Hi all,
I desperately need some opinions from all you veteran art fair people.
I'm a newbie here.... I've done just one other art fair and it went well considering it was my first time. I'm pretty clueless as to which are good and bad shows so I need your help. I applied through Zapp and got into the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Fair which allegedly attracts 100,000 people, but my concern is that it is mainly boozy, party people and not art buying people. Has anyone had any experience with this show, or can you assess based on the website and tell me what you think? Summer Solstice Festival
The reason I'm seeking input is because I'll have to put out A LOT of cash to do this fair. Hotels in the area are very pricy... for me. Best Western is $300 a night (2-3 nights) and the booth fee is $400 + a 2 1/2 hour drive so I can't afford to do this unless it promises to payoff. I know, there are no promises, but I need to feel confident that this will be worth my time and resources. All I can gauge from the site is that there is a mardi gras type parade and music... arts and crafts seems almost like a side note. I know $400 isn't that high for a good fair, but it's a lot for a bad one. I'm happy to pay more for a fair if I know it's a good one.
Thanks in advance!!!
Replies
I had a booth at the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Festival this year. The vendor area is not very big, maybe 30 (not counting food). There were a number of import clothes and other cheap junk vendors, several jewelers, and about six fine artists. I didn't meet anyone who had done this event before. Attendance was huge, thousands of people, but there were very few shoppers and even less art buyers. Every vendor I spoke with, except one, was unhappy about sales. The overall atmosphere was a fun party and there were lots of happy people. This event really should not be promoted to the fine art community.
Thanks for the feedback! I think I'll pass. :)
On another note, what are good shows in So. Cal. as I'm in L.A. too. I applied to the Malibu one and it seems Ojai is a good one (missed the boat for applying). It would be great to meet some fellow L.A. art fair people!
We didn't renew our AFSB subscription this year, we can't afford it every year, but this one didn't even pop up on the potential or alternative option list when I went through all the reviews a year ago. We're adding more California shows to our list this year and we continue to look for shows but this one has never come up as one to consider in any of the research I've done.
Well, I'm in Los Angeles and I'm always on the lookout for good shows to do that aren't too far away... and I've never heard of this thing. Sounds like a fun parade but if art isn't the absolute main point of the event then it's pretty much guaranteed not to be a good show for art.
A subscription to the Art Fair Source Book might help.