Presented by

PAPER & STARS STUDIO

2025

Wonderstruck Festivals - A marketplace of makers, entertainers, and dreamers.

Come explore a world of handmade products that tell stories to inspire us. Find unique gifts, create something weird or wonderful, and enjoy family entertainment with artisan food and drink.

Paper & Stars Studio is a Raleigh-based company that offers creative endeavors, events, and products for children, adults, and families with a literary twist.  All festival events are free for the public to attend.

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WE ARE SO EXCITED TO OFFER A BRAND NEW FANTASY BOOK FESTIVAL FOR GROWN-UPS THIS YEAR - STARDUST & STORIES!  APPLY AT THE BOTTOM WITH THE FULL LIST OF EVENTS.  WE WILL BE ADDING SOME OTHER SMALLER EVENTS UNDER THE STARDUST & STORIES UMBRELLA THROUGHOUT THE YEAR - STAY TUNED!

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Fill out the form below to apply for participation in the Wonderstruck Markets.  Forms that are not completely filled will not be accepted.

Guidelines:

- No early breakdowns are permitted. Vendors must stay set up until the specified end time for the event.  

- Vendor spaces must be completely cleared of trash and supplies upon departure.

- The Wonderstruck Market is a diverse, inclusive series of events; vendor items and entertainment should reflect this spirit. 

- We will not accept any primarily religious or ideological entertainment as it is not appropriate for this venue.  

- Religiously themed retail items are fine as long as vendors understand that we are a diverse and inclusive market accepting of all beliefs. 

-  Wonderstruck Festivals are events especially for children and their families. Because of this, we cannot have suggestive items at the market, no matter how subtle. This is not a judgement on anyone’s creativity or art. We have a responsibility to keep the market a place to celebrate the wonder of childhood, so any products deemed sexual, crude, and/or containing profanity or the suggestion of it are not allowed. You will be asked to remove any products of this type immediately. If you are in doubt about what you can or cannot bring, please reach out to us at paperandstarsstudio@gmail.com so that we can clarify.

- *The exception to the above rule about children's markets is our new Stardust & Stories Fantasy Book Festival.  This event is geared towards grown-ups, so some items that are not appropriate for our childrens' events may be fine for this one.  Please reach out if you are unsure about any items or if you have questions.*

- The Market is a venue for handmade artists and small business geared toward children and families. We will not accept vendors for large sales companies, vendors who would like to do an expo of products, organizations that want to convey study results or recruit for studies (with rare exception of studies directly impacting children's well-being), MLMs, or generally any vendor that is not a small, independent business or artist selling handmade products or offering relevant children’s services and entertainment.

- Selection of vendors will be based on relevance of the product or service offered to the event. Vendors for the Market are expected to decorate the vendor space according to the theme of each market - this contributes to a cohesive, well-curated event and a better experience for families.

- If you are chosen for the market, you will be notified by email and invoiced for your chosen dates. 

- If you are not chosen for the market, you will be notified by email; however, by submitting the vendor form you are committing to market attendance if accepted.  

- We will adhere to all COVID-19 related state and/or city regulations and may impose other rules for the safety of our vendors and guests.  Vendors are expected to follow all rules set forth; we will keep vendors updated as to the status of these events.  

- Failure to provide all the required information will be deemed an incomplete application, resulting in rejection.

Booth:

- 10' wide by 10' deep. All displays and products must remain within the confines of the space provided.  If more space is needed, vendors may purchase 2 booth spaces if venue space allows.

- Vendor to provide own electricity, water, tents, tables, chairs, weights, and displays.

- This is an outdoor event; be prepared for all types of weather.

- For safety, all tents must be tied down by weights of a minimum of 40lbs, no staking of tents allowed within the park.

- No sharing of vendor booths is allowed,  Each vendor must apply, be accepted, and pay for an individual booth space.

Additional Information:

-These events are rain or shine.

- If accepted, an email containing load-in procedures, parking information and other necessary information for the market will be sent in advance by Thursday at the latest, the week of each event.

- CANCELLATIONS: 

Booth fees are non-refundable. Paper & Stars cannot guarantee the weather, the size of the crowd, or otherwise assure against potential disaster. Therefore, no refunds will be provided in the event of bad weather. There are no rain dates planned, the event is rain or shine.

***Late cancellation policy: If you cancel for an event less than 7 days from the event date you are responsible to pay your vendor fee. If your vendor fee is not paid or you no show for an event you will not be allowed at markets for the next 3 months and will need to wait to apply again.

- We can not transfer payments from one market to another, no exceptions.  *Covid 19 restrictions are the only instance in which we have allowed this, and we do not guarantee this exception again.  Fees may be handled as credits, etc at our discretion per Covid cancellations. 

- Packaged Food & Body Care applicants will need to provide proof of Liability insurance, minimum limit of one million dollars.

- Failure to adhere to these requirements or to submit all necessary information required will result in immediate rejection.

- The City of Raleigh and Paper & Stars Studio reserves the right to restrict booths that become objectionable because of noise, method of operation, materials, or, in general, detracts from the general character of the Event.

- Vendors or their representatives must not injure or deface the grounds of the park or the provided equipment. If such damage occurs, the exhibitor is liable to the owner of the property damaged.

- Security - The vendor is solely responsible for his/her own booth material and should insure against loss or damage. The Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department and Paper & Stars Studio are not responsible for such loss or damage. Please secure all items of value. All property of the vendor is understood to remain in his/her care, custody and control in transit to and from, and within the confines of the event area.

PLEASE READ ALL PAYMENT INFORMATION CAREFULLY - APPLICATION FEES ARE NOT THE SAME AS BOOTH FEES.  THE $10 APPLICATION FEE IS REQUIRED TO APPLY; BOOTH FEES WILL BE INVOICED IF YOU ARE ACCEPTED FOR THE DATES YOU HAVE CHOSEN

Payment Information:

Submit your one-time, non-refundable application fee with your chosen application dates.  Your application will be reviewed by Paper & Stars staff to insure guidelines are met and categories are still available. Accepted vendors will be invoiced and must pay their booth fee(s) within 48 hours  of invoicing or the vendor will be charged an automatic $25 late fee. If we do not receive payment within 72 hours of invoicing, the spot is revoked and will be given to the next applicant in line.

If you can not pay your invoice in full because of multiple market confirmations, please make a note of that in the additional comments/questions section below.  Your first payment is still due within 48 hours and you can pay your remaining amount on the 1st of the month for the dates of the markets you’ve been accepted into. Late fees still apply as stated above if not paid within 48 hours from the 1st of the month.  

If you are unsure about your attendance for any dates you would like to enter into a payment plan, please wait on that date(s) until you can fully confirm that you will attend since the payment plan holds a vendor space for you that would need to be filled if you cannot make that date, making it more difficult to provide a full, well-rounded market. Thank you!