Preparing for an Art or Craft Festival

Ranked #401 in Arts & Design, #4,271 overall

Festivals are a Great Way to Sell Your Creations and Meet New People!

Art and craft festivals are a lot of work but worth it for the exposure you get and the great people you meet. Here is a guide to preparing for a show and having a great time.

Oh yeah, and did I mention selling your creations?

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

I'm not going to lie to you, this is a lot of time and work. It's absolutely worth it and a lot of fun but still work. If you don't have the time to spend doing a great job then maybe you should consider giving festivals a pass until you know you can put the time and effort into it.

Your first few festivals you aren't likely to make much money. Be happy with breaking even. You need time to get experience running a booth and for people to get to know you. Enjoy the experience at first and then worry about making money.

Books to Help You Out

All about selling at art festivals and craft shows

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Finding a Festival

The first place to look for a festivals are local papers. Most states also have an Arts Commission that have event listings.
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

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...
Etsy :: The Storque :: How-To :: Penny-wise Product Pushing: Do a Craft Show without Breaking the Bank
Sellers, we'e at the start of Spring, and so for many Etsians, it's time to ponder the craft fair season. How far is too far to travel? Which events are right for me and my items? And, a question many sellers grapple with, how do I not break the ban...
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, depending...

Canopy

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

If you're participating in an outdoor festival you absolutely must have shelter of some kind. The weather is rarely reliable and you do not want to be scrambling to cover your stuff if it rains. Even if it doesn't rain you'll appreciate the shade on a hot day.

Canopies range in price from cheap $30 models up to $200-300. If you are only planning to do 2-3 shows in a summer then an inexpensive one is perfectly fine but if you're planning to do a show nearly every weekend you should really invest in a good quality canopy that is more reliable and can be taken down and put up quickly.

E-Z Up Express II Sun Shelter

E-Z Up Express II Sun Shelter

This economical version of the original E-Z Up Shelter is ideal for picnics and parties, arts and crafts festivals, and fairs. It sets up in less than a minute and has a steel reinforced truss system for maximum durability and strength. The patented elevated center provides the greatest headroom of any Instant Shelter in its category - 11' 2" at its peak. The 210-denier white polyester top stays attached to the frame once you affix it with four hook and loop fasteners, and the powder-coated steel frame will stay rust-free for years. Lightweight for easy portability, the Express II shelter opens to a base size of 10 ft × 10 ft, and folds compactly for storage. It also includes a heavy-duty roller bag. A two-year warranty is provided.


*I am an affiliate of Dick Blick Art Materials. I promote their products on my pages because I'm also a customer who appreciates their customer service.

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?

Since you're going to be outside all day, often in hot weather you want to dress comfortably and casually but neatly.

DOs
Comfortable clothes
Name tag or shirt with your business name/logo
Hat and/or sunglasses
Comfy shoes

DON'Ts
Halter tops, skimpy skirts, etc.
Anything ripped or stained (the one exception is if you are doing demonstrations that are messy)
Badly fitting or high heel shoes. You will be on your feet most of the day.

Just In Case
Bring a sweater or sweatshirt and a raincoat in case it gets cool or rains. If you are doing demonstrations you might want a change of clothes.

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 old sign was 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.

I now have a vinyl sign that cost about $25 to have printed for me.



Support the Writer of this Lens - Visit the Noadi's Art Etsy Shop

Help Promote Your Show!

Does the show or festival you're participating in have a Squidoo lens? If not, make one and get the word out! I did for two shows so far:

The Shy, Novice, and Closeted Art Show

The Norway Sidewalk Art Show

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?

DIY Displays for Jewelry

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Presentation Matters

Cuttlefish necklace with packagingVisualize 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

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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.

Get a T-Shirt for your Show

My Cup Runneth Over with Cuttlefish Tshirt shirt
My Cup Runneth Over with Cuttlefish Tshirt by NoadiArt
Design a Custom Tee Shirt Using www.Zazzle.com

I love Zazzle and they are my choice for a lot of my printing. I had the shirt to the right printed up for me and I plan to wear it to all my shows this summer.

Making a shirt is very easy, just upload the image you want and add some text.

Craft Show Photos

Would you like the chance for your photos to be displayed here? Join Flickr and tag your photos with "craft show".

happy serendipity craft show stand by happy_serendipity
eintagsladen items by happy_serendipity
happy serendipity craft show stand by happy_serendipity
Queen Bee Market-August 2011 by AngryJulieMonday
 by laralaralaralaralaralaralara
 by laralaralaralaralaralaralara
 by laralaralaralaralaralaralara
 by laralaralaralaralaralaralara
 by laralaralaralaralaralaralara
Queen Bee Market-August 2011 by AngryJulieMonday
Queen Bee Market-August 2011, Flawed Perfection Jewelry by AngryJulieMonday
Queen Bee Market-August 2011 by AngryJulieMonday
automatically generated by Flickr

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Hi! I'm Sheryl, a sculptor and jewelry designer, I create in polymer clay and mixed media, please visit Noadi's Art to see my work or my Etsy shop to buy.
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