This past weekend I participated in the Annapolis Arts & Crafts Festival - two days with maybe 200 exhibitors, a dozen or so were painters like myself. Only into art festivals for a couple of years, I've only been in 6 but they have, until now, always been in locations with normal public foot traffic and did not charge an entry fee to customers. This show was what i call a destination festival as it was not held downtown or on the waterfront or in parkland - it was held on the grounds of the Navy Marine Memorial Stadium (related to the Navy Academy). Plenty of parking, but you had to drive to the stadium, pay for parking then pay to get inside the fence to see the artists. One might think, like I did, that a customer willing to go to a festival and pay to get in would surely be a customer on the prowl for art! Unfortunately, the crowd was dismal and very little art was purchased by anyone. Too many empty hands leaving the grounds. Anyone with experience or thoughts regarding this type of show? I surely think I'll pass in the future.
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