Setting Up For The Festival

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Q: What is involved with load-in?

In order to successfully place hundreds of DIY Festival creatives on the festival grounds, each exhibitor will be assigned a specific load-in time and detailed instructions one week prior to the DIY Festival. Load-in times must be followed, no exceptions. A limited amount of volunteers will be available to help, but we strongly recommend that all artisans bring an assistant and a hand truck/dolly to make load-in easier.

Indoor artisans will load in at the Utah State Fairpark on Thursday, August 12. Outdoor artisans will load in early on Friday, August 13. Artisans must keep their schedules fully open on their assigned load-in day to ensure their availability during their assigned loading time slot. 

Q: Where should I park?

The Utah State Fairpark manages paid parking lots on their grounds, and Craft Lake City does NOT receive passes to provide to exhibitors. Therefore, you may choose to pay the daily fee as offered by the Fairpark to park in their lots. If you are interested in free parking options, we encourage you to make use of public transportation and street parking and leave the Fairpark lots as open as possible for festival attendees. Please note that most street parking has an enforced 2-hour time limit.

Q: What should I bring with me?

See the artisan checklist for a list of the items you will want to consider bringing to make sure you have a great festival experience.

Q: Do I need to bring my own lighting?

In 2021 the DIY Festival artisans will be placed indoors and outdoors. The buildings will have lighting, but if your indoor setup requires additional light, we recommend using battery-powered lights. Outdoors, you are welcome to bring lights if you purchase electricity, or you may use battery-powered lights outdoors. There are numerous battery-powered products these days that are affordable and perfect for lighting your product. Electricity may be rented in advance for $150 when you pay your exhibitor fees, due May 16.

Q: Does my indoor space have walls?

If you are an indoor exhibitor, the dimensions of your exhibitor space indicate the amount of designated floor area you will have for products and customer foot traffic. All exhibitor spaces will be partitioned using tape on the floor. Walls will not be provided, but all indoor artisans are required to bring a “back wall” to visually separate them from their neighbor and make their space feel like a small store. This “back wall” can be made of fabric, wood, furniture or other materials. The back wall may not exceed 10 feet in height, and must span the majority of the length of your space (10 feet). Walls must be secured with 20lb weights on each side for safety, and weights will not be provided by the venue or by CLC. Side walls are not required but are allowed and encouraged. For artisans in 10×10 spaces, bringing frames from tents will be permitted, but the top may not be used in order to comply with fire code.

Q: Does my outdoor space come with a tent?

Outdoor exhibitors are required to bring their own 10×10 tent frames with 20lb weights for each leg.

Q: Will tables and chairs be provided?

Tables and chairs will NOT be provided. Vendors have the option to rent tables and chairs from Craft Lake City in advance, or they can bring any furniture needed to set up their space. We recommend keeping furniture as lightweight as possible for ease of setup and take down. We recommend bringing a handcart and dolly to transport your chairs and tables.

Q: How do I secure my space during the DIY Festival?

We recommend storing your product in bins and placing them under any tables or furniture you have in your booth with a large tablecloth draped over. Collapsable chairs can be laid on top to secure the table cloth.

Q: Do you hire security?

Yes, Craft Lake City locks each festival building, secures the entrance, and has security posted at the venue overnight. However, Craft Lake City strongly recommends that artisans take all valuables, merchandise, tools and other important items with them each evening. Full-weekend exhibitors will not be permitted to drive on the Festival grounds on Friday and Saturday evenings, so Craft Lake City recommends bringing a wagon and/or dolly to transport your important items each evening. Craft Lake City is not responsible for any lost or stolen merchandise or other valuables, so please take necessary precautions to protect your items.