Find an Art Fair to Sell at right now.
You’ve decided to start selling the amazing work you have been creating. Congratulations! Now, the decision you need to make is where will you sell it.
On any given weekend across the country, there could be hundreds of art and craft fairs. How do you know which one will work best for you? And when do you need to apply?
Both are important questions you need to answer. This last question is important. If you are looking to sell at an event this summer, the applications for many of them are already open and some may have already closed.
Large, juried events may even have opened the applications six months before the event. This gives them a chance to go through a large volume of applications. Smaller events and markets sometimes have openings the month of the event. It is just good to know when starting your search what you may find.
Also, smaller events may be less expensive to start out in. Smaller, indoor events may provide you with a table and chair for you to use. Many outdoor events require you to have a white tent and provide all of your vending materials. Just something to think about as you begin. There may be less of an investment to get involved in the smaller shows than the larger ones.
If you have some idea of what you are looking for and the dates you are interested in working. What do you do next?
First of all, you need to know the general area you would like to sell in. If you live in the south or west, you may have fairs/markets which are held throughout the whole year. For others, where winter weather is a factor, the number of fairs drastically decreases during this time.
So, how to find a fair near you to sell at?
First, what fairs have you attended as a patron? Were there some you liked better than others? What was it you liked? Was it the general vibe, the location, the range of artists, the price ranges? Think about what you liked best about these fairs.
Then head to the internet to search for them. A simple Google search may get you the information you need regarding your favorite local fair. Find the organizer and look into the application information, what do they need, what are the due dates, when is the fair, etc.
If you don’t already have a specific fair to look into, what do you do next?
Search – yes, the same thing you do to find a specific fair, you can do to find a fair in your area. You can do this through Google or even Facebook. Search art or craft fairs and see what comes up. From there, click the links of the fairs and look to see when they are. Does the time work for you? If so, click to see when the applications are open. If you are searching for summer fairs, you should be looking in the winter before. Applications often open as early as the fall before a summer fair.
Zapp – is a company many fairs use for their artist applications. From here you can search for a geographical area and see what fairs they have. Because this site also has the applications, you can click and find out when the applications are due, what you need to apply, information the organizers have given about the event. Often they will include demographics about attendance which could be helpful to you.
Art-Link – is another company organizers use to get information about their fairs to the artists. If you sign up for emails, you will receive regular emails about applications, due dates, and information regarding fairs.
ArtFairCalendar.com has a list of fairs and the months they occur in. You can use the list to find fairs in areas you are interested in and then contact the organizers regarding the fairs.
Other Artists – ask other people you know who sell at markets where they sell. What they liked about the fairs, didn’t like, etc.
Sunshine Artists – another site that ranks and lists art fairs. There is a fee to get access to some of their information, but you can access events for free.
FestivalNet.com – another site that gives artists information regarding fairs, rankings, and reviews. You can access some of the information for free, some you will need to join to access the information.
There are many other sites which give information about fairs. But don’t get overwhelmed about this. Make this easy on yourself. Find a fair or two and move forward with the application process. You can’t sell your incredible work at the fair if you don’t apply!
Good luck! And if you have places you love to find information about fairs, please leave the information in the comments to help someone else!
