Every summer, the days get longer, brighter, and hotter – but that doesn’t stop Australians from getting together to catch up, enjoy holidays and celebrate Christmas and the New Year! Aussies love discovering new restaurants and cafes, but they won’t stick around if they have to sit in the sun. Having a commercial quality sun shade will not only attract customers to your location, but can also contribute to the vibe you’re trying to create. The following umbrellas have been chosen as the best commercial sun shades available in 2024 thanks to their longevity, style, and ease of operation.

Best all rounder: Sunranger Café Series

Looking for a backyard umbrella? Discover the top picks for Australian backyards in 2024. 

The backyard is a place to find peace and solitude, or a place to gather and spend time with others. Whether it’s around a barbecue, a pool, or on the lawn, the need for shade is always a top priority. Centre post umbrellas, also known as centre pole, café or market umbrellas, are often used as a sun shade thanks to their stable build, reliable shade, and ease of operation. We’ve looked for the best centrepost umbrellas for Australians in 2024, taking the longevity and features of the umbrellas in our range into consideration.

Best overall: The Sunranger Café Series

Commercial Umbrella Policies for the 5 Largest Cities in New South Wales

Protecting your customers from the elements is an important aspect of outdoor dining and events, but it’s important to do it safely and within the regulation of your local council. We’ve gone through the outdoor dining policies for the five largest cities in New South Wales in order to create a comprehensive list of regulations and restrictions for the use of umbrellas in outdoor dining areas belonging to businesses in each city. These cities are Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, North Sydney, and Parramatta. We will also include the policies so that you can check them out!

Before you start scrolling to your city, check out the following information which has been taken from the New South Wales Outdoor Dining User Guide 2019 and relates to every city on this list. Please keep this in mind while considering the best outdoor commercial umbrella to suit your outdoor dining needs.

Commercial

The low prices of Bunnings' outdoor umbrellas are starkly contrasted with those from specialised shade providers like Shade Australia. A Bunnings umbrella may cost as little as $99, but it's crucial to recognize what this price entails.

Bunnings' selection includes brands such as Hartman, Marquee, and Mimosa. Marquee and Mimosa, in particular, offer some of Australia's most competitively priced large outdoor umbrellas. While their prices are hard to beat, it's worth considering why there might be little competition at this price point.

The eye-catching low prices of Bunnings umbrellas draw customers in, but savvy shoppers should ponder the feasibility of such economical manufacturing and marketing.

Buying cheap can have hidden costs. For instance, inexpensive umbrellas often lack available spare parts, leading to their premature disposal when damaged.

Café umbrellas are centrepost umbrellas that are able to be used in commercial spaces such as cafes and restaurants. This means that they should be able to withstand some wind as well as the stresses of everyday use – being put up, down, and moved around day after day.