There are two reasons for our application fee. Just like you, we are a small business that needs income to operate. The application fee helps cover our pre-show expenses. Preplanning, booking venues and talent, pulling permits, reviewing applications, building out applications on the website, preshow marketing to vendors, vendor outreach, etc. all take time, money, and manpower. The application fees we receive help cover these expenses so we can put on the show. Otherwise, we would have no income to pay for any of what goes into this process. Believe it or not, putting on a large-scale event like this is very costly.

Additionally, vendor booking and coordination for these large markets take a ton of time. The application fee ensures that those who apply are serious about being in the show, and not just applying to apply. If we didn't have the fee, we may have twice as many applications, and the administrative time it would take to go through all of this would be astronomical, with no income to pay anyone to do it. We welcome vendors to email us before applying to see if we think they would be a good fit for the show so they can avoid paying the fee.

As always, we do our best to keep things fair for all, and transparent when it comes to costs!

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!

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.

Yes, you will need to either have a website or social media presence that accurately reflects the work you intend to show and sell at the fair. New businesses are welcomed and encouraged so don’t worry if your website is simple or your social media is newly growing.

Please make sure to read our full Vendor Terms & Conditions before you apply for one of our events, 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 our events, you are agreeing to our full vendor terms & conditions.

Click here to read our full vendor terms & conditions.

We do our best to promote our events so that they are successful for everyone! Our venue is amazing but costly, so we rely on ticket sales to make a profit, so attendance is key. Some of our efforts include enlisting the help of a Public Relations professional, running extensive social media ad campaigns, printing flyers and posters, hanging banners, and running google ad campaigns. In addition to our efforts, we ask our vendors to take part in promoting the event as well! The more we come together to spread the word, the more successful we all will be. Our team will provide you with graphics, videos, flyers, posters, and promotional tips, and we will also do our best to feature as many vendors as possible on our Instagram account!

In terms of expected attendance, we can never guarantee numbers, but a typical, two-day Fair has roughly 3,000-4,000 in attendance, for reference!