Show Review of the Month Venice-Nokomis Rotary Art and Craft Festival

October 2024, by Brenda Flynn

January 20-21, 2024; 32nd Annual Venice-Nokomis Rotary Art and Craft Festival, Venice, FL. Contact: Venice-Nokomis Rotary Club, P.O. Box 8, Venice, FL. 34284; Phone: 941-468-1254; Email: v-nrotaryfest@venicenokomisrotary.org; Website: www.venicenokomisrotary.org; Application fee: $30; Space fee: $250; Space size: 10x10 (additional fees for corner, inside tent, or corner inside tent); Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; 100% outdoors (option to exhibit under large, outdoor tent); Exhibitors: 50 (includes commercial and food); Attendance estimate: 7,000+; Admission: $5. 

This show was held at the Venice Airport Festival Grounds. Setup began at noon and ended at 7 p.m. Friday prior to the show, with the option to set up beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday. 

A Rotary club put on this show, and there were several community sponsors as well. I have done this show for four years now and let me tell you, the weather is its only issue. 

Everything else ran like clockwork, and it was an easy show to do, because you could park behind your tent for the duration of the show. And there was plenty of room for RVs overnight (no hook-ups). 

There were both concrete/asphalt setups and grassy areas. I suggest you come prepared to add weights on top of weights, as it is an airport field, with no windbreaks. 

If assigned to a grassy area, you could stake the tent if necessary. There was a huge outdoor tent for artists who wanted to set up inside a protected area, with or without using your own tent (no canopy). 

We opted to arrive early and hang art on Saturday morning, because of the weather forecast that predicted cold and humid conditions. 

It turned out to be pleasant on Saturday, with the temperature around 68 to 70 degrees and bright sun. Sunday was sunny, and the temperature was 66 degrees or higher. 

My end-of-day sales for Sunday were about $1,400, which was much lower than what they were in 2022 and 2023. The foot traffic was higher on Saturday than Sunday, with an average of about 3,000 on the first day, and a little more than 2,000 on Sunday. 

Football games kept the afternoon on Sunday very sparse. Interestingly, I had more sales on Sunday than Saturday, which was unusual. 

There were several open spots on Sunday morning related to artists who packed up and left due to Sunday’s weather forecast. There were at least five food trucks and beer on-site. 

There was on-site security (24 hours) from Friday evening to the end of the day Sunday. Check-in and registration were before you entered the field. 

There were a handful of fine artists in metal sculptures, oils, watercolors, and precious metal jewelry. Most of the artists sold fine crafts. 

Some green vendors sold coffee, hot sauces, and honey. It was a good mix and made for an interesting show for attendees. Everyone seemed happy to be out and about. 

There were two judges, who came around to judge work beginning at about 10 a.m. on Saturday. Cash prizes were given out on Sunday before closing. 

The judges had to sign a sheet indicating they went into your booth. So, my advice is to place the sign-in sheet inside the booth. 

What I observed from the foot traffic was most people bought large prints, large originals, and household functional art, such as garden objects. I had quite a bit of multi-piece sales from first-time buyers, as well as repeat customers from 2023’s show. 

Breaking down was easy on Sunday, because you could start tucking in the bits and pieces at about 3:30 p.m. (personal items, excess inventory, etc.) while not totally breaking down. We had absolutely zero buyers — or even lookers — by 3 p.m. Sunday.