Best event security companies in the US (2026)

Every agency is screened before it can appear on the platform, anywhere in the US. Calvis verifies that the agency holds a current license from the security regulator in its own state, carries active liability insurance, has documented event-security experience at venues of comparable scale, and has a track record of reliable staffing. Agencies that cannot produce valid licensing and insurance are not matched to clients, so no matter which metro you're staffing, the firms you compare have already cleared the same bar.

Rates vary by metro — unarmed officers generally run about $25-55/hr and armed about $45-95/hr nationally, lower in the South/Midwest and higher in coastal metros. Event work is also typically short-term and surge-based, so rates can climb for last-minute requests, overnight buildouts, and peak festival or convention weekends when trained staff are in highest demand. Calvis shows transparent quotes from matched agencies in your market so you can compare real pricing before committing.

The agencies are independently licensed, but licensing is regulated state by state, and each agency is licensed in its own state — for example through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), or the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Calvis verifies that each matched agency holds the correct credentials for the state where your event takes place. Calvis itself is not a licensed security provider and does not supply guards directly; it connects you with vetted agencies that hold their own state licensing and insurance.

Yes. The agencies matched through Calvis include firms that maintain deep on-call rosters built specifically for festival- and stadium-scale events, where a single date can require dozens to hundreds of officers across access control, crowd management, credentialing, and patrol. Because event demand is regional and a marquee weekend can drain a market's trained-staff pool, matching across multiple pre-screened agencies in your metro makes it far more likely you find a team that can actually field the headcount your event needs. Many also staff alcohol-service environments and are trained to manage intoxicated guests, run age checks, and de-escalate conflicts.

Calling around means vetting licensing and insurance yourself in every market, chasing references, and gambling that one agency can actually scale for your date. Calvis lets you compare multiple pre-screened agencies side by side — in any US metro — with transparent rates, and match to firms that have done events at your venue type and headcount. For short-term or surge staffing, especially when you're producing events across several cities, that breadth and the consistent vetting bar are what make it far more likely you find an available, qualified team for every date.