Arts in the Park Food Vendor Guidelines

If you’re interested in taking part in this year’s Arts in the Park, read on for everything you’ll need to know about the event and what’s expected of our food vendors. Once you’re ready, you can complete your application online.

Applications for 2024 are now available!

2024 Important Dates

  • March 152024 Application deadline
  • April 5, 2024 Notifications of juror’s decisions
  • June 14, 2024 Exhibitor load in, 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
  • June 15, 2024 Arts in the Park hours, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • June 16, 2024 Arts in the Park hours, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location

Melgaard Park in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Aberdeen. The festival is held rain or shine. To preserve the integrity and quality of the show, and out of consideration for fellow exhibitors, you may not take down your exhibit before the closing time. Failure to exhibit both days during festival hours will affect eligibility for future festivals.

Fees/Booth Description

The booth fee is $175 per space. Each space is approximately 12’ X 12’. PLEASE NOTE: ENTIRE food booths must fit within the 12’ X 12’ space. This MUST include wheels, hitches or anything else associated with your booth. Additional booth space may be rented at $175 per space. This fee is for space only and all materials for booths, including items necessary for display and sales of work must be provided by the exhibitor. An additional fee of $25 per space will be charged for any booths requiring electricity. Please specify on the application 110 volts or 220. A maximum of 50 amps is available. Canopies must be adaptable to hard-topped surfaces. In applying, you agree to be willing to adjust to the space assigned. View map.

There are no guarantees or promises regarding preference for space locations or the filling of any other kinds of requests. Vendors wishing to be adjacent to each other should request such booth assignments on their applications.

All fees are payable to Aberdeen Arts in the Park. If paying by check, it must be for full payment of fees and must accompany a completed and signed Arts in the Park Application Form. Post-dated checks and incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant. We will send you an e-mail notification that we have received your application. This notification does not mean you have been accepted – just that we have received your application. It will also let you know that your application is complete or if anything is missing.

Application and Jurying

Each applicant will be required to submit a completed and signed Arts in the Park Application Form on which a detailed description of the menu has been completed. We ask that you list all the items you plan to sell.  

Although a photo of your booth is not required, it is encouraged. Also helpful for publicity is photos of any items you will be selling, sample menus, etc.

If you have not been a food vendor previously at Aberdeen’s Arts in the Park, along with your application please include a list of 3 shows (name, address, contact person) you have been in as references.

Certificate of Insurance

Each food vendor shall be required to carry liability insurance with a limit of $1,000,000 listing both Aberdeen Area Arts Council and City of Aberdeen as certificate holder and shall provide a copy of the Certificate of Insurance with your application. We understand that everyone has different renewal dates. If the certificate you send in with your application will expire before our event, it is your responsibility to send us a current certificate by June 1.

Set-Up

Set-up is not allowed before 1: 00 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2024. Exhibitors who fail to comply with this rule will affect their eligibility for future festivals. Each exhibitor is responsible for their own display materials, including tables, chairs, canopies, backdrops, and especially rain and sun protection. The Aberdeen Area Arts Council and the City of Aberdeen will not be responsible for any loss or damage incurred at Arts in the Park either during the Festival hours or overnight.

Specific instructions regarding load-in and load-out procedures will be sent to those accepted in May.

Cancellations

If an exhibitor finds it necessary to cancel, the Aberdeen Area Arts Council must be notified immediately. Exhibitors may not transfer or sell their space. Failure to notify the Committee of cancellation will affect the exhibitor’s eligibility for future festivals.

The Arts in the Park booth fee is non-refundable. An exhibitor who finds it necessary to cancel due to medical reasons may submit a letter addressed to the committee explaining the reason. The committee will consider each request individually with no guarantees of a refund.

Sales Tax

You are required to collect sales tax and report that to the SD Department of Revenue within 30 days of the event. Forms from the state will be included in your registration packet. The SD Department of Revenue will be furnished a list of registered exhibitors and may attend the festival to check on exhibitors. If you have not paid your sales tax from a previous event, you will not be allowed to set up.  If you have any questions regarding sales tax, please contact the SD Department of Revenue at (605) 626-2218.

Violations

Any violation of the Exhibitor Guidelines and Information, South Dakota Sales Tax Law or City of Aberdeen Ordinance, or a material misrepresentation on the application shall suffice for the sponsor to elect to immediately close down the exhibitor and/or deny the exhibitor the right to return to Arts in the Park in the future.

Questions

Please contact the Aberdeen Area Arts Council at (605) 226-1557 or e-mail at ArtsInThePark@nvc.net.

Online Application

You can apply online and either choose to pay via credit card or by sending a check.