Participate
Thank you for your interest in participating in the Chain of Parks Art Festival!
Applications for the 2024 Festival are CLOSED.
2025 applications will be open between Oct. 31, 2024 – Feb. 1, 2025
Please be sure to carefully read through each category to find the one that’s right for you
Expect to have a first-class, fun-filled outdoor cultural experience at the Chain of Parks Art Festival, in downtown Tallahassee! View amazing, original, and one-of-a-kind works of art in a delightful Southern outdoor setting.
Nationally ranked in the Top 100 Fine Art Festivals by Sunshine Artist Magazine for 11 years running, this annual two-day festival draws tens of thousands of people from the Big Bend Southeast region to see 150 artists who have traveled from all over the country to display their original fine art works. Known as the premier fine art event, visitors can view and purchase unique works of art while enjoying a weekend filled with a wide variety of live entertainment, mouth-watering culinary creations, libations served enthusiastically at the festival bar, local heritage re-enactments, family fun, interactive children’s art activities, professional chalk artists, and more!
Apply to be a Community Partner, Children’s Pop-Up Studio, a Local Heritage Booth, Interactive Art Vendor, Brand Ambassador, Food Vendor, or Entertainer!
Important Dates:
Application Deadline: Feb. 1, 2024
*Late Applications will be considered (if there is room) for an additional fee.
Acceptance notifications: First week of February or sooner
- Event Set-Up: Friday, April 19, 2024
- Event Dates: April 20 & 21, 2024
- Event Times: Saturday from 10am – 5pm, Sunday, from 10am – 4pm
The Children’s Park:
Hosted by The Apalachee Center
Participate in the Children’s Park, which is a highly interactive part of the festival that provides opportunities for community connections with festival visitors. The purpose of this area is to offer artistic experiences for children and promote organizations that support the arts and heritage in our community. We want to get children excited about the arts and give their families an opportunity to learn about what our community has to offer.
The Children’s Park incorporates Pop-Up Studios, Interactive Art Vendors, Heritage Booths, the historical Jacques Le Moyne Encampment, Pop-up Entertainers, fun snack foods, and more!
NEW! Community Corner:
The Community Corner is a new adjustment this year, shifting our Community Partners, Brand Ambassadors, and Sponsor Booths to be at the festival entrance on our Reid Gunn Lane instead of what we used to call “The Village”. This area is primarily for Non-profits and local businesses.
The Children’s Park
Pop-Up Studios: Free
- You do not pay to participate so that you can provide staffing and supplies for children’s activities and decorations to make your booth look welcoming.
- The festival provides a 10×10 white tent in the park, 2 tables, and 8 chairs.
- Bonus points to the studios that provide an eco-friendly art activity!
Local Heritage Booths: Free
- Located next to the Pop-up Studios, we will add several tents that are dedicated to sharing historical information about our region from different cultures.
- There’s a grassy performance area in the village for additional dancing, story-telling, and skit performances.
- Each tent should be decorated to represent your culture, offer educational materials, and an interactive activity of some kind.
- You do not pay to participate so that you can provide staffing and supplies.
Interactive Art Vendors: Participation Fee
This is a limited opportunity for face painters, henna artists, hair weavers, caricature artists, and other kid-friendly interactive art skills.
This is an opportunity to show off your artistic talent, interact with festival visitors, and be compensated for your work.
Community Corner:
We love our Community Partners! Participation Fee
- Community Partners include local non-profits that bring fun educational activities to engage visitors in hands-on interactions to broaden their experiences and knowledge.
- Community Partners pay $100 to have a 10×10 booth space to share information about their organization and mission.
- Community Partners cannot sell anything except for memberships. They are welcome to hand out information packets and flyers.
Be a Brand Ambassador! Participation Fee
Brand Ambassadors enjoy the opportunity to engage with our estimated 35-40,000+ art enthusiastic visitors about their business!
- Brand Ambassadors pay $500 for a 10×10 booth space to interact with the public and talk about your offerings.
- Please note: you are not allowed to sell goods or services, but you are allowed to provide attendees with hand-outs, make appointments, and share mailing list information.
- Booths must have an interactive activity, like a group art project, raffle, or game.
Performing Arts:
The festival welcomes performers to apply to perform on a volunteer basis. In return, performers receive exposure to thousands of visitors at the festival, a listing in the festival program performance schedule and online schedule with a photo and link to webpage, a space by the stage to promote future performances and to sell CD’s, inclusion in pre-event marketing campaigns, and to say thank you, a drink ticket for each performer.
Main Stage Entertainment:
Our Main Stage is located in the Center Court on Calhoun St. and features a variety of local bands, aspiring singer/songwriters, dance troupes, and other crowd-pleasing local performing arts groups.
Additional Entertainment:
Smaller/ solo acts are mainly in the Children’s Park or the Chalk Artist Oasis to keep everyone entertained all weekend. Please see the separate application (below) if this applies to you.
The Children’s Park:
This is the perfect spot for kid-friendly solo acts and less-music-focused entertainers like storybook tellers, educational demonstrations, performance artists, etc. This is in a grassy area with a 10×10 white tent, chair, amp, and mic (no stage or sound engineer).
The Chalk Artist Oasis:
We create a nature-themed oasis surrounding our professional chalk artists with plants and shade for visitors to observe their progress in a beautiful space (on Calhoun St). We’re looking for solo/ duo performers to set the mood and make this a welcoming area. Performers in this area should be self-sufficient, upbeat, and welcoming. There will be a 10×10 pop-up tent for shade. Must have your own equipment.
Food & Beverages:
The festival strives to have a wide variety of wholesome and delicious food with a preference for local food vendors. We are looking for a balanced assortment of grab-and-go meals and snacks!
- As a fine arts festival, we prioritize booths and trucks that have good curbside appeal and avoid set-ups that are more appropriate for a carnival.
- We are looking for grab-and-go meals and snacks, not packaged food accessories (i.e. jars of honey/ jam, hot sauce, dog treats, etc.)
- Chain of Parks Art Festival is now in its 8th year Greening the Festival. As a food vendor, you are an important part of this initiative.
- Feedback from our attendees is that they are not only looking for sweets but healthy options as well!
- Smaller snack vendors will typically be spread throughout the festival footprint vs. in the main food court.
The festival has partnered with Sustainable Tallahassee to continue Greening the Festival which will require your help as a food vendor to reduce food waste and waste generated from food and beverage containers. All food vendors are required to comply with the “Food Vendor Green Initiative Agreement” in this application.
1.) You cannot use any Styrofoam containers. If we see Styrofoam coming from your booth/ truck, you may be subject to a $25 fee.
2.) Do not use plastic bags when serving food.
3.) If you have prepared food that is unsold at the end of the day on Saturday or Sunday, consider packaging it so it can be picked up by local non-profits serving the unhoused folks in our community rather than throwing it away.
4.) Use the recycling bins and oil barrels located in the food vendor court for your use and convenience. There will also be some composting options in the Behind The Scenes area.
We hope you will join us at the festival and in our effort to incorporate environmental considerations to minimize the festival’s negative impact on the environment.
Very well organized, clear communication, great turn-out. ~Robin C. (artist)