How to Find Art Festivals

Some fairs and festivals attract thousands of visitors each year. They are the ideal places to sell art, connect with like minded people, and to buy really great stuff.

In her book, "How to Get Started Selling Your Art," author and artist Carole Katchen calls fairs and festivals among the best places to begin an art career. However, these days, fairs and festivals aren't just for visual artists. They run the gamut from Renaissance fairs to music festivals. Today with the Internet, it's easier than ever to find a fair or festival for just about any need.

Things You'll Need

• Pen or pencil
• Pad of paper or a good word processing program
• Computer with Internet access
• Calendar to record dates of fairs and festivals
• List of fairs and festival websites
• Finding fairs and festivals online is relatively easy. The supplies you'll need are to record your findings so that you can compare and determine the best website for your needs.

Instructions

Finding the Right Fair or Festival

1. Compile your list of websites. Many fairs and festivals exist throughout the United States. Here are some of the bigger ones that can be found on the Internet.

   National

   http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/
   http://festivalnet.com/
   http://www.festivals.com/

   Regional

   http://www.southfest.com/
   http://www.laffnet.org/
   http://www.smartfrogs.com/
   http://www.indianafairsandfestivals.org/
   http://www.castleberryfairs.com/index.php

   Other fairs and festivals can be found on the Internet with a simple Google search. Use the key words "fairs and festivals."

2. Determine what your goals are when looking for the fair or festival that's right for you. If you're looking to sell artwork, for example, ask yourself what you hope to accomplish. If your goal is to sell a lot of art, a fair created specifically as an art festival will attract people looking to buy art. However, if it is more important to you to gather business cards and develop your mailing list, a different kind of festival or fair might do. Do you only want to attend fairs or festivals within a radius from your home? Having these questions in mind will help you sort through hundreds of listings.

3. Start your search. Plan on taking your time to read each entry. Write down each one that looks promising, including contact information, dates, costs and what kind of booth space it offers. Create a page for each entry, so you can add notes about the fair or festival as you learn more.

   Create color coding for each festival. That way you'll be able to see at a glance what you need for a particular fair or festival. This will be particularly helpful once you transfer the dates for each event onto your calendar.

   Consider looking for festivals at least once a month. Websites constantly add information as festivals and fairs are uploaded to their databases. You'll want to update your calendar accordingly. When the year is over, you will then be able to use your old calendar as a reference tool when creating your new calendar.

Tips & Warnings

• Membership to many of these sites costs. If you are using sites to locate fairs and festivals where you can sell your art or other products, the cost of membership is a tax-write off. Make sure you save your receipts.

• Finally, many sites automatically charge your credit card each year on the anniversary of your original purchase. Read the fine print and adjust your credit card or debit card bottom line accordingly.

References

• How to Get Started Selling Your Art; Carole Katchen; 1996

Resources

• Selling art at fairs and festivals--additional resources
• How to Price Your Wares
• A Primer In Selling Your Art At Festivals