DFA Festival Handbook

Read Before You Book a Booth: 

1. Each festival is a rain or shine event. Booth sales are nonrefundable.
2. Active DFA membership status is required to book a DFA booth.
3. We do our best to place ground-level storefront booth holders as directly in front of their business as possible.
4. If you are a ground-level storefront, you can reserve a spot to outfit with a tent or keep it open/unoccupied during the festival.
5. Those that decide to build a tent in their spot must keep their tent set up and activated with personnel for the entirety of the festival hours out of respect for neighboring booth-holders, festival guests, and the value of the festival.
6. Tearing down a tent earlier than the close of festival hours, or leaving it unattended during festival hours, will result in exclusion from DFA festival booth opportunities at the next DFA-hosted festival. If you cannot keep your tent open and activated for all festival hours, we encourage you to book a spot and keep it open/tent-free.
7. To book an additional 10x10 spot, select one of the "Early-Bird" items AND one "Additional Booth" item to checkout on this form.
8. If you are splitting a booth with another DFA member, email hhood@williamsonheritage.org to let us know.
9. Read the festival-specific criteria before booking a booth on the sales page – your business may be located in a booth-free zone, sponsor zone, or safety zone required by the city!

Regulations: 

• All vendors must supply their own freestanding white 10 x 10 tent.
• All tents must have a 40Ib weight per leg (City of Franklin Requirement).  
• Tent legs may not be staked into the pavement.  
• No amplified sound is permitted to be coming from any booth. 
• No overstock merchandise may be stored on sidewalks.  Sidewalks must stay clear for pedestrians and emergency personnel.  
• Temporary Signage may be hung on the outside of the building if written permission has been obtained from the landlord. (City officials may ask for verification of proof.)
• Temporary signage like balloons (freestanding and weighted) and feather signs do not need landlord approval but must allow clear and easy ADA accessibility to the sidewalk. 

Electricity: 

• Electricity is not available in all areas of the festival which is why we recommended reserving electricity when securing your booth if you desire it.   
• Electricity is not guaranteed after the deadline to reserve it for each festival. Some locations throughout the footprint do not have access to electricity.
• Electricity is available at $75 per 110 hookup. Electrical connections are limited and available on a first-come/first-served basis.   
• Vendors must bring their own 100 ft. outdoor-rated extension cord.   
• Generators are not permitted.  
• Maximum of 10 amps per circuit will be available. 

NOTE: If you need electric assistance during the festival, contact one of the Heritage Foundation staff to access the electrician on-site during the event.  The Heritage Foundation booth is located in the public square.  Please feel free to stop by with any questions, and someone will help you get in touch with the right party.

Key City Regulations:

Please note, this is not a comprehensive list of all requirements and/or regulations issued by the City of Franklin. 

• The fire department requires a 20-foot wide access lane down all streets. The fire lane may be achieved by:  
  • Having 10-foot booths on both sides of the street  
  • Having larger booths on one side of the street  
• A minimum of 10-feet is required on either side of a fire hydrant. A minimum of 10-feet is required from the edge of an alley to the first booth. 
• Tents using open flames, such as candles, portable heaters, must have one ABC fire extinguisher that is fully charged. 
• At the end of the festival, dismissals are executed by the egress path issued jointly by the City of Franklin Police and Fire Department.  

Setting Up:

Setup can only start after the City of Franklin has closed AND cleared the streets. Anyone who sets up earlier than the times listed above may receive a ticket.  

Unloading: 

When setting up, pull right up to your space to unload, finish as quickly as possible, park, and then return to set up.  There are so many vendors participating – this policy is out of consideration for all those involved. 

Finding your Spot: 

Vendor booth numbers will be written on a piece of white tape on the curb.  Look down into the street and find the green tape marks that indicate the edges of your space.  Set up in front of the booth number between the dots and place the booth sign received at check-in on the tent.  This allows the emergency personnel to quickly find everyone in the event there is an emergency.  Bring duck tape or safety pins to attach.  

Packing Up:

Vendors have two hours to pack up and clear out after the festival closes.  Pack up completely before pulling a vehicle up to load up.  There will be about 200 people trying to clear out at the same time; so keeping the streets as clear as possible will be necessary.  

Booth Sitters:

Vendors attending by themselves will have access to volunteer booth sitters available.

Sales Tax:

The state will not provide special event envelopes this year.  The vendors which have sales & use tax numbers can pay their taxes for the event through their regular filing period, i.e., monthly, quarterly, or yearly.  Vendors who do not have tax numbers may download a use tax form from www.tn.gov/revenue to use for filing payments.  

Sidewalks & Storage:

Vendors are not allowed to store overflow boxes/products on the sidewalks.  Stores are open for business; so please keep the sidewalks clear for pedestrians.    

Parking: 

Due to increased traffic and new construction that has happened around Downtown Franklin, vendors will not have a dedicated lot. Everyone is encouraged to look for parking along Bicentennial Park or utilize the shuttle program after setup is complete. DFA Members receive a parking pass to Franklin Grove on South Margin street for festival hours.

Increase Your Storefront Visibility – 

1. Whether you have a booth in the festival or not, consider decorating your storefront with attractive signage, balloons, etc., along the lines of the festival theme, to draw attention to the fact that you are open and a part of the festivities!
2. Consider rolling out a red carpet or some colored carpet along the lines of the festival theme to direct traffic to your storefront, encouraging them to visit you inside your store.
3. Consider your signage options by referring to the temporary signage handbook from the City of Franklin HERE.

Participate in the DFA Members Activation – 

1. Whether you have a booth at the festival or not, consider joining the DFA members activation (e.g., Trick or Treat Trail) to put your store on the festival visitor's map and be promoted on social media as one of the businesses participating! Email hhood@williamsonheritage.org to discover how to get involved.

If You Have a Booth –

1. Consider having your customers make their purchases inside your store to give them more opportunities to get to know your brand and perhaps make additional purchases.
2. Consider providing an interactive element of some kind at your booth.
3. Consider pulling the tables/displays to the front edges, and consider investing in a white-top canopy or electrical lighting to brighten your space and better show off your merchandise.
4. Consider clearly displaying your prices. Many people do not enjoy asking for prices and are more likely to buy when they see prices clearly displayed.
5. Consider encouraging touch!  Post small signs like “the softest lace you’ll ever feel” or “touch me I’m hand-felted wool” or “glazed ceramic, cool to the touch.” Or, invite verbally: if potential customers stop right outside your booth and look, invite them in with a smile and ask, “Would you like to smell my soaps?” Nine times out of ten they will be drawn in.
6. Consider adding levels. People like to buy things that are at eye level, so display your products at eye level. Hang your art up, hang your jewelry on rods, hang your scarves and clothes up. Set up shelves, stack boxes on your table, or lift your tables on risers.  Stacking shelves also expands space to display more things and helps you attract more customers from farther away.