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Food Vendors Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in becoming a food vendor for the 82nd National Folk Festival in Jackson, Mississippi!

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Below are the festival's food vendor guidelines. Use the menu on the left to jump to different sections. Please read the guidelines thoroughly before you start filling out your application. 

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To download these guidelines click here: Food Vendor Guidelines

Important Dates
Applications Open
February 18, 2025
Early Bird Application Deadline - NEW Deadline!
April 11, 2025
Early Bird Notification of Acceptance by Email
April 29, 2025
Final Application Deadline
May 19, 2025
Final Notification of Acceptance by Email
June 16, 2025
Contracts sent out by
July 7 , 2025
Deadline for Postmark of fully-executed Contract and Vendor Fees
August 4, 2025
Deadline for Tax Information and Proof of Insurance/Waiver
August 18, 2025
Marketing Materials Electronically Distributed to Vendors
August 29, 2025
Cancellation for Refund
September 1, 2025
Participation Details Emailed to Vendors
October 20, 2025
82nd National Folk Festival!
November 7 – 9, 2025
Application Process

Applying vendors are required to submit the following by no later than May 19, 2025:

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  1.  A completed and successfully submitted food vendor application

  2. ​ At least one (1) current photograph of their food vending operation​

  3.  At least three (3) current photographs of their food and/or specialty beverage

  4.  A non-refundable $35 application fee must be submitted with your online application by credit card

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Applicants will receive email confirmation of their successful submission. If you DO NOT receive a confirmation, your application was not successfully submitted and therefore will not be considered. Festival organizers may request clarification. Failure to provide requested clarification is grounds for rejection.

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​Applications do not guarantee acceptance. Vendors must apply each year; acceptance in a previous year does not guarantee acceptance in future years.

Selection Process

The number of food vendors selected for the 82nd National Folk Festival will depend on the final site design layout. The Festival anticipates that with good weather, approximately 60,000 - 80,000 individuals will attend over the course of the weekend and that between 25 and 30 vendor spots will be needed to meet the demands of festival crowds.​​​

Your application will be reviewed by a committee based on the following criteria:

  • Product quality & uniqueness

  • Previous experience serving festivals and/or large crowds

  • Overall presentation

  • Business location (local/regional vendor)

  • Productivity (ability to serve large numbers of customers in a short period of time)

Food vendors will be chosen for the following food vendor categories:

  • ​Food specialties from across Mississippi & the Deep South

  • International flavors from the state & region

  • Snacks / Desserts

  • “Fair” foods

  • Other main dishes

  • Specialty beverages

The Festival may limit specific types of food or beverage to ensure a wide selection of items for festival-goers.

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Applicants will receive notification by email regarding acceptance or rejection by June 16, 2025. The National Folk Festival reserves the right to deny any application without explanation.

Food Vending Hours of Operation

Friday:               5:00pm to 10:00pm

Saturday:          11:00am to 10:00pm

Sunday:            11:00am to 6:30pm

Note: Vending hours may vary slightly from overall Festival hours, depending on assigned food vending location.

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  • Booths must be staffed and serving to the public during all contracted hours of operation.

  • The festival goes on rain or shine unless extraordinary weather presents a safety issue. All vendors are expected to be open during the hours listed above unless they are notified by Festival personnel.

  • Food vendors may continue to sell up to a ½ hour after the last performance at your location.

Vendor Fee Pricing & Payment
Food Vendor Space Fees

Food vendor space is allocated by the frontage foot. Standard booth spaces are 10 frontage feet and 20 frontage feet. Standard food vendor spaces are 20 feet deep. A 10-frontage foot space leases for $800; a 20-frontage foot space leases for $1100. Each additional frontage foot used beyond 20 feet leases for an additional $55. Depths for non-standard spaces may vary. See chart below for easy reference.

 

For food trucks, frontage foot allocation is based on the bumper to bumper length plus three feet.

 

For trailers, frontage foot allocation is the total length including tongue, plus three feet.

 

For food operations that have a unique footprint that can’t fit in these dimensions it may be possible to negotiate a special space allocation and fee.

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The below fees are for all three festival days, Friday – Sunday, November 7 - 9, 2025.

Frontage Feet
Fee
10 feet
$800
20 feet
$1,100
21 feet
$1,155
22 feet
$1,210
23 feet
$1,265
24 feet
$1,320
25 feet
$1,375
26 feet
$1,430
27 feet
$1,485
28 feet
$1,540
29 feet
$1,595
30 feet
$1,650
31 feet
$1,705
32 feet
$1,760
Electricity

The first 20 amp/120V circuit of electricity is included in the basic vendor fee. Any additional electrical service carries an additional fee based on the type and amount. Additional needs or requests for electricity beyond this base amount must be included in the application. Use of generators is not allowed. 

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Vendors selected to participate in the 82nd National Folk Festival will be responsible for providing their own power cords and power distribution from the service connection to and within their vending space. The National Electrical Code requires that all circuits provided by the Festival be equipped with a ground fault interrupt. Vendors are responsible for insuring that their equipment and power cables are compatible with ground fault interrupt circuits.

Type
Fee
20 amp 120V (standard 120V plug)
$25 per line
20 amp 120V (NEMA 6-20)
$75 per line
20 amp 120/240 twist lock (NEMA L14-20)
$125 per line
30 amp 240V twist lock (NEMA L14-30)
$175 per line
50 amp 120/240 Cal. Std twist lock (CS63-65C)
$200 per line
6 gauge 4 conductor 50 Amp cable (Bare ends)
$215 per line
50 amp 240 range plug (NEMA 6-50 or NEMA 14-50)
$215 per line
Refunds

  • No refunds for cancellations after September 1, 2025

  • No refunds for inclement weather

  • No refunds for failure to pass health inspection

Booth Operation Guidelines
Vendor Placement & Space Details

  • The Festival will assign booth locations to each vendor. Please understand that food vendor placement and the location of Festival food courts are subject to change if there are changes to the Festival site.

  • No space will be held without both a completed contract and full payment of the contract fee.

  • Vendors may not trade, switch, or set up in another area, without approval from the Festival.

  • Parking spaces will be provided for a maximum of two support vehicles.

    • These are to be used for refrigeration and/or dry goods storage. Support vehicle parking will be in the vicinity of the food court to which you are assigned but not necessarily adjacent.

  • Vendors are responsible for providing staff. Parking for staff is the responsibility of the vendor.

  • Vendors are responsible for providing push carts/hand trucks for moving supplies onsite, including any beverages and ice purchased from the Festival.

Booth Operation

  • Vendors must restrict all activities to their booth space (paid-for frontage feet and a depth 20’).

  • Condiment push carts and beverage coolers are the only things allowed in front of food vendor booths, and must remain within the boundaries of the vendors’ assigned space.

  • Vendors are not permitted to provide free sampling of food or beverage items.

  • Vendors must maintain a separate service line for artists and staff performers and staff. Festival staff and performers should be given expedited service in taking and fulfilling their orders. The festival will provide signage for this line. Food vendors MUST communicate to the Festival Event Operations Manager how the vendor will provide a separate line for artists and staff.

  • Vendors must accept festival scrip tickets (“festival bucks”) from artists and staff for which you will be reimbursed by the festival after the event.

  • Use of generators is not permitted. Electrical connections will be provided by the festival. 

  • Playing music from your booth is prohibited.

  • Vendor is responsible for a clean booth area, free of debris.

  • Vendors are responsible for providing their own nighttime lighting.

  • Vendors may not sell National Folk Festival-branded merchandise.

Booth Coverings

All booth coverings must follow festival guidelines for both fire compliance and wind safety. Vendor-owned tents must be approved by the festival before use.

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Fire and wind safety compliance:

  • All tents must comply with the State of Mississippi and City of Jackson Fire regulations, using flame-retardant materials meeting Fire Department codes.

  • Vendors bringing their own canopy/tent need to provide proof that the canopy/tent is compliant with state/county/city regulations for flammability. Tarps are not an acceptable canopy.

  • If you are accepted as a festival vendor and are using your own tent, you must submit photographic proof to the Food Vendor Coordinator that your tent meets the fireproofing requirement prior to the signing of your contract. This is independent of providing proof to the Fire Marshal at the time of your onsite inspection.

  • If a vendor is not able to provide a fire-safe tent, they may rent one from the festival at cost.

  • All tents must meet specifications for wind safety. Pop-up / accordion style frame tents are not allowed. Tents must be weighted or staked (if permitted) properly.

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Tent rentals:

  • Vendors needing a rental tent MUST rent directly from the festival. Rental tents and tent vendors NOT approved by the festival will NOT be allowed access to the festival site.

  • The festival will reserve your tent and arrange its setup.

  • Your cost will be a straight pass-through and you will be billed by the festival as a part of your final settling of accounts.

  • Common tent sizes and fees are:

    • 10' x 10' = $270​

    • 10' x 20' = $380

    • 10' x 30' = $520

    • 20' x 20' = $620

Menu & Signage

Only menu items approved by the Festival Food Vendor Coordinator and by the Department of Health may be sold at the Festival.

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  • Vendors must list on their application ALL items they wish to sell. Items not approved may not be sold and must be removed from the vendor’s booth.

  • If vendors wish to sell non-food items, approval will be given by the Festival Food Vendor Coordinator on a case-by-case basis.

  • National Folk Festival branded merchandise is not allowed.

  • In the interest of presenting as wide a selection of food and menu items as possible, the Festival may limit a specific type of food or beverage item.

  • Vendors are not granted exclusive rights to sell any particular item.

  • Changes/additions are only allowed with pre-approval by the Festival prior to August 4, 2025.

  • In an effort to maintain a professional level appearance and feel among all vendors, all signage and menu boards must be of standard condition. Hand-written signage will be permitted on a case-by-case basis, and must look nice and be readable. Vendors must request permission to use hand-written signage and if granted permission, vendors must not alter their signs/menus to items that deviate from what was approved in their acceptance into the Festival.

  • Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Vegan items should be listed on a second menu sheet to make it easy for people with dietary restrictions to locate these menu items.

  • If the vendor serves raw or under-cooked animal foods then they need to have posted, "Consuming raw or undercooked animal foods may increase your risk of contracting a foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions."

  • All menu signage must include pricing and must be easy to read.

Marketing

All Festival food vendors will receive the following marketing benefits:

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  • A listing on the Festival’s website, with a link to the vendor’s website or social media (if submitted).

  • A listing in the Festival’s official program guide

Taxes & Insurance
Taxes

Vendors are responsible for all local, state, and federal taxes.

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  • Vendor acknowledges and understands that they are responsible for sales and use tax and shall in no way hold the City of Jackson, the State of Mississippi, or its representative responsible for any type of permits other than for the Festival itself. Vendor is responsible for the acts, and all costs associated with, any and all its employees and volunteers. No Vendor shall hold itself out as an Agent of the City of Jackson.

  • You will need a Mississippi Sales Tax ID number by the time the Festival takes place on November 7, 2025. If you have a Mississippi Sales Tax ID number, please include it in your application.

  • To look up your sales tax number online, visit: Mississippi Secretary of State / Business Portal There is no fee for this.

  • Not having a Mississippi Sales Tax ID number at application time will not affect the decision to accept or reject an applicant.

Insurance

Vendors must provide a certificate of insurance in the amount of $1,000,000 (one million dollars), no later than June 23, 2025. The certificate must include language naming indemnified parties as additional insured as respects to the National Folk Festival on November 7 – 9, 2025.

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  • Indemnified parties as additional insured on the contract of insurance should be listed as follows: “City of Jackson, National Council for Traditional Arts, and all producing partners, sponsors and affiliates of the National Folk Festival.”

  • The festival disclaims any authority of control over the operation of vendors. Vendors assume all rights and responsibilities for the conduct of their operations including, but not limited to: obtaining liability and general coverage insurance for vendor-related activities adhering to all local and state ordinances and regulations.

  • The festival does not have separate vendor coverage under any insurance it may maintain.

Thank you for reading through all of the food vendor guidelines!

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If you have any questions about these guidelines or the application process, please email food@nationalfolkfestival.com

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