MAKERS ARCADE 2024 HOLIDAY FAIR

VENDOR INFORMATION

WHEN AND WHERE IS THE FAIR?

Makers Arcade Holiday Fair will be held inside the Port Pavilion at the Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego, 1000 N Harbor Drive, San Diego CA 92101.

This three-day event will be held Friday, December 6, Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8. We are so excited to be a part of the Parade of Lights this year. Providing vendors an extra day of sales, and we anticipate an additional 1,000 people to attend on Sunday afternoon/evening alone!

Friday, December 6, 2:00PM - 7:00PM

Saturday, December 7, 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Sunday, December 8, 11:00AM - 8:00PM

Load-in and set-up will take place on Friday, December 6 between 10:00AM and 1:00PM. Vendors will be given a shift time in order to keep things moving smoothly

Tear down will begin on Sunday, December 8 at 8:00PM. Vendors will not be allowed to load-out until all Parade of Light Pedestrians have cleared out at 9:00PM. You can choose to wait and load-out at 9:00PM after the market, or you may store your items inside and return Monday, December 9 between 10:30AM and 1:00PM.

HOW CAN I APPLY?

Applications will be open from August 30 to September 13, 2024.

All interested makers must complete the application linked at the bottom of this page. There is a non-refundable $20 application fee. If accepted, this application fee does not go toward your booth fee. Acceptance emails will be sent out the week of September 17.

If you have missed the cut-off date you may still apply, but your application will be automatically added to our waitlist.

PLEASE NOTE that this application is for craft vendors, artisanal vendors & prepackaged foods only (like spices, honey, cookies, etc.). Catering food vendors (on-site food preparation like food trucks & hot food stands), sponsors, musicians, workshops, coffee, balloon artists, face painters, florists, etc. can submit an activation interest form here!

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN APPLICANTS?

Many things are taken into consideration during the application process including booth setup, skill level, style, branding, website design, ethical practices, and price point. We are looking for artists and makers who are heavily or entirely involved in the design and production process of their handmade goods. We also strive to represent a diverse selection of artists and makers from various racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Our events are a safe space for all.

Take a look at photos of past makers on our Instagram account for an idea of the type of vendor and quality of setup we generally choose for our events. 

While the majority of our artists live in Southern California, you do not have to be a resident here to participate.

If you are unsure if you should apply, feel free to email us at events@makersarcade.com with any questions you have!

More information can be found on our general Vendor F.A.Q. page.

WHAT’S THE COST TO PARTICIPATE?

The booth rental fee varies on size:

Regular Indoor Booth- 5’x9′ – $470
Shared Indoor Booth- 5’x5′ – $325 (each vendor)
Outside Booth – 10’x10′ – $500
Outside Shared Booth – 5’x10′ – $355 (Each Vendor)

All accepted makers must participate all three days. However, if you would like to share a booth with another accepted maker you could share the cost and split days. Both makers must apply and be accepted individually. Please include your arrangement details on your application.

This year will be bigger than usual as we will be heavily activating the outdoor front pier with more vendors, a better layout, coffee, live music, art, and more. Outdoor booths will be able to leave their setup up on the Pier overnight and we will have security all night. All items you don't want to be left at your booth overnight can be placed a few feet away inside the pier building overnight. Vendors applying for a shared booth must each complete their own application.

All artists are also required to donate 10-15 items for swag and VIP bags. The value of the ten items TOTAL should be a minimum of $75 wholesale.

These donations are a great way to market your products and gain exposure so please include items you currently make and sell. If you only have larger, higher-priced items, you can either make something specifically for this purpose or donate fewer, larger items that can be used for our pre-show promo raffle. If donating to the giveaway is a significant hardship for you, please let us know so we can work with you. Any items that go unused from the event will be used for future Makers Arcade VIP bags or giveaways. No coupons will be accepted.

WHEN WILL I BE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR MY BOOTH?

Accepted makers will be notified of their acceptance status and receive their invoice the week of September 16.

  • August 30 - Open applications

  • September 13 - Close applications

  • Week of September 16 - Accepted vendors notified and Invoiced*

  • September 27  - Vendor Invoices and all paperwork due

Vendors who are not accepted or who apply after the deadline will be put on a waitlist. Waitlisted vendors will be notified as spots open up due to cancellations and will continue to be chosen until the week before the event if space becomes available.

If you are on our waitlist, we ask you to please refrain from reaching out to see if a spot has opened. If you don’t hear from us, then a spot has not opened up, unfortunately. We definitely don't want to leave you hanging but we never know if someone is going to drop until they do. If you don’t make it into this event, we will do our best to get you into a future one.

Thank you in advance!

CANCELLATION POLICY + TERMS & CONDITIONS

Any cancellations before November 1 will result in a 50% refund. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue refunds after that time. 

Please make sure to read our full Vendor Terms & Conditions before you apply, which includes information on obtaining your San Diego sellers and/or food handlers permit if you have not already done that. You will need to obtain all proper permits to sell at our events.

By applying for this event, you are agreeing to our full vendor terms & conditions.

Click here to read our full vendor terms & conditions.

Links for more information:

Thanks for your interest and for reading this far!​

A couple of quick reminders if you need any more convincing to apply…

  • Enjoy three days of shoppers to really make all of your hard work and setup worth it!

  • Partnership with the Parade of Lights means tons of increased foot traffic through our market on Sunday afternoon/evening!

  • We promise to do our best in promoting this event, bringing out the community, and making it even better than our years before (though we have loved those years as well!)