ropes as well as gazebo weights. Particularly in the wet season, storms and gusts of wind often arise unexpectedly and without warning. Please never leave the gazebo outside unattended.

You should also take great care of the pop-up gazebo during the low-level rain, make sure water does not pond on the canopy, this will help prevent breakage and collapse from the weight of water.

The gazebo side walls are great for privacy or shade but they can make your pop-up gazebo more susceptible to winds. Once the wind starts to pick up, you should open the side walls to prevent them from catching the wind. The side walls could act like a sail on a sailboat and cause your gazebo to slide across the ground.

If in some cases, such as during a 3-day tradeshow, you have to leave sides attached, it is advised to get your gazebo lowered down with four closed side walls and make sure it’s always properly fastened, this will help keep your gazebo stay in position. If, on the other hand, you only have 3 sidewalls, it is crucial to pay special attention to the direction of the wind when positioning the sturdy outdoor canopy. If the wind enters directly underneath the gazebo, it is dangerous that the wind cannot find its way out and the gazebo is blown away.

Our canopies & sidewalls are made from the best quality imported fabrics. We offer two different types of fabrics for our entire range of plain and custom-made gazebos, one of which is standard PVC coated polyester and the other is 100% Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Polyester is the most common and cost-effective fabric used in the gazebo industry, while 100% PVC is a premium fabric which has better performance if your gazebo needs to be left up under the direct sun for a long period of time.

Every gazebo package includes a high-quality polyester canopy, 100% PVC fabric is available to upgrade at additional cost. *Black, White, Blue, Light Grey, Navy, Green and Red are standard colours, premium colours can be customized at additional cost.

1)  Thick 500D PVC Coated 320gsm Polyester:

Standard Colour Options: White, Grey, Black, Red, Green, Navy, and Blue.
Premium Colour Options: Ivory, Deep Ocean Blue, Fawn II, Baggy Green, Apple Green, Candy Pink, Lollipop Purple, Cola Red,  Orange, Marron, Yellow.

Please note: standard colours are usually kept in stock, and surcharges apply to non-stocked items accordingly.

2) 580GSM PVC, 100%PVC:

Colour Options: White, Grey, Black, Maroon, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Light Blue, Pink

Please note: standard colours are usually kept in stock, and surcharges apply to non-stocked items accordingly.

Side walls can be easily attached to the canopy with a 50mm wide Velcro strap on the edge of the canopy.  Every wall has large Velcro strap that attaches to each other for a neat finish.

Maximum Height(Ground to peak）

Hex 45S
2.5×2.5m: 3.00m/3x3m to 3x6m: 3.30m
Adjustable Height(Head clear) 1.57m to 2.0m

Hex 45A
2.5×2.5m: 3.00m/3x3m to 3x6m: 3.30m
Adjustable Height(Head clear) 1.57m to 2.0m

Pro 40
3x3m to 3x6m: 3.30m
Adjustable Height(Head clear) 1.57m to 2.0m

Pro 57
3x3m to 3x6m: 3.30m/4x4m to 4x8m: 3.76m
Adjustable Height(Head clear) 1.57m to 2.1m

Pro Mag

3x3m to 3x6m: 3.30m/4x4m to 4x8m: 3.76m
Adjustable Height(Head clear) 1.57m to 2.1m

You can check out our guide below to find out what size marquee will best suit your event. Capacity is reduced when guests will be seated.

The pop-up marquees by Hercules Instant Shelter come in a folding size and are packed in a flat package,  the general package size is about 160cm long by 30cm wide, they will fit into a vehicle while a front seat and all the back seats are down. Otherwise, a UTE or trailer is needed. The package is heavy and definitely requires two people to carry a marquee.

Please note the package length of a 4m gazebo is about 210cm. Please check out the package dimensions and weights below before collection.HEX 45S – 3X3M: frame 157x28x28cm 30kg, canopy 44x37x13cm 7kg;
HEX 45S – 3X4.5M: frame 157x32x28cm 39kg, canopy 56x36x13cm 9kg;
HEX 45S – 3X6M: frame 157x46x30cm 54kg, canopy 54x42x15cm 10kg.

HEX 45A – 2.5×2.5M: frame 157x23x23cm 15kg, canopy 44x37x13cm 6kg;
HEX 45A – 3x3M: frame 157x28x28cm 16kg, canopy 44x37x13cm 7kg;
HEX 45A – 3×4.5M: frame 157x32x28cm 21kg, canopy 56x36x13cm 9kg;
HEX 45A – 3x6M: frame 157x46x30cm 30kg, canopy 54x42x15cm 10kg;
HEX 45A compact – 3x3M: frame 110x32x32cm 16kg, canopy 44x37x13cm 7kg;

PRO 40 – 3x3M: frame 157x25x25cm 28kg, canopy 44x37x13cm 7kg;
PRO 40 – 3×4.5M: frame 157x33x25cm 38kg, canopy 56x36x13cm 9kg;
PRO 40 – 3x6M: frame 157x45x27cm 48kg, canopy 54x42x15cm 10kg.

PRO 57 – 3x3M: frame 157x32x32cm 31kg, canopy 44x37x13cm 7kg;
PRO 57 – 3×4.5M: frame 157x45x32cm 41kg, canopy 56x36x13cm 9kg;
PRO 57 – 3x6M: frame 157x56x32cm 57kg, canopy 54x42x15cm 10kg;
PRO 57 – 4x4M: frame 208x32x32cm 41kg, canopy 58x42x15cm 10kg;
PRO 57 – 4x6M: frame 208x45x32cm 59kg, canopy 58x54x15cm 14kg;
PRO 57 – 4x8M: frame 208x56x32cm 67kg, canopy 58x54x15cm 18kg.

PRO MAG – 3x3M: frame 157x32x32cm 22kg, canopy 44x37x13cm 7kg;
PRO MAG – 3×4.5M: frame 157x45x32cm 29kg, canopy 56x36x13cm 9kg;
PRO MAG – 3x6M: frame 157x56x32cm 40kg, canopy 54x42x15cm 10kg;
PRO MAG – 4x4M: frame 208x32x32cm 28kg, canopy 58x42x15cm 10kg;
PRO MAG – 4x6M: frame 208x45x32cm 35kg, canopy 58x54x15cm 14kg;
PRO MAG – 4x8M: frame 208x56x32cm 48kg, canopy 58x54x15cm 18kg.

A set of pegs & guy ropes is included in a standard marquee package. Your gazebo must be secured to a fixed structure by using pegs and guy ropes to provide additional stability. This is essential to avoid wind damage.  Further support can be achieved using leg weights, like sandbags and steel leg weights.

Anchoring method will vary on different surfaces. Please read about our anchoring tips in How To Anchor A Marquee.

We stock a comprehensive list of spare parts at low cost in case of damaged or loss.

It is not recommended to use our gazebo replacement(roof or frame) for a gazebo from another supplier, as you will be responsible for the risk of damage if they don’t fit properly.

If you really want to have our gazebo replacement used for a marquee from another supplier, we would advise you to bring the existing marquee to one of your nearest Hercules branches, our team members are friendly and happy to be of assistance for a fit-test.