Fall School Festivals in Marin: Permits, Insurance & Setup Handled
Last updated: August 2026
Quick Answer
Astro Jump North Bay rents inflatables, interactive games, and concession equipment to schools and PTAs across San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, Marin County, and San Francisco. Every unit is state-inspected and covered under an AIG liability policy, and we handle the park permitting at sites like Stafford Lake, McNears Beach, and McInnis Park — the step that stalls most school committees. Fall festival and field day dates book fastest from late August into October. Call 415-499-0955 to hold yours.
A school festival is not an equipment problem. It is a coordination problem — a site, a permit, an insurance certificate, a delivery window, and a volunteer schedule that all have to line up on one Saturday morning. The equipment is the easy part. This guide is about the rest of it.
The Permit Is The Long Pole, Not The Inflatable
Marin school committees routinely discover this the hard way. If your festival is on campus, you are working through the district's facilities and risk requirements. If you have outgrown the blacktop and moved to a park — Stafford Lake, McNears Beach, McInnis Park — you are now working through a separate parks approval on a separate timeline, and it will not accelerate because your event date is close.
We handle the park permitting on North Bay events. That is not a courtesy line; it is the reason a lot of Marin PTAs stopped running the site approval themselves. Start the date conversation with us early and the permit runs in parallel with your planning instead of ahead of it.
Park Permitting
Handled
Liability Carrier
AIG
Unit Inspection
State-Certified
Backup Unit
Guaranteed
The 4 Setups Marin Schools Order Most
1. The Obstacle Course
The single highest-throughput unit at a school festival. It takes the largest share of the crowd, forms its own line, and needs two volunteers rather than five. Place it on the longest straight run your site allows — a field edge or a blacktop lane.
2. The Combo Bounce House
Bounce plus slide in one footprint, sized for the younger grades. Put it at the far end from the obstacle course. Marin campuses tend to be tight on flat area, and separating the age groups is how you keep the middle of the yard from turning into a bottleneck.
3. Interactive Games
Joust, wrecking ball, and other head-to-head units. These hold the upper grades, who otherwise drift off after one lap of the course. They also produce the photos the PTA uses to recruit next year's volunteers.
4. Concessions
Sno cone, popcorn, and cotton candy equipment rents at a fixed cost while ticket revenue scales with turnout, which is why it tends to carry the fundraiser's margin. Ask about Smooth School Setup to bundle concessions and inflatables onto one delivery.
Why Marin Schools Choose Astro Jump
AIG Insured
State-Inspected
Permit Handling
Backup Unit Guarantee
Three commitments are why Marin school committees rebook rather than re-shop every fall. Each one exists because a school event has no room for a vendor problem.
Permit handling. We run the park approvals for North Bay events — Stafford Lake, McNears Beach, McInnis Park and similar sites. The committee keeps its attention on the festival instead of on a parks department queue.
Backup Unit Guarantee. If a unit fails inspection or develops a problem on site, a replacement is dispatched. A festival cannot reschedule around a blower motor.
Weather-Flex. Marin fall runs two climates on the same afternoon — clear inland, marine layer at the coast. Weather-Flex means a turn in the forecast does not turn your fundraiser into a lost deposit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we need a permit for inflatables at a Marin park?
Yes — park sites in Marin require approval before a vendor sets up, and the requirements differ by park. Astro Jump North Bay handles the permitting for events at sites like Stafford Lake, McNears Beach, and McInnis Park. Tell us the site and the date, and we start there rather than leaving it to the committee.
Does our school district need a certificate of insurance for inflatable rentals?
Most districts require one before a vendor is allowed on campus, and the exact requirements vary. Astro Jump North Bay carries liability coverage through AIG and every unit is state-inspected. Send us what your district's risk office needs and their deadline, and we work to that date.
How far in advance should a Marin PTA book a fall festival?
Earlier than for a backyard party, because the permit is on its own timeline. Once your date is approved by the school, book it. Equipment can be adjusted up to the week of the event; the site approval and the delivery slot cannot be recovered once they are gone.
Serving San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, Marin County, and San Francisco
Get a School Event QuoteOr call 415-499-0955