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Dear Arts and Crafts Vendor

We are pleased to announce the 23^rd Annual North Texas Irish Festival to be held at Fair Park in Dallas. We are proud to say that the Festival will once again be the largest Irish Festival in the Southwest and one of the largest in the Nation.

Our purpose is to provide both an educational and entertaining Irish Experience for those who attend, and we accomplish this by bringing together the very best in Irish musicians, dancers, artists and other performers as well as a great number of quality vendors, displays and special events. We've enjoyed phenomenal growth since our first Festival in March of 1983, and welcome the challenge to continue to expand and improve.

NTIF Vendors are an important part of our Festival, and we hope that you will join us for this Texas-sized Irish celebration. Guarantee your space at the Festival by completing the vendor application and sending it to us today.

Note: Food vendors should not apply using these forms - they are for craft vendors only. Food vendors should contact the NTIF office directly. 

Best Wishes on behalf of the North Texas Irish Festival!

About the Festival
Festival Dates & Times
Booth Sizes and Descriptions
Deposits and Fees
Confirmation
How to Apply
Contact Info

The North Texas Irish Festival is produced and sponsored by the Southwest Celtic Music Association, a nonprofit, tax exempt organization dedicated to the "study, performance, promotion and preservation of Celtic music and dance in the Southwest." Since its beginning in March of 1983, the NTIF has become one of the largest festivals in the United States, hosting multiple stages, workshops, craft demonstrations, wandering musicians, a children's fair, games, traditional Irish foods and beverages, cultural displays, vendor areas and much more.

The Festival welcomes professional arts and crafts vendors and merchandise businesses that offer quality products. Although we would prefer booths with a Celtic or handcrafted theme, it is not required, though the Festival reserves the right to reject any products we feel are not appropriate. The sale of weapons, food and beverages, or products bearing the Festival name is prohibited without the prior written approval of the Festival Director. Politically themed or pornographic materials are expressly prohibited by the Festival.

Festival Dates & Times

All vendors will be expected to be open for business while the Festival is open from the evening of Friday March 4^th through Sunday,  March 6^th, 2005.

The Festival will now open to the public on Friday night at 6pm. We have always required our vendors to move in on Friday and have encouraged them to be set up by 5pm.  To encourage additional vendor sales as well as food and beverage sales, we now operate two stages from 6pm to 11pm on Friday night and ask that all vendors be ready to open to the public at 6pm as well.  IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM DOING THIS, PLEASE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY. It may require moving your booth location to a different area in order for us to open both buildings on Friday.  The stages will be the Pub Stage in the Automobile Building and the Shannon Stage outside in the Esplanade.

Booth Sizes and Descriptions

Vendor areas will again be located in the newly restored Centennial and Automobile buildings, though they have been moved slightly in order to take advantage of Festival foot traffic. We will do our best to accommodate vendor needs, but we cannot guarantee booth spaces occupied in the past. Booth prices have not been increased this year. We are acting on input from the majority of vendors as well as taking into consideration the state of the economy in general and the difficult time our vendors are experiencing in general.

Festival booths are available in 10’ x 10’ (100 sq. ft.) spaces. Vendors requiring larger areas may rent multiple booth spaces. Vendor spaces are located inside the two Festival buildings and outdoors in the promenade between them. Please be sure to specify your space and location needs on the vendor application form. Tables, chairs, outdoor carnival tents, and electrical drops may also be rented from the Festival if needed. We do not provide or rent lights, extension cords, or plug strips.

Returning for 2004: Demonstration area.
If you are a craftsman and would like to demonstrate your art or craft during the Festival, we have reserved a limited number of 10' x 15' spaces that are the same cost as the 10' x 10' spaces and will be in the same area. If you occupy one of these spaces you are asked to demonstrate your art throughout the weekend with some consistency.

Deposits and Fees

A refundable deposit of $25 is required for all vendors. We ask that you submit two checks with your application: one check for booth fees and miscellaneous charges and one check for your $25 deposit. This deposit will be held until it is returned to you at the scheduled close of the Festival on Sunday, provided vendors have not damaged their areas, vacated their booths before scheduled closing or ignored any Festival rules pertaining to booth spaces. Booth rental fees and cost of accessories rental are listed on the vendor application form. Included in vendor fees are the cost of two vendor passes, one parking pass, 24-hour security, and facility cleanup each morning before Festival opening.

Due to the high bank charges incurred, we will impose a fee of $25 if a check is returned by our bank for any reason.

Because of our insurance requirements, the Festival may require some vendors to send a copy of proof of liability insurance covering the vendor, the North Texas Irish Festival and the City of Dallas as additional insured's. We are not offering insurance, and it will be up to you as the vendor to make sure that you have sufficient coverage. Reminder — although we do not take a percentage of booth income, the various government entities do. Texas and Dallas County sales tax collection is your responsibility!

Confirmation

If your application is in order and all fees are received, the Festival will send a postcard that will serve as a receipt. Booth assignments, regulations, and other useful information will be posted on the Festival website, http://www.ntif.org, and will be sent to you in February.

How to apply

Complete the vendor application, sign and mail with all fees to the address provided on the application. The Festival will not accept reservations for booth spaces without all fees paid. Please send checks or money orders made out to the North Texas Irish Festival — no cash. All vendors must include a list of merchandise items or services to be sold or displayed with their application. All Vendors must also include a photograph of their set-up. Please note: This is a requirement for all vendors, new or old.

We reserve the right not to admit vendors selling merchandise other that that listed or approved by the Festival. All booths will be inspected after setup and periodically during the weekend. Vendors selling or displaying material that the Festival finds objectionable, or acting in any way detrimental to the good name of the Festival will be asked to leave.