Restroom planning for events on the National Mall, along the waterfront and at the edge of Capitol Hill, placed on the approved walkways and crowd routes.
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Events on the National Mall, along the waterfront and at the edge of Capitol Hill draw crowds onto streets and parkland that have no permanent toilets nearby. A local provider plans the units, the accessible units and the handwash stations for those areas, on the spots the event's permits approve. The count follows the crowd, the length of the event and the food and drink sales.
The District's central spaces are used for large gatherings through the year. The Mall, the waterfront and the edge of Capitol Hill host festivals, parades, demonstrations and sports events, and most of those spaces have no permanent public toilet near the crowd. A unit that is not planned in the event file becomes the crowd's only option, and the queue forms in the wrong place.
The layout of each space is different. The Mall is long and open, with paths that carry the crowd between the museums and the memorials. The waterfront is a mix of walkways, piers and open lawns, and the crowd moves along the edge. The edge of Capitol Hill is a set of streets and small parks where the crowd spreads from a stage or a parade route. The plan for each space is drawn from the space itself.
The restroom plan is set out for each area with the number of units, the accessible units, the handwash stations and the servicing schedule. The permits for the walkways, the Parks land and the street closures are checked for each area, and the units are placed only where those permits show them.
Keep the paths, the walkway, the pier edge and the emergency route clear. Units are set off the main walk and checked for their door, lock and footing at each visit.
Mark the entries, the paths, the stage area, the food areas and the exits on a plan of the space. Note the walkways that carry the crowd and the lawns where it spreads.
Set the count for each area from the expected crowd at the busiest hour, the length of the event and the food sales. Show the count on the plan.
Set each unit on a walkway, lawn or street space that the event's permit approves, with a clear route that the crowd can use.
Place accessible units on the main routes and at the entries, and add handwash stations beside the food areas and the exits.
Schedule the servicing visits through the day and after the event, with extra visits for the peak hours and for a long stay.
The Mall is long and open, with paths between the museums. The waterfront is a mix of walkways, piers and lawns. Each space needs a plan drawn from the space itself.
On the Mall, the crowd follows the paths between the main destinations, and the units sit at the junctions and the entries where the paths meet. The waterfront crowd follows the walkway along the water, and the units sit on the lawn side of the walk so the walkway stays open. A unit on a pier is a problem for the crowd and the fishing and boating users, and it is not planned there.
The Capitol Hill edge is a set of streets and small parks. The units go on the closed block or the curb, under the public space permit, and the route from the stage or the parade to each unit is marked.
The count is set for each area from the expected crowd at the busiest hour, the length of the event and the food and drink sales. No fixed ratio is applied as a rule here.
A Mall event has a crowd that spreads over a large space, and the peak use is at the food areas, the stage and the exits. The units are placed to meet each peak, and the count for each area is written in the plan so that the reviewer can check it against the expected attendance.
A long event with a steady crowd needs fewer units per hour than a short one with a surge, and the plan states the basis for the count so that the change in the crowd can be met on the day.
The units are placed only where the event's permit for the space shows them, and the site plan lists each unit with its location and dimensions.
The Mall and the waterfront are managed spaces, and the permit for an event sets what can stand where. The site plan that goes with the permit shows each toilet as a temporary structure, with its location and dimensions. A unit placed away from the plan is a breach of the permit, so the provider places the units only where the plan shows them.
A closed street on the Capitol Hill edge needs the closure permit and the DDOT public space permit, and the units are shown in both.
On the main routes and at the entries, on level ground, with a clear path from the crowd and no kerb or gravel on the way.
The Mall's paths are level, but the lawns beside them are not, and an accessible unit on a lawn can sink or tilt after a wet day. The accessible units are set on the paths or on a firm pad at the path's edge, with the route from the crowd kept level.
On the waterfront, the accessible units are placed near the walkway entry and away from the pier, so that a visitor does not need to cross the pier edge to reach one.
A long day on the Mall or the waterfront fills the units faster than a short one, and the crowd stays on the site through the peaks. The servicing is timed to clear the units before each peak.
A unit that is not serviced in the afternoon of a long event can be unusable by the evening. The servicing visits are timed for the peaks, and the provider keeps a site contact who can report a full or damaged unit during the event. Warm weather and wet ground both add to the work, and the schedule is set for the day's forecast.
After the event, the units are collected once the last visit is done and the site is clear.
Handwash stations are placed beside the food areas and at the exits from the main crowd zones, so visitors can clean their hands after using a unit or eating.
Food areas on the Mall and the waterfront draw a crowd that spends time at the stalls, and a handwash station beside the food and the units keeps the area clean. The stations are restocked at each servicing visit, and their placement is shown on the same plan as the units.
A group of units at a junction of the Mall's paths, placed off the walkway and signed from each approach.
Units set at the edge of the lawn or the walkway, with the route kept clear of the path and the pier edge.
A unit set at the curb of a closed street, with the public space permit shown on the site plan.
The Mall's paths carry the crowd between the museums, so the units sit at the junctions and the entries.
The waterfront walkway has a lawn side, and the units are set there so that the walk and the pier edge stay open.
The Capitol Hill edge events use the closed streets and the small parks, under the public space and closure permits.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent mall and waterfront event restrooms, send the form and we'll call you back.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Restroom planning for the spring crowds at the National Cherry Blossom Festival, on the Tidal Basin, the Mall and the paths around them.
Restroom planning for a spring marathon through the District, with units placed at the start, along the course, at the finish and in the runner areas.
Restroom planning for events on DC Parks and Recreation land, where the event brings its own portable toilets under the Parks permit.
Restroom planning for a District special event, filed with the Mayor's Special Events Task Group before the public space and park permits.
The 2026 MSETG special event planning guide requires at least 20 percent of the portable toilets at an event to be accessible, with at least one accessible unit at each location.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival draws large crowds to the Tidal Basin and the Mall in spring.
Only where the event's permit shows it, with the site plan listing the unit's location and dimensions.
The count is set from the expected crowd at the busiest hour, the length of the event and the food sales. No fixed ratio is applied as a rule here.
Yes, placed on the main paths and at the entries, on level ground, with a route that does not cross the lawn.
No. A unit on the pier blocks the crowd and the users of the water, and it is not planned there.
A local provider does, on visits timed for the peaks, with a site contact who can report a problem during the event.