First Steps 

The very first thing you have to consider when thinking about participating in a festival is "Do I have enough stuff to sell?". Booth sizes average about 10 feet x 10 feet, if you only have a couple dozen very small items it's just not enough to fill a booth (however with big items like paintings you may only need 8-12). If the answer is yes that's great! If it's no then you need to get busy making more stuff!

So you've got your merchandise now to find a festival. I suggest starting small and local. First of all you won't have to spend as much money to participate and you'll be able to invite all your friends and family for support and encouragement.

When you apply to enter a festival make sure you do it well before the deadline (you don't want to find out they've run out of spaces), pay the fee on time, and follow all the rules of the festival as to what sorts of items are allowed and how much space you have.

Check with your local government or small business administration about all taxes and permits you need before participating in a show. In some states you'll need to register with the state in order to collect sales tax, and you may need to file self-employment taxes.

Being Realistic 

Books to Help You Out 

All about selling at art festivals and craft shows

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Finding a Festival 

Craft Shows, Music Festivals, Craft Fairs, Fine Art Fairs

Craft Shows, Art Fairs, and Music Festivals across the USA and Canada. Detailed listings on over 20,000+ events. Basic information and show ratings are free.

Craft Shows, Art Fairs, Street Fairs, Art and Craft Festivals

Craft Shows, Art Fairs, Street Fairs, Art and Craft Festivals - CraftmasterNews.com - Local listings of fairs, festivals, boutiques and more.

Find a Craft Fair

Craft fairs are an American tradition. Find a Craft Fair provides listings for craft fairs and provides an opportunity for you to reach potential visitors from across the US. Each listed fair provides an opportunity for the visitor to purchase unique hand crafted items and gifts from the most skille

Sunshine Artist: America's Premier Art and Craft Show Magazine

artandcraftshows.net

ArtFairCalendar.com: Welcome to ArtFairCalendar.com

Free art fair, juried craft shows calendar for Michigan, Florida, Ohio, Chicago. Free email newsletter - Ann Arbor, Pontiac,Chicago,Miami,East Coast,New York

Basic Tips 

Simple steps to take in setting up and running your booth.

1: Never leave your booth unattended. If you have to take a bathroom break get a friend to watch your booth or make a deal with the booth next door to watch each other's booths when you need a break.

2: Keep organized. Have one station for people to buy your work at and keep all your business stuff there. Stow empty boxes and extra merchandise out of sight.

3: Bring lots of business cards. Make sure as many people as possible who come through your booth get a business card, if you have brochures make sure they get those too. Some people just can't make up their mind the day of a show whether they want to buy something so make sure they are able to contact you later.

4: Have a Guestbook. Have visitors sign your guestbook if they want you contacting them about future shows or to be added to your mailing list.

Basic Preparation 

101 Things You'll Need for Every Craft Show

It's common to borrow from other vendors the things you forget to bring to a show, but wouldn't you rather go with everything you need? Depending on your craft or the type of shows you do, some things on my craft fair checklist (see sidebar, below) may not be applicable to you, but even experienced sellers will get some good ideas from the following tips shared by other veteran craftspeople.

Land of Odds - So You Want To Do Craft Shows...

Doing craft shows can be fun and profitable! That's how we got started at Land of Odds. We made up a lot of jewelry. We put together some glass covered display boxes. We set up for the public, hoped for great weather, and prayed that our spread-the-word campaign would pay off. And it did. We repeated our success over and over again, with only a few exceptions ? what we call ?learning experiences.?

Setting Up a Craft Booth - Craftbits.com Craft Article

Setting Up a Craft Booth, You have decided to sell your crafts at a Craft Show. Now how do you do this to make your items sell, Free Craft Projects, Ideas, Crafts, Kids, Kids lesson plans, Wedding Crafts, Candle and Soap Making, Scrapbook, Crochet, Knitting Patterns, Craft Advice, Holiday activities

How to set up for an Art/Craft Show- Checklist by Victoria Case Victoria Case Art Designs

There's nothing worse than setting up a great booth, and right before show time, realize there's something you have forgotten. So, I created a checklist for myself which I recommend for anyone planning to attend an event. Of course...

Preparing for Arts & Craft Shows - Indiepublic

Thread on IndiePublic with loads of advice.

How to Sell at Craft Fairs and Shows : Entrepreneur.com

Interested in turning your artistic hobby into a business? Find out how you can make money by selling your handicrafts at art shows and craft fairs. - When Terry Speer was a struggling art student in the 60s, he put...

Canopy 

Never rely on the weather at an outdoor festival. Canopies are a must.

Safety Tips 

Art festivals are far from a dangerous activity but they do take place outdoors in the summer so you should practice common sense outdoor safety.

1: Keep hydrated. Make sure you bring plenty of water with you.

2: Wear sunscreen. You probably will not spend all day under your canopy so make sure you don't get burned.

3: Watch out for the bugs. If you are doing a festival in mosquito or black fly country wear insect repellent.

4: Bring a basic first aid kit with you. You never know when you'll get a paper cut from your business cards or hammer your thumb setting up the canopy.

5: If you are on any medications, make sure you bring them. The middle of a festival is not the time to realize you need your allergy medication because there's ragweed somewhere in the park.

Safety Links 

Sun Safety

Take the following steps to protect yourself.

FirstAidGuide.net

Your Free Online First Aid Guide

What Should I Wear? 

Do I Need a Sign? 

Simple answer is: Yes!

You really need some sort of sign that is visible to people walking by. It doesn't have to be expensive, plenty of places can print a vinyl banner for you fairly inexpensively or you could paint your own.

My sign is painting on an old piece of chip board that at one time or another belonged to a piece of furniture (I think). I first primed it with a white acrylic spray primer, sponge painted with sage green acrylic, then painted the rest in shades of green and purple. I display it on a cheap wooden easel I bought for about $8.

Creating a Great Display 

Your display can make or break your festival experience.

Your display presents your creations to the world so you want it to look it's best. there are some very simple rules to follow in creating a display.

1: Keep it neat. You don't want your customers to be digging through piles of stuff, keep it organized so they can find what they need easily.

2: Use varying heights. To make your display more visually interesting display some items higher than others. If possible hang some of your items. You can buy acrylic or wooden risers, build them yourself out of wood, use found objects like wooden boxes, or even sturdy cardboard boxes covered with pretty fabric.

3: Color coordinate. Group similar colors together and when choosing colors for your table cloths make sure they don't clash with your projects. Nuetral colors are always good, my creations feature lots of blues and greens so I use table cloths in those colors.

4: Bring extras. Bring more items than you plan to display, that way when some sell you can fill in the bare spots.

Display Ideas 

Make Your Craft Show Display Stand Out From The Crowd

If you have decided to try your hand at setting up at craft shows, festivals, or flea markets, then you'll need to have the right craft show display to make your wares stand apart from the rest.

Craft Show Display - Plan Your Craft Show Booth

Develop a great craft show display. Use your craft show booth to build sales at your next show.

Jewelry Displays on Squidoo

Jewelry displays that sell more jewelry, are quick to set up, and easy to transport are one of the keys to a successful jewelry business. So let's talk about interesting new ways to display your jewelry at shows, shops, and home parties.Whether you want to make your own displays, refurbish used disp

Jewelry Display Ideas

Discover new jewelry display ideas and unique packaging tips for handcrafted jewelry.

CreateForLess Craft Advice -- Top Tips For Displaying Your Crafts

Displaying your craft items is an important part of your selling plan. When you walk into your favorite gift shop do you find the items for sale just laying on tabletops and placed here and there on shelves?

Photos of Displays 

Virginia Design Company booth at the Wonder, Group Art Show in Norfolk, VA. Dis...

Full front view shot of my first attempt at a display suitable for juried shows....

I added curtains to the back of the booth to make my tables stand out, and to gi...

Took me a bit to come up with a display I liked, I think it worked out nicely. ...

My pretty tent all set up.

What you don't see is the cold and rain.

Holiday Arts Happening craft show display

Presentation Matters 

Visualize this scenario: There are two booth at a festival side by side selling jewelry. Both artisans can beautiful work. One puts purchases in a plastic zip bag with the receipt and the other puts purchases in a nice gift bag with the receipt, a business card, and care instructions for the jewelry.

Which would you buy?

How you present your products and how you package them for your customers can mean the difference between a few sales and a lot.

Packaging your Products 

Make your Handmade Products Stand Out! Using Creative Packaging

There are some easy and creative ways to make your handmade products different from the rest at festivals or shows and make a special surprise for customers ordering your products. This lens is all about using creative packaging to make your creation...

Tips and Tricks to Make your Booth Special 

Chances are the festival has dozens of booths to tempt visitors. You need to make yours stand out from the crowd.

1: If you sell jewelry or other wearable items always have a mirror available so customer can see how your jewelry looks on them.

2: Consider working on some small projects while at the show. People love to see how stuff is made. Just make sure it's something easily put down when a customer wants to buy something.

3: Wear a name tag. You're creative, make it pretty but let people know who you are and what creatiosn you're responsible for.

4: If possible wear your creations. If you create jewelry or clothing this is easy, if not consider having shirts printed with photos of your work. I created screenprinted Noadi's Art t-shirts with the silhouette of one of my sculptures on it.

Handmade Business Books 

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Learn More About Handmade Business 

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There are some easy and creative ways to make your handmade products different from the rest at festivals or shows and make a special surprise for customers ordering your products. This lens is all about using creative packaging to make your creation...

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So you're an artist, designer, or craftsperson and want to take your first steps into making money from your talent and skills? This lens is full of advice for anyone starting a handmade business.

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Learn about building a brand as an indie artist or designer. Branding helps create an image for you and your business. It helps generate repeat business and word of mouth which is so important for small business.

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Squidoo is a great, easy way for anyone selling handmade items to promote their creations. Display your knitting, painting, sculpting, jewelry making, etc. and generate more visits (and hopefully sales) on your website or webstore.

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This lens is all about doing it yourself with business cards. Designing them and printing them, coming up with a card that is uniquely you. Even in this digital age the business card is still important. They can be left just about anywhere, tucked i...