Freeport Fall Festival Vendor Application

Rules & Regulations

Visit Freeport’s 24th Annual Freeport Fall Festival Rules and Regulations

Before submitting an application please review the rules & regulations outlined below. If you cannot meet any of the conditions or expectations here, please do not apply.

After the 2022 Freeport Fall Festival, nearly 140 exhibitors participated in a detailed, anonymous survey to collect data about their sales and their opinions about the Freeport Fall Festival. The printable report is now available to download.

2023 Booth Fees:

• L.L.Bean Vendors: $250
• Key Bank, Freeport Village Station, & Town Hall Vendors: $125

Please do not send payment until you have been accepted into the show. Once accepted, you will receive payment instructions. 

Any questions about the application process or being a vendor at Freeport Fall Festival, may be emailed to [email protected] 

APPLIES TO ALL APPLICANTS:

• ARTISTS & MAKERS ONLY. No direct sales lines permitted. One exhibitor per booth, no sharing.
• All applications will be evaluated by the event jury made up of representatives from the Visit Freeport Staff, Board of Directors, and Member Businesses.
• To ensure a diverse and competitive art festival we allocate a certain number of spaces for different categories. Some categories like Bath & Body and Jewelry are more competitive than others.
• Three photos of your work must accompany your application. These photos and a description of your products on your application are the primary materials used in the jury process. Please highlight what makes you or your work special.
• If accepted, you may only display and sell products representative of those in your application materials.
• Products that duplicate those offered by brick & mortar stores in Freeport will not be accepted. If you have questions about this, email or call before you complete the application.
• Returning vendors are not automatically accepted. The courtesy with which returning vendors treat others are factored into the final decision. Exhibitors who leave early or who break other show rules will not be accepted into future events.
• Specific booth assignments will not be confirmed until after the July 1 payment deadline. 
• Each booth is 12′ x 12′. You may have neighbors on three sides. The maps in the Festival brochure are not to scale and are provided to give you a general idea of positioning.
• 10′ x 10′ pop-up tents are required for all exhibitors with the exception of food trucks or trailers (see below.) Vendors at L.L.Bean are required to have white tents. The Town of Freeport requires that all tents have a fireproof rating. Most have a small tag stating they comply with CA fire codes. Any professional tent will be fine, some very inexpensive shade structures do not meet town code and are therefore not permitted. Because you will be able to leave your booth up over the weekend, side panels are highly recommended for overnights. 
• Many areas of the show are on pavement or surfaces where tent stakes are not practical or permitted. You must provide weights in the event of strong winds. We suggest 40 lbs per leg.
• Electricity is very limited. You will be notified directly if you have been assigned a space with access to an outlet. Each vendor with electrical service is limited to no more than 15 amps. Please verify this meets your needs. No additional accommodations are available. Only whisper quiet generators are permitted. 
• Artist/maker or an agent of the artist/maker must attend exhibit space at all times. Event staff and volunteers try to provide coverage for restroom breaks, but this is not always possible.  
• There is no central location for trash, so please be prepared to pack out everything you bring in.
• Public WiFi is not readily available and cellular coverage varies greatly by carrier and location within Freeport. We recommend that you bring any devices to your exact booth location in advance to test your signal strength and reliability.
• Please do not send payment until you have been accepted into the show. Once accepted, you will receive payment instructions. 
• DEADLINE FOR PAYMENT: In order to ensure an accurate event brochure, the deadline for payment will be July 1, 2023. If payment has not been received by this date, your space will be forfeited to a person on the waiting list. If you are accepted into the show after July 1, 2023 you will have two weeks to submit payment to secure your space.
• Cancellation Policy: 50% refund before July 1, 2023; No refunds after this date
• Refunds are not issued to artists not satisfied with location or sales.
• The show will be held 10/6/23 – 10/8/23 unless severe weather (heavy rains, high winds, thunderstorms, etc) is predicted. The show will then be moved to the nicer two of the three days, dependent upon forecast. On Thursday, October 5, the weather call will be made in the early a.m. and all participants will be notified of any change. No refunds are provided for inclement weather.
• For most exhibitors, set-up time begins at 8am on Friday (10/6) and ends at 11:30am. Vendors assigned to the L.L.Bean campus may set-up tents and display fixtures on Thursday (10/5) afternoon from 4pm – 6pm. You will receive information about when you may load-in in August with your booth assignment.
• Breakdown on Sunday is to begin no earlier than 4:00pm – those who break down earlier will not be allowed back.   
• Visit Freeport contracts with a private company to provide overnight security at each Festival location on both Friday and Saturday night. For peace of mind, we recommend taking any valuable or sentimental items with you when you leave each day. Visit Freeport, L.L.Bean, Freeport Village Station, Town of Freeport, Key Bank and other property owners are not responsible for any theft or damage.
• Free underground parking is available at the Freeport Village Station (via Depot St.) across the street from L.L.Bean. Additional parking, including for large trailers, is located at the Freeport High School off Holbrook Street. We recommend parking off-site so your customers may find convenient parking. Parking is not assigned because spaces are easily found in the morning.
• Vendor Insurance Coverage: All vendors participating in the Freeport Fall Festival are required to have insurance coverage no less than $1M and must supply a copy of their Certificate of Insurance in advance of the festival. Vendors on the L.L.Bean campus are required to have $2M in coverage. For inexpensive, per-event event coverage, please visit https://www.actinsurance.com
• In the event that there is guidance from the State of Maine and CDC regarding SPECIAL EVENTS AND FESTIVALS and any infectious disease, any recommendations or requirements in effect at the time of the Festival will be enforced by Visit Freeport. This includes, but is not limited to, masking for participants and vendors, hand sanitizer stations, social distancing, etc.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS FOR FOOD VENDORS: 

• Preference is given to Maine food producers.
• In the case of food trucks or trailers, one of the three photos required with your application must be the exterior of your vehicle.
• Vendors selling foods to be consumed at the festival and located at L.L.Bean will be required to sign and return a food safety agreement supplied by L.L.Bean.
• A limited number of food trucks & trailers are accepted into the show each year. Owners of these businesses should make themselves familiar with the additional permits required by the Town of Freeport. Visit Freeport staff will assist with the application process but all additional fees and permitting are the responsibility of the exhibitor.
• Food trucks & trailers must be self-contained and use only whisper-quiet generators. Your vehicle’s engine must be turned off during the event.
• Trailers must be dropped in their assigned location and the towing vehicle parked outside of the event area.
• There is no central location for trash generated by your booth. You must provide a trash bin, bags and a recycling bin. Please plan to pack out everything you bring in.