Craft Shows - How to find them or host your own
You can find craft shows in almost every town in every state almost every day featuring crafts, fine art and more. If you are an avid crafter (or buyer) you can use the Internet to help you search for craft shows in your area.
A website I found that helps you locate craft shows is called ArtandCraftShows.net. This website lets you search a range of dates as well as the state or states you are interested in. You can also search by these categories: fine art, fine crafts, prints, lithographs, country crafts, handicrafts, presale items, kits, and photography. Whatever it is you are looking for; this website will help you find it at the crafts shows located near you.
ArtandCraftShows.net also offers is sponsored by the Sunshine Artist magazine. Sunshine Artist is the leading publication for art and craft show and their exhibitors, promoters and patrons. The magazine has been providing its readers with reviews of shows and festivals all over the country. Sunshine Artist magazine also includes hundreds of show listing, including contact information fees, application information and the types or arts and crafts that are accepted. In each issue you can find lots of helpful information for the crafter and the buyer.
You can also check out your local newspaper for craft shows near you. There are many organizations these days that sponsor craft shows to raise money. I am part of a Relay for Life team, and for the past two years we have sponsored a craft shows at Christmastime. Christmas is the best time of the year to find craft shows in your area. This is a great way to raise money for your organization or cause. We charge a fee for the vendors and crafters for their table space. We also sell refreshments, have raffle prizes and sell items related to our cause. Last year we sold pink cancer awareness car magnets. Sometimes some of the vendors donate part of their profits for the day to our cause. If you think craft shows would benefit your organization, here are some tips:
~ Find a location to hold your show. This could be a fire hall, school, or civic or community building.
~ Contact the person who schedules the building well in advance to book a date for your show
~ Decide if you are going to sell food at your show. Contact local stores, churches, and organizations and ask for food and drink donations.
~ If you plan to sell raffle tickets, locate stores or vendors who will donate items to be raffled.
~ Get flyers out into the community announcing your event and requesting registrations for vendors.
~ Don’t try to do everything yourself! Form a team and delegate tasks such as a food committee, set-up, tear-down, and raffle organizer.
Check out websites about craft shows for more advice and information.