How to apply for Artists & Makers 2024
The Artists & Makers Fair is a prominent Lewes event, welcoming thousands of visitors every year. As a high-profile fundraiser just before Christmas, it can be a very profitable day for our stallholders, as well as lots of fun.
f you’re interested in joining the list for Artists & Makers 2024, please email artistsandmakersfair@gmail.com
Applications open in June.
Our selection process
Artists & Makers is a hugely popular event to sell at. While we’d love to give everyone a stall, we are limited by our venue size, hence we have an application procedure for stalls. We’re keen to showcase a wide variety of arts & crafts and aim to have 30-50% new stalls every year.
How you’ll be helping
The Fair is run solely by volunteer parents from Western Road Community Primary School. All proceeds go to Friends of Western Road with the goal of promoting creativity in the school.
Stall holders FAQs
1. When is Artists & Makers?
The Fair is usually held on the first weekend of December, with an exclusive opening night on the Friday, followed by the main event all day Saturday. In 2024, the fair is on the last weekend of November, as the calendar falls this way.
2. How many stalls are available?
Capacity is just over 80 indoor stalls. Stalls are allocated once all applications have been received in mid-September. Any requests for stalls above this number will be placed on a waiting list. If you’re on the waiting list and we receive a cancellation, we’ll contact you no less than ONE week before the Fair.
3. Why do I have to apply for a stall?
We want to ensure a wide selection of quality products on sale. The dedicated A&M team carefully chooses the blend of arts and crafts they think will attract most sales on the day.
3. How large is the stall area?
Stallholders are given a table measuring 6′ x 2′ and can use any available space around the stall, provided it doesn’t interfere with other stallholders or block the circulation of visitors. You can bring your own stand as long as it’s no larger than 6’ x 2’.
4. Can I share a table?
If you have a colleague in crafts you’d like to share your stall with, we’re happy for you to double up. Please note you will need to make that clear on your application and not apply for stalls individually.
5. Can I bring lights to use on my stall?
You can bring electric lights, which we recommend PAT-testing in advance. If you use extension cables, you’ll need to ensure these don’t become a trip hazard. Please bear in mind we only have a certain amount of stalls with sockets available. If you do wish to have lights/sockets, you MUST state this on your application and we’ll do our best to provide them.
7. What are you doing to promote the Fair?
The Fair is organised and run by a small group of volunteer parents donating their time around children and jobs. This includes a small team of professional marketers who ensure the Fair is well publicised across social media, local press and online newsletters/listings, posters, leaflets and carefully chosen brand partnerships. From 2023, we allocated a small marketing budget to help the fair grow even more, allowing us to run advertisements. We also need your help in promoting the fair, so please spread the word on your digital channels and with our publicity poster!