APPLICATION PROCESS

Submissions are due NO LATER than January 10, 2026.

Acceptance/Non-Acceptance decisions will be made by January 24, 2026. 

• If Accepted: You will receive a 2026 VARF VENDOR APPROVAL email from "varf.vendor.coordinator@gmail.com"
• Check your spam folders and authorize emails from: varf.vendor.coordinator@gmail.com 

• If you are Not Accepted:  You will receive a 2026 VARF VENDOR Status email from "varf.vendor.coordinator@gmail.com"
• Check your spam folders and authorize emails from: varf.vendor.coordinator@gmail.com

FEES

• If you have received a 2026 VARF VENDOR APPROVAL email from "varf.vendor.coordinator@gmail.com" then you will be sent an invoice from: "Out of the Woodwork Productions" .
• Check your spam folders and authorize emails from: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com

FEES will be determined by:

• Where you are located on site (Woods, platform, etc.)
• Space Size that your booth will be occupying  - Tent size plus Guy lines = Total area you will be vending in.
  • Example: Tent measures 23' x 25' and your lines are 2' = Total Area needed will be 25' x 27'.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

• Applications DUE BY January 10, 2026
• Fully completed application form.
• You have initialed the lines required in your application
• Signed rules and regulations.

Vending Space

Your Vending Fees will be based on the TOTAL SPACE of your booth (tent + guy lines).

• EXAMPLE: 
  • Tent Size = 20' x 15' 
  • Guy Lines = 2' all around *see note below 
  • Total Space = 24' x 19'  so you would select 24'x24'
• If you can't fit any part of your tent (tent + guy lines) into a 14x14 space, then you will need to pay for the next largest space, which will be the 24' x 24'.
• * NOTE: You will have 2' on each side of your booth for guy lines and your neighbor will have 2' feet for their guy lines so you can cross your lines and have 4' between you.

Space needed (including tent and guylines)	14' x 14'	24' x 24'
Fee for Full Run	$400	$500
Fee, per weekend, for partial run	$100	$175

• If you have a platform:  Fees will be evalauted based on the location and size of your platform.

You do not need to get insurance until after you are approved.

Vendors shall maintain, at their sole expense, fire, liability and property damage insurance. Weapons vendors or any other business posing potential customer contact or risk (such as livestock) shall provide proof of $1,000,000 comprehensive general liability insurance naming Out of the Woodwork Productions, Inc, as an additional insured. All insurance must be from companies licensed to do business in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

Note: check with your homeowner’s policy provider if you do not have specific business coverage. 

If you have other faire problems or concerns, contact the General Manager at 301-367-2958 or Meredith.eriksen@gmail.com; we use the main faire phone number for patrons.

The Vendor, and each individual employee thereof, agrees to abide by these Standards and Conditions as published by Out of the Woodwork Productions, Inc, (OOTW), as published here, and at later times in later documents, and acknowledges that a violation thereof may void any contract with OOTW.

Any vendor who does not follow these rules may be removed from the faire and barred from future participation.

All decisions of OOTW, its General Manager, the Vendor Coordinator and any agents acting on their behalf are final.

General:

1. The Faire is held rain or shine and all vendors are expected to be open and operational.
   
   1. The Faire reserves the right to close early if conditions are dangerous, with no refund of vendor fees or reimbursement of expenses.
2. Out of the Woodwork and the Virginia Faire are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property.
3. The Faire reserves the right to prohibit any product, print media, literature, flyer, sign, etc., that has not been pre-approved for exhibit, or which it feels is not in keeping with the best interest of the Faire.
4. Vendors represent the Faire to the public and media:
   
   1. Always conduct yourself in a professional manner.
   2. Rudeness and foul language to patrons or other participants will not be tolerated.
   3. Please ask permission before touching patrons.
5. Alcohol:
   
   1. Vendors and booth workers may not consume alcohol during faire hours.
6. Smoking:
   
   1. Smoking is allowed in designated smoking areas only.
   2. There is NO smoking in vendor booths and this includes Vaping.
7. Pets:
   
   1. You MUST have approval from your vendor coordinator, in ADVANCE, to bring your pet as pets are generally not allowed at the Virginia Renaissance Festival, except for service animals. We recognize that it can be difficult for vendors to arrange to keep pets at home but please try to do so.
      1. The site can be very hot and there is no shady area to park a vehicle and leave pets inside.
      2. Tethering your pet in the parking/camping area is unacceptable.
   2. If your pet is in your booth, they must be IN the booth and caged or tethered throughout the faire day, not accessible to patrons and walked outside the faire grounds, taking the most direct path from your booth to the parking area.
   3. YOU will pick up after your pet/service animal.
   4. YOU will not allow your pet/service animal to urinate on/in a vendor’s booth or vending area.
   5. Service animals may need to be closer to you, however, do not allow patrons to pet or interact with your service animal.
   6. If you have questions, please talk to us in advance.
8. Extreme weather conditions may make it necessary to close the site to vehicles.
   
   1. It is up to you to make accommodation to transport any necessary items to or from your space.
   2. We will do our best to help you with golf carts but please allow extra time and be patient.
9. All vehicles must be offsite by 9:30am on show days. They will be parked in the Participant parking lot, unless you have a special parking pass.
   1. We allow vehicles back on site NO EARLIER than 5:30 pm and will wait until the site is clear of patrons.
10. Do not open gates or break fence lines. If you do not know where the pass throughs are, please ask.
11. Trash:
    
    1. You are responsible for the trash generated by your business.
    2. The Faire collects trash if it is out by 5:15pm.
       
       1. After 5:15, you must take trash to the dumpster yourself.
    3. Cardboard boxes should be broken down flat.
12. Costuming:
    
    1. Vendors must be in theme appropriate costume during open hours, provided at your own expense. Our era is Elizabethan. Merchants should dress as middle class or lower stations, such as peasant. Noble attire and special character costumes must be approved by the Vendor Coordinator in advance.
    2. All costumes or attire are subject to review and approval by The Faire. When in doubt, please ask questions or send pictures.
13. Booths:
    
    1. All vendors and merchants are expected to bring period style pavilions or booths or adapt to period style to display and are expected to assist The Faire in providing support for our period theme. Any questions about appropriateness should be raised BEFORE the event.
    2. Modern features must be masked and hidden. Non-period/metal tables/chairs/etc. must be covered, including legs, in such a manner that suggests they conform to the Medieval/Renaissance theme. (A canvas drop cloth, painted, or dyed, is a cheap way to hide any bright blue plastic tarps or EZ-UP.)
    3. “Non-period" equipment on your person or in your booth (cell phones, pagers, credit card machines, coolers, etc.) must be out of sight of patrons. All pagers and phones must be silent: vibrate mode or turned off.
    4. Booths must supply their own currently serviced 1-1/2 lb. ABC fire extinguisher or industrial equivalent. Booths must meet with county fire safety requirements and safety inspector's approval.
    5. All leads, ropes, and guy lines should be flagged with faire appropriate colored cloth streamers for safety visibility.
    6. TV’s, radios, and amplified music should not be used during faire hours. The Faire reserves the right to lift the ban on amplified music if essential to a vendor or merchant’s business.
    7. We do not have on-site security after faire hours and cannot be responsible for losses of merchandise or equipment left out or unattended.
14. Operations:
    1. Booth workers should carry proper faire identification on them while on the Faire site.
    2. The Faire usually cannot supply change for registers/cashboxes.
    3. Vendors are required to be on site and in their booths 30 minutes prior to opening gate.
    4. Booths need to be completely set up, manned and operational all hours the Faire is open: 10:00 am until 5:00pm.
    5. Any children under the age of 16 brought as part of a vendor booth should be accompanied by an adult when they are away from their booth.
15. Camping:
    
    1. Onsite camping areas and parking for RVs/campers is extremely limited. We may not be able to accomodate large RVs but can refer you to local campgrounds. 
    2. There are no electrical or water hook-ups at any of our sites.
    3. Merchants are allowed to camp with their booths, if aisles/roadways are kept clear at all times and excess materials – grills, tarps, extra tents, etc.– are broken down by 9am.
    4. You may not have guests on-site after hours. Just you and your workers.
16. Daily Meeting/Attendance information:
    
    1. Vendors are welcome, but not required to attend our daily cast meeting at 9am at the Rose Stage.
    2. We also have a closing meeting at 5:30 in the nobles area where we announce gate numbers for the day. If the weather is bad, we may hold closing meeting in the pub.
    3. We’re happy to share our attendance numbers with you. Those numbers will be posted at customer service outside the front gate. We do not include cast, crew, entertainers, or vendors in those numbers, although we do include comps and children under five.
17. Weapons:
    1. Weapons sold must be peace tied with plastic zip-ties by the vendor BEFORE they are handed over to the purchaser.
    2. Vendor should supply their own zip-ties. No weapons may be carried through the crowd unsecured!
    3. Weapons will not be sold to minors. All local, state and federal laws must be met.
    4. Non-period weapons will not be sold (i.e., pocket knives). You may sell bullwhips, but you may not demonstrate the whips by cracking them unless specifically asked by a patron to demonstrate it for them. Be aware that the whip cracking startles and causes anxiety to the livestock and animals on site.
    5. Firearms are not allowed on-site unless approved by and registered with the Faire Safety and Security Chief.
18. Food Vendors:
    1. Ice chests, plastic totes and other modern conveniences must be out of patron’s view or covered.
    2. Vendors using open flame must receive prior approval by management.
    3. Food vendors are required to be on site, completely set up, and ready for Health Department inspection no later than 9am on Saturday morning on opening day.
    4. Management reserves the right to limit the duplication of food items.
    5. Trailers and generators must receive prior approval by management.
    6. Vendors are responsible for keeping the area around their booth, and any nearby seating area, clean from trash.
    7. Booths using hot grease must have a BC fire extinguisher inside – an ABC will not meet requirements.
19. Recordings/Photographs:
    1. OOTW owns any and all rights, title, and interest in television, cable, and radio telecasts, video tapes, film, photographs, audio and video recording, illustrations, of the Vendor and the Vendor’s booth while participating at the Virginia Renaissance Faire.
    2. The Vendor waives all right to compensation for the use of personal or product likeness with respect to the faire, in perpetuity.
    3. Virginia Faire reserves the right to photograph Vendor Booths for internal use.
20. Liability:
    1. Participants must adhere to all rules of the faire and the grounds.
    2. ALL vendors are expected to provide their own insurance and be self-insured.
    3. Vendors shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless, and waive all claims against The Virginia Renaissance Faire, Out of the Woodwork Productions, Inc., its officers, employees, agents, and members of the faire staff and Board of Directors from any and all loss, damage, or injury to you, your agents and any participant or property.
    4. The faire is not liable for any action of Vendors or their staff for any damage to or loss of any property belonging to Vendors or their staff before, during or after the event, either on or away from the site of the event.