DFA Member Festival FAQ’s

Main Street Festival, PumpkinFest™, and Dickens of a Christmas were created by the Downtown Franklin Association over 30 years ago when downtown Franklin was a very different place. It was at the beginning of our work with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center to try and revitalize a struggling downtown. Following the success and economic uptick by these festivals, the DFA and Heritage Foundation launched the “streetscape” initiative in the 1990s in partnership with business and building owners and the City of Franklin. More than 30 years later, it’s magical to see how our downtown has transformed. Today, these signature festivals continue the cultural heritage of our community, support the ongoing economic vitality of local businesses and organizations, and provide vital revenue to the Downtown Franklin Association and Heritage Foundation to continue their missional work.

DFA Member Festival FAQ's

Hundreds of arts and craft vendors apply through an application process and are screened thoroughly before receiving a space at our festivals. Each applicant must create original, handcrafted products in one of 20 media categories. Applicants are accepted after a jurying process. Jurors are comprised of DFA advisory board members, arts-focused community members, and DFA/Heritage Foundation staff. They assign scores after reviewing and reflecting on aesthetic merit, originality, technical proficiency, and marketability. Vendors that apply are prioritized for approval in the following categories: Art, Ceramics, Leather, Metal Working, Mixed Media, Woodworking, Pottery, and Homemade Décor.

Placement for food vendors, kid zone, stages, large tents, the layout for the public square is largely determined by the infrastructure of downtown Franklin. For example:

  • Food Truck/Vendor Placement: The power needs for food vendors and food trucks greatly exceed the power supply available in all areas of downtown Franklin except for 3rd Avenue North. There are also two fire hydrants placed in this area which also give the food vendors the required access to water taps.
  • Main Stage Placement can only be set in the quad on the public square in front of City Hall because that is the only area we can run a generator and the generator cords to power the mainstage technical equipment.
  • Food Vendors on the Public Square can only be in that area because that portion of the quad has enough electricity to power the vendors including access to 220 power hookups. There is also a water tap on that part of the square only which is necessary for food vendors. There is also sufficient power on 4th Avenue South.
  • Large Tent Activation Placement (like Bavarian Bierhaus and Chili Cookoff) needs clearance from trees and powerlines to set up tents. They also have high power needs which are available by pulling power off the ends of 3rd Avenue North and East Main. This is also the only place that we can store the large refrigeration trucks.
  • This year at PumpkinFest™, Kid Zone had several inflatables and other activities that had high power draws which required us to have it located at 4th Avenue South without the presence of any food trucks.
  • Access to electricity throughout the rest of the festival typically has 4 access points per block except for the 3rd Avenue South location which does not have any power access points at all.

This was a great question — one that we took to city planning and safety officials. We are required to have a 20-ft. clear path of egress all throughout the festival to allow emergency vehicles to pass through. The streets are 40 ft. wide, with a 10x10 tent in the center of the road there would only be 15ft. of clearance on either side of the tent. That is without taking road elements like curb extensions into consideration which would further decrease the available clearance. Conclusively, there isn’t a viable solution to make this happen within the current City codes.

The Public Square quads close at 5:00 am the day before the festival to allow for the setup of the main stage and the extra-large tent installations. We consulted with the city to see if the Public Square could close later in the day without compromising setup for the festival – conclusively, removing parked vehicles and blocking new traffic cannot be accomplished in time for the public square setup to happen. For this same reason there is no parking after 3:00 pm throughout the rest of the festival footprint streets. The main streets shut down at 8:00 pm with exhibitors arriving to check in and setup from 9:00 pm until midnight. Without these measures in place, the set up for the festival would not be completed in time.

 

These festivals support the cultural heritage of Franklin and the economic vitality for the local businesses in downtown Franklin, beginning over 30 years ago, on what has now become “America’s Favorite Main Street”. These signature festivals continue to foster economic vitality and maintain downtown Franklin’s brand that keeps tourists and consumers coming from both local and international audiences. Changing the location of the festival could adversely affect its current positive impact and brand building for downtown Franklin. The Heritage Foundation and Downtown Franklin Association are committed to continuing to improve these festivals, striving to make them successful for everyone involved.

  • All three festivals feature 200+ exhibitors comprised of arts & craft vendors, sponsors, community partners, DFA merchant booths, and food vendors.
  • In 2021, Tennessee crafters made up:
    • 60% of the arts & craft vendors for Dickens of a Christmas
    • 77% of the arts & craft vendors for PumpkinFest
    • 53% of the arts & craft vendors for Main Street Festival