Why is a 3-day weekend rental rate sometimes higher than a full week?

Yes, a higher rate for a three-day weekend rental compared to a weekly rate is standard industry practice. The reason is fixed costs. A rental company has the same fixed costs for a weekend rental as for a week-long rental: the driver and the vacuum truck must make a delivery trip and a pickup trip. Spreading these costs over seven days makes the daily cost lower. On a three-day rental, the company must recover those delivery and pickup costs in just three days, which drives the daily rate up.

Your event also falls during peak weekend demand, when equipment is in high demand for weddings, festivals, and other events. A company cannot rent the same units to another customer during your weekend, so they charge a premium to offset the lost revenue from a longer booking. The units per person guideline for your 200-guest event with alcohol and food is appropriate; you will likely need the added service frequency. For a high-use weekend event, the units will need servicing, which is an additional cost. Shopping around is always wise, but you will likely find similar pricing structures because the underlying logistics are the same for every operator.