A Festival's Footprint Promoter Shares How it is Done
Our festival’s layout is around a lake in Wickham Park. Most of the spaces are on pavement, with some on grass.
There is space for 225 artists. The booth space is 10 x 10. We have spaces set up for two tents (side by side), with 4 feet of space between sets.
Requests From Artists
When artists apply to be in the festival, they can request a specific location. Our award-winning artists have first choice for their locations. Returning artists are second, and others are placed as close as possible to their requested space. We try our best to accommodate all requests while also considering what is best for the show’s layout and continuity.
Invited artists may request double booth spaces, which are limited and must be approved by the Artist Committee chair. It is first come for the limited number of double spaces.
Since the event is around an oblong lake, it is difficult to have real corner spaces. There are areas for access roads, and these give artists areas to display on outside walls not 4 feet away from another set of artist tents.
Award-winning artists’ requests for those spaces are honored first, followed by returning artists and then others as available. Artists with “corner” spaces and double booths can only display on the outside walls and not encroach into access or walkways between spaces.
How To Create Balance
The Artist Committee spends considerable time looking at each artist’s medium and placing them on the show’s map, making sure the show’s continuity is diverse and different mediums are separated as much as possible.
After jurying is completed, the artists are notified of their status. The Artist Committee checks to make sure the numbers in each medium are equal, placing others on the wait list and bringing in artists to fill those who withdrew.
Food, Music, and More
Our music and food vendors are placed away from artists — mid show. Our T-shirt/promotional concessions, as well as beverage and snack vendors, are placed randomly around the lake, taking care not to infringe on the artists’ booth spaces.
The KidsWorld and main sponsor activities are located on the festival’s south end — a short distance from the artists’ tents so they do not distract or disturb artists during the event.
Our event is set up so that the tents are across from each other, with a variety of artist mediums to attract visitors to wander easily through the show’s footprint. Beverage, MAF promotional items, concession stands, and the main stage are arranged to keep attendees moving all the way around the footprint and to stay engaged during their visit.
Through the Years
The festival was originally held in downtown Melbourne’s historic district. There were two sets of 10 x 10 tents, with 4-foot walkways between them for access to the curbs and shops.
In 2016, the festival’s board of directors decided to move the event to Wickham Park due to growth in the downtown area and less space for the festival and visitor parking. When the move to the park took place in 2017, we set the artists’ tents up along the paved road single file in sets of two 10 x 10 tents, with 4-foot walkways between them.
Artists voiced concerns about the distance and proximity to each other. As a result, we changed to having tents set up across from each other and shortened the distance of tents around the lake as much as the footprint would allow us to.
Our main stage at the park was originally set up in the amphitheater. After a few festivals, the directors decided the stage would be better utilized in the middle of the show — allowing visitors to hear and see the live performances while moving around the booths and taking a break sitting at picnic tables to enjoy the live music and food purchased at the nearby food court.