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Festivalnet.Com, Asheville, NC

This month, the Urban Artist Market in Irving, Texas is happening with extra special care.



Below, read about all the ways this Texas Art and Craft Show is keep everyone safe and protected. This list is a terrific beacon of hope of how shows can move forward being covid-aware to allow people to congregate safely so we can support our beloved artists and crafters during this difficult time.

URBAN ARTIST MARKET SAFETY PROTOCOL

The Urban Artist Market has implemented several procedural changes to ensure safety of our exhibitors and attendees.

1. We’ve relocated the show to the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas because the Grand Ballroom offers more floor space.
2. More space means extra wide aisles and the ability to create a one-way traffic flow through the show room floor; with only one entrance and one exit.
3. We’re selling tickets online before the event in 2-hour slots to ensure a limited amount of traffic on the show floor at any given time. We have calculated the amount of people permitted in the Grand Ballroom to ensure 6 foot distancing recommendations and will monitor entrance in any given time slot. However, walk-in tickets will be sold when admission quotas have not been exceeded.
4. The Urban Artist Market has expanded their open hours to spread out traffic evenly over the 2-day event.
5. Our exhibitors will wear masks throughout the event whenever anyone is near their booth footprint. All attendees will be required to wear masks upon entering the hall.
6. Disposable masks will be available at the entrance for attendees who have not brought their own mask.
7. Hand sanitizer stations will be positioned at the entrance and throughout the show floor.
8. The Irving Convention Center provides detailed Safety and Sanitation protocols in alignment with public health authorities, medical and industry experts. For detailed information, click here https://www.irvingconventioncenter.com/about/safety-sanitation/
9. The Urban Artist Market will not be passing appetizers or drinks during the July event, however, the Irving Convention Center will be providing a snack stand with glass barriers in the main lobby that adheres to safety standards.
10. On Saturday, July 18, the show will open 10-12 noon to provide early shopping access for immune compromised and our community 65 years of age and up. Masks will be required on all exhibitors and attendees in that time slot.
11. Shoppers will be encouraged to limit touch to art that they are purchasing. Exhibitors will promote “touch-free” shopping with signage in their booth.

Where And When:

July 17 - 18, 2020
Irving Convention Center
Irving, TX 75039

Tickets:
https://www.urbanartistmarket.com/attend-july/

FestivalNet Featured Event Vail's Art on the Rockies is this weekend!


Art on the Rockies is loved by the community as the sweet balance of a casual yet upscale art event. Fittingly for a mountain gathering, Art on the Rockies boasts a lively outdoor environment in the Vail Valley. Meet nationally renowned artists and appreciate the variety of arts and fine crafts on the grounds of Colorado Mountain College in Edwards. The event starts Friday, July 10th at 10am, and features free admission, food and beverages, free children’s art area and a silent art auction benefiting the Vail Valley Arts League.
source: Art on the Rockies Website


Here are the measures they are taking to ensure everyone's safety according to Vail Daily News.

• Social distancing measures were designed into the event’s new outside format.
• Each artist’s booth is 10 feet apart from the next, and they will have ample room to exit the booth from one side when needed.
• Aisles between booths are more than 30 feet wide, and markers will be out to direct two-way directional pedestrian traffic.
• Guests and artists are required to wear face masks when a 6 foot distance cannot be maintained, and each booth will have sanitization products, both for guest use and to disinfect any object that may be handled by visitors.

"Be kind, wear your mask, visit with your favorite artists, support original, local art, enjoy the sunshine, celebrate community at Art on the Rockies!" -
Art on the Rockies Artist Jennifer Hammond


Bravo Art on the Rockies! Way to keep the show alive and we wish you all the best this weekend!


When and Where:

Friday July 10 - Sunday July 12, 2020
10-5 Daily
Free Admission

Freedom Park
300 Miller Ranch Rd
Edwards, CO

These past few months have brought an unprecedented challenge to maintain the constantly changing event information on FestivalNet. Promoters are in a very difficult position to make decisions far enough in advance to coordinate vendors and venues while trying to make a profit without endangering the public. Decisions can and often do, change overnight.

We are having to go back and double check the current 2020 events, which has put us behind on updating last year's event listings on our site. We are hopeful that we will be able to get more events updated as states are opening up and we are finding future 2020 and 2021 dates on the events websites.

We have always taken pride in keeping our listings as up-to-date and correct as possible so that we can help you all plan your schedule for the year. We are confident that we provide the most consolidated up to date event information on the web. Despite the obvious financial impact we have undergone, we have increased our staff in an attempt to continue to bring our members the most current event information possible. We apologize if some event listings have not been up to the standards that you have come to expect.

Please know that we will continue to work diligently to update listings and remove the ones that we know are not taking place. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.

In 2020, it's not 'art fair as usual' for the Sawdust Summer Art Festival in Laguna Beach who has  responded to our current social landscape by downsizing this year. State and county health guidelines have helped morph the Sawdust Art Festival into an ongoing weekend Outdoor Marketplace instead of its traditional summer festival.

"Our first priority is the health and wellbeing of our artists, staff, and patrons. Knowing that even a modified version of our annual festival would not meet reopening criteria, our board of directors quickly pivoted in a different direction", stated Monica Prado, President of the Sawdust Board of the Directors.





Under an outdoor eucalyptus grove, artists will uniquely configure their space to allow for social distancing; more than 100 Sawdust artists will rotate through over the course of the summer.
Sawdust has taken all the necessary steps to keep everyone safe.

"Art is essential. Artists are Innovators. Over the past months we have focused our passion and creativity on finding a way to open a safe and meaningful show for our artists, community and guests. This year, Sawdust Art Festival is proud to present a smaller more personal Weekend Outdoor Marketplace, giving patrons the feeling of safety while whisking them into a world filled with art. Art allows us to be at peace, to enjoy the present, and to respond to the beauty in front of us. Smaller, but more personal." - Event Website


Bravo Sawdust! Way to stay current and take swift action to keep your event alive this year. 



When and Where

Sawdust Festival Presents an Outdoor Marketplace 

935 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach,
CA 92651

Weekends, July 17 - September 6, 2020

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 10am to 6pm

sawdustartfestival.org


 

One thing that remains "essential" during social distancing is that we all need to eat.

Festival food vendors might not be able to bring their businesses online like their artist, crafter and musician counterparts, but many have found ways to bring their businesses out to their neighborhoods and feed families. And so many others are trying new things to stay afloat during COVID.  We wanted to highlight many of our food vending members who are doing just that.






"Oh My Pizza Pie" in Austin, TX offered buy one get one free pizzas. The free pizza was for anyone that could use it in this crisis time like Healthcare workers, people out of work, & older people who can't leave home. "People would drive through, put money or check in a box (we didn't make change to avoid handling money) and get the pizzas without getting out of the car. This was posted and shared many times on facebook and was successful."


Garden Garlic Seasoning owner Lauren Falcione in Broadview Heights, OH is now selling her goods wholesale to grocery stores.


"My seasonal gelato business will start in May with home deliveries using the food truck for small groups of people. Not sure when the festivals and food truck gatherings will start back up, so trying to downscale my audience with private orders." - Coppa Magica Gelato - Kathryn Kelley,  Portsmouth, ME


Ah’Leisha Cole (Ah’Leisha’s Cookie Co. LLC) in Prairie Village, Missouri is baking from home and delivering or shipping items to customers relying heavily on her Facebook page.


Kona Ice of Boulder's Christopher Geurden in Erie, CO is driving around neighborhoods with his shaved ice truck.

Gold Swan Lemonade owner Brian H. Self in Wake Forest, NC is offering Street Vending and has incorporated online ordering & delivery.


Mother Truckin Pizza Food Truck owner Kellie Ride in Jacksonville, FL is serving neighborhood family dinners from our food truck.  They've added online pre orders that allow for designated pick up times to aid in social distancing.


Partnering with brick and mortar businesses is a popular option. Gess What’s Cookin owner Dave Gess in Naperville, MN did just that. "Found a local spot with one of our Breweries, We are actually doing decent as a few of our local restaurants were closed."


Stargazers Gourmet, Starla Gade in Corvallis, OR:  "Updated web site, created some specials, a few regular events promoting vendors. Local delivery & still donated about $2000 worth of fudge to several folks helping our community. So much better than throwing it out."  


The Cruisin' Chef, Alanna Lieber in Mount Pleasant, Michigan: "We began creating "Heat & Eat" meals for people to preorder or pick up 3 days per week. These are full meals that simply need to be warmed in the microwave. They are delicious and just like a homecooked meal without the effort. We also designate 1 day each week for home delivery within our area for those who can not, or are afraid to, get out. We wear protective masks and gloves when in contact with any customers. The price of the meals includes tax and is a flat rate of $10 each so change is minimal. We keep all incoming cash separate and hand wash it each evening in hot soapy bleach water, rinse individually and lay out to dry. Our card reader is sanitized between each customer and we now accept checks. For days the truck is setup, we are drive through only and one of us goes out to each vehicle to take the order and deliver. Again, protective gear is worn at this time. Keeping our customers safe and fed are our top priorities."


Jay Stafford of California Cuisine in Cameron Park, CA is building a website that will offer custom spices and herbal blends.





To all food vendors getting creative and trying new things right now, our hats are off to you!

Keep truckin', and cooking up good ideas! Thank you.

Got the COVID-crazy Craft Fair Vendor Blues? Stay Busy! Here are some tips on using this downtime to drum up business, expand your reach, and help keep your business going.

#1 Take Good (or Better) Photos. One thing it takes to be a successful craft fair vendor these days is great photography of your handiwork. When your customer is not in person to see and touch your artwork, the photo must convey it properly. It doesn’t take a lot of money or expensive equipment to do this, please check out this short article on ways to take better pictures of your craft.  Here’s another oldie but goodie on the importance of great photos for craft fair vendors.

#2 Do the Social Media Thing! Many Craft Fairs might be closed this summer, but the internet is open 24/7. If you want your craft business to survive during social distancing, participating in social media as a business is simply unavoidable. There’s no way around it. People are on social media more often than individual websites or even reading their email. You want to be where the people are. Using hashtags to let folks find what you do, using strong photography and helpful descriptions, and offering sales and discounts are ways to bring in business. There are endless resources online with guidance for being effective in social media. Invest in yourself by learning and putting what you learn into action! Here’s an article about using Instagram for your Business. Don’t stop there, look and see what other craft fair vendors are doing to drum up business with social media. 

image @rawpixel


#3 Set up (or Freshen up) your FestivalNet Profile which includes a Photo Gallery and Shop.  It’s free and comes with your membership (a small commission is charged when you make a sale, go here for all the details for selling online). Once you’ve taken those good photos of your craft and have a social media presence going, what’s left is the platform for folks to buy your crafts. We want to see Craft Fair vendors selling in our online Festival of Finds this summer!

Thanks for reading and wishing you all the best!

FestivalNet has been around since 1996 so we have seen our fair share of companies and events come and go over the years. This past week, a company that has been producing quality craft festivals since the 1970's has gone out of business & it struck me as exceptionally sad. 

I wanted to take a minute and to just share publicly that FestivalNet will miss Sugarloaf. I would like to think that we forged a loyal business relationship over the years. Their team always updated their event listings on time and advertised in our newsletters year after year.  Their logo was a steady constant when you scrolled through our Call for Artist listings. And they had a 5-star promoter rating. Sugarloaf was a class act in a league of their own producing quality craft festivals.

The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) has been happening every second weekend in July since 1961, rain or shine, in the heart of downtown Toronto. Social Distancing wasn't going to prevent Canada's leading contemporary outdoor art fair from supporting their artists and art lovers that would otherwise flock to Toronto. All over the world, people can virtually attend 10 days of Art, Awards, and other virtual events at TOAF's First Online Art Fair, July 2–12.

But this article isn't about their online art fair alone. TOAF created a dual-initiative response to COVID, a meaningful and impacting gesture to not only realistically support their 300+ participating artists but also spread the joy of art to the healthcare workers in their city.





"In this time of crisis, we felt that a gift of art could bring real joy and excitement to members of our community who are keeping us safe and allowing us to continue doing our work. Gifts of Heart is a way for our many devoted Fair-goers and art lovers to join us in doing something truly special for our artists, while honouring those frontline essential workers to whom we owe so much. So far we have had a wonderful reaction to the Gifts of Heart Program and raised $10,000 in the first week - that’s 40 gift cards for frontline workers already," Anahita Azrahimi, Executive & Creative Director, TOAF.

100% of the money raised goes directly to the artists while frontline healthcare workers will be able enjoy a 'gift card' to spend at the Online Art Fair! It's a beautiful win-win to help artists while showing the endearing love and appreciation we all feel for healthcare workers during this pandemic.

If TOAF reaches their goal to raise $100,000, they will be able to offer gifts to 400 frontline workers. This will also provide an income of $100,000 for their participating artists. The healthcare workers gifted will be able to shop for artwork at the online fair through the TOAF website.

"There will be a wonderful selection of paintings, photography, drawing, jewelery, ceramics, and so much more around the $250 price range for them to choose from," Azrahimi explains.

These days, we look for the helpers, the heroes and the initiatives which bring joy and positivity to those who need it most. We hope when we look back at this era in our lives, these are the stories we remember. To date, there is one month left to help TOAF reach their goal. If you are able, we invite you to donate.

Go to https://torontooutdoor.art/donate/gifts-of-heart & make a tax-deductible donation today.