Vrystaat Arts Market 2027 Vendor Application

Step 1. Applicant Details

Before you begin

Please read the information below and prepare the required documents before completing your application.

• One application per stall: submit a separate application if you require a second stall.
• Administration fee: R350 (VAT included) per application. The fee is non-refundable and proof of payment must be uploaded.
• Selection: submitting an application or paying the administration fee does not guarantee acceptance, a particular stall, or a particular location.
• Declare your complete offering: list every product, menu item, service, and item of equipment you intend to use. You may sell only the products approved in writing.
• Documents: prepare identity or registration documents, clear product and stall images, a menu and food certificate where applicable, and all relevant safety or compliance documents.
• Complete all five steps: check every answer before signing. Incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading applications may be rejected or cancelled.

Important: Your written acceptance, invoice, and final stall-allocation notice will be provided and contain the arrangements that apply to your participation in Vrystaat Kunstefees should this application be successful. 

Step 2. Product selection criteria and standards

Originality and handmade focus

Please kindly note that Vrystaat Kunstefees Arst market is a curated arts market, not a general retail or flea market. The Arts Market celebrates original work, skilled making, thoughtful design, and distinctive food experiences.

• Priority is given to original, handmade, locally designed, and locally produced work, as well as distinctive food offerings.
• Counterfeit, pirated, copied, unlawfully branded, or intellectual-property-infringing goods will not be accepted or considered. Such goods are explicitly prohibited and will be reported to relevant authorities.
• Applications consisting mainly of generic imported goods, wholesale merchandise, mass-produced resale products, or goods bought solely for resale will ordinarily not be considered.
• Any imported or manufactured component must be fully disclosed and must form part of a product to which the applicant makes a meaningful original, creative, or handcrafted contribution.
• Every product must be declared and approved in writing. Any later additions to goods listed in this form must be approved by the market manager in writing. Undisclosed, unapproved, or prohibited products may result in rejection, withdrawal of an allocation, immediate removal of the products, suspension of trading, cancellation of the stall, and exclusion from future Arts Market applications.

Outside stalls (VAT Incl.)

Inside stalls (VAT Incl.)

Festival and stall maps

Use these maps when indicating your preferred area. The final stall-allocation notice confirms your approved position.

Step 4. Supporting Documents

1. Application process and administration fee

• Only online applications submitted through this form will be considered.
• Submit one complete application for each stall required. A second stall requires a separate application and administration fee.
• A non-refundable administration fee of R350, VAT included, is payable for every application. Proof of payment must be uploaded before the application can be treated as complete.
• The administration fee is for processing and assessment. It does not reserve a stall and is not part-payment of the stall tariff.
• Incomplete, late, unsigned, inaccurate, or misleading applications, illegible documents, and applications without the required proof may be excluded from assessment.
• The applicant is responsible for checking the form, retaining its submission record, and ensuring that the authorised contact details remain current.

2. Selection and placement

The Arts Market is curated as an arts, design, craft, and food market rather than a general flea market. The selection panel may consider:

• completeness and quality of the application and supporting material;
• originality, craftsmanship, local manufacturing, and the applicant’s own involvement in production;
• quality, presentation, sustainability, and environmentally responsible packaging;
• the suitability of the offering for the Arts Market and the balance of products, menus, and price points across the Market;
• safe and practical space, electricity, gas, water, waste, vehicle and access requirements;
• valid permits, licences, certificates, and insurance where applicable; and
• the applicant’s record of payment, punctuality, conduct, cleanliness, and compliance at previous events.

The Festival may limit numbers in any category and may accept or decline an application in order to protect the quality and balance of the Market. Previous participation does not create a right to selection or to the same stall. Placement preferences are considered but cannot be guaranteed. The Festival’s written selection and placement decision applies, subject to applicable law.

3. Originality, products, menus, and trading rights

• List every product, menu item, drink, add-on, and service intended for sale. The main offering may not be changed after submission without prior written approval.
• No unlisted product may be displayed, promoted, or sold unless the Arts Market Organiser approves it in writing.
• Priority is given to original, handmade, locally designed, and locally produced work, as well as distinctive food offerings.
• Counterfeit, pirated, copied, unlawfully branded, or intellectual-property-infringing goods will not be accepted or considered.
• Applications consisting mainly of generic imported goods, wholesale merchandise, mass-produced resale products, or goods bought solely for resale will ordinarily not be considered.
• Any imported or manufactured component must be fully disclosed and must form part of a product to which the applicant makes a meaningful original, creative, or handcrafted contribution.
• Products, packaging, or displays containing unlawful racist, sexist, xenophobic, hateful, degrading, or other discriminatory content are prohibited and may be removed.
• The Festival may reject an application, withdraw an allocation, require the immediate removal of a product, suspend trading, cancel a stall, or exclude an applicant from future Arts Market applications if products are counterfeit, copied, undisclosed, unapproved, or otherwise prohibited.
• Electronic massaging machines and any activity not approved in the application are not permitted.
• Charity fundraising may be conducted only by a properly registered organisation and only with prior written approval.

4. Planned timetable, access, and deliveries

The current planning basis is set out below. The written acceptance pack and final operational schedule will prevail if arrangements change:

• Monday, 5 July 2027: stall construction and setup at the allocated times.
• Tuesday, 6 July 2027: trading planned for 10:00–20:00.
• Wednesday, 7 to Saturday, 10 July 2027: trading planned for 09:00–20:00.
• Sunday, 11 July 2027: dismantling and removal; the allocated site must be cleared and clean by 10:00 unless a different written arrangement applies to a large structure.

Vendors must trade during the official hours and comply with setup and dismantling times. Vehicle access is intended for deliveries between 06:00 and 08:30 only. Vehicles must leave the Market area before trading and are not permitted in the Market area during trading hours, or in the evenings unless expressly authorised. Access passes, delivery routes, and parking arrangements will be confirmed to selected vendors. No person may sleep at a stall, in a vehicle, or elsewhere on the Festival grounds.

5. Stall allocation, infrastructure, and conduct

• Use only the allocated footprint. Do not enlarge the stall, obstruct routes, move to another site, hawk goods elsewhere, or create queues outside the approved operating area without permission.
• A stall may not be transferred or sublet without the Festival’s prior written approval.
• No tent pegs may be driven into grass or asphalt. Use approved cement or water anchors, and ensure that tents, gazebos, signage, counters, and displays are stable and safe.
• Stalls must be neat, accessible, weather-appropriate, and maintained to the standard required by the Festival and the University of the Free State.
• Unauthorised sponsorships, third-party branding, promotional material, or exposure for another entity are prohibited and may be removed. Festival sponsorship agreements are managed only by the Festival.
• Vendors, staff, and contractors must behave professionally, comply with lawful instructions, respect other traders and the public, and refrain from unlawful, abusive, threatening, or disruptive conduct.
• The allocated site must be returned in the condition in which it was received, fair wear excepted.

6. Electricity, gas, heat, and fire safety

• A standard electrical outlet is intended only for a light and card machine unless additional supply and equipment have been declared, approved, and paid for where a charge applies.
• Every appliance and its approximate wattage must be disclosed. Undeclared or unapproved equipment may be disconnected or removed, and the vendor may be charged for an electrician, or additional supply required because of its use.
• Vendors must supply safe, weather-appropriate extension leads, and electrical accessories. All equipment must be in sound working order, and may be inspected.
• Fan, ceramic, and oil heaters are prohibited. A quartz heater of no more than 800 watts may be used only if it is specifically approved.
• Gas, open flames, open fires, fryers, and heat-producing equipment must be declared. Valid gas or safety certificates must be supplied where requested.
• EVERY vendor (each stall) must provide the correct, serviced fire extinguisher, and implement suitable barriers, cylinder storage, supervision, and emergency controls.
• The Festival or UFS may isolate or remove unsafe equipment and may prohibit an unsafe activity immediately.

7. Food, beverages, alcohol, water, and waste

• Food and beverage vendors must comply with applicable health, food-premises, allergen, hygiene, and safe-temperature requirements and upload the requested Certificate of Acceptability, or other required evidence.
• Alcohol may be sold or supplied only where this was disclosed, approved, and supported by a valid licence, or acceptable proof of application. Festival approval does not replace a statutory licence.
• Water requirements and every waste stream must be declared. Oil, fat, food, sewage, grey water, and chemicals may not be discharged into storm-water, or ordinary drains.
• Vendors must use suitable containers and remove food waste, bottles, cans, packaging, and other stall-generated waste daily at their own cost, or place it in the designated Festival receptacles as instructed.
• Use recyclable and environmentally responsible packaging and materials wherever reasonably possible.
• Stalls must remain clean throughout trading. Refuse must be bagged and taken to the designated skips, or collection points. Cleaning or damage charges, and fines may be imposed where contractually permitted.

8. Stall fees, payment deadlines, and cancellation

• A provisional allocation is secured only when 50% of the invoiced stall fee is received by the due date stated on the invoice.
• The remaining 50% must be paid in full by 6 May 2027, unless the invoice states a different date.
• Payment deadlines are strict. If any amount is not received by its due date, a late-payment fee equal to 10% of the overdue amount will be added automatically, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
• The Festival may place an unpaid allocation on hold. If the overdue amount and late-payment fee are not received within five business days after written notice, the Festival may cancel the allocation and assign the stall to another applicant.
• Cancellation or reallocation does not cancel an amount already due, or a reasonable cancellation charge. Reinstatement is not guaranteed and depends on availability, and written approval.
• Use the trading name as the reference for the R350 administration fee. Use the invoice number as the reference for stall-fee payments.
• Upload proof of the R350 administration-fee payment in this application. Proof of later payments must be supplied as stated in the invoice, or acceptance letter.

• Cancellation must be submitted in writing. The R350 administration fee remains non-refundable.
• For cancellation received from 6 June 2027 (30 days before the Festival), the Festival may retain 50% of the stall fee as a cancellation charge.
• For cancellation received from 15 June 2027 (21 days before the Festival), the Festival may retain the full stall fee as a cancellation charge.
• If cancellation is not communicated in writing, the exhibitor may remain liable for the full stall fee.
• Any cancellation charge or retained amount will be applied only to the extent that it is reasonable, and permitted by applicable law.

9. Inspection, non-compliance, and removal

The Festival and UFS facility, protection, safety, and compliance personnel may inspect stalls, structures, appliances, documents, and trading activities. They may issue instructions, require immediate correction, disconnect or isolate unsafe equipment, prevent setup, suspend trading, relocate a stall where reasonably necessary, or require removal where an applicant:

• has outstanding amounts or invalid documents;
• trades outside the approved offering or footprint;
• breaches trading, access, safety, waste, sponsorship, or conduct rules;
• creates an unacceptable danger, obstruction, nuisance, or legal risk; or
• commits a material legal or contractual breach.

Repeated or serious non-compliance may affect future applications. These remedies are additional to any rights contained in the written acceptance or available under law.

10. Risk, security, and personal information

Vendors remain responsible for their stock, cash, equipment, structures, staff, contractors, licences, and insurance. The Festival and UFS may implement reasonable security measures but do not act as insurers of a vendor’s property. Participation remains subject to the indemnity and risk declaration below, and to applicable law.

Personal information and supporting documents are collected for assessment, compliance, contracting, payment administration, safety planning, and Festival operations. Access must be limited to authorised persons and records will be handled in accordance with the Festival’s approved privacy and retention practices.

11. Access passes, pensioner discount, accommodation, and stall awards

• Each selected exhibitor receives two, full Festival-week passes for access to the UFS grounds. Additional weekly, or daily passes, may be purchased at the Festival Office for R50 each.
• A stall owner aged 60 or older may receive a 10% pensioner discount on stall rental after supplying identity-document proof, provided that the qualifying stall owner will personally be present at the stall during the Festival. The discount must be requested before the final invoice is issued.
• No person may sleep at a stall or in a vehicle on the Festival grounds. Limited tent-camping or residence accommodation information may be made available separately, subject to availability and final UFS arrangements. Caravans and campers are not permitted in the small tent-camping area.
• The 2027 Best Stall competition will recognise neatness, originality, artistic presentation, sustainability, and public accessibility. Award categories are sustainable or environmentally responsible stall, food stall, outside stall, inside stall, original art or painting, and Public Favourite stall.
• Unless the Festival announces otherwise, the principal Best Stall prize is a free standard 3x3 m stall at the 2028 Vrystaat Arts Festival, subject to selection, compliance, availability, and the Festival’s written confirmation.