Participant Rules

Your credential

• It has your photo on it, and it is yours alone. The gate matches the face to the credential. Do not lend, share or transfer it.
• Wear it where it can be seen whenever you are on site outside public guest areas.
• Lost or stolen? Tell us immediately. The old credential will be disabled. Replacement is $50.
• Your group’s passes are a cap. If more people are on the roster than there are available passes, whoever your group has activated for that day is who gets in. Your booth, act or company manages that — not the gate.
• Your credential gives access only to the area and purpose it was issued for. It does not override another access, parking or operating rule.

Vehicles and parking

5 mphThe speed limit everywhere on Festival property is 5 mph.

On site means inside the booth line, through the gates. The ring road loops around the booth line and is how you reach the campground, the office and everywhere else without driving through the village.

• Park only where your vehicle is authorized to park.
• Vehicle passes are specific to the area shown on the pass.
• A campground vehicle pass allows parking at your registered campsite. It does not authorize parking behind a booth.
• Parking behind a booth requires one of that booth’s authorized vehicle passes.
• Additional vehicles belong in employee parking unless another location has been approved.
• Once an area is closed to participant vehicle traffic, do not drive on site without authorization. Use the ring road.
• Keep roads, gates, fire lanes, service areas and emergency access clear at all times.
• Emergency, operations and authorized service vehicles have priority.
• Follow posted traffic directions and staff instructions whenever driving on Festival property.

Costume and character

• Renaissance-appropriate costume is required during operating hours, including period-appropriate headwear such as a hat, hood, coif, cap, circlet or similar.
• Use period-appropriate speech around guests when practical.
• Safety, legal requirements and accessibility always come first. Break character when necessary.

Anywhere a guest can see you

Guests paid to spend the day somewhere that is not 2026. Help us keep it that way.

• No phones in view of guests during operating hours except when taking payment, handling an emergency or otherwise specifically authorized.
• No smoking or vaping in view of guests or in public-facing areas.
• No alcohol while working.
• Keep guest paths clear of merchandise, props, equipment and signage.

Say what’s true

Guests should be able to trust what they are being told about a product, an event or the Festival.

• Handmade means made by hand. Do not call something handmade, handcrafted, original or artisan-made unless that description is accurate. If you designed it and someone else produced it, say that.
• Describe what you are selling accurately — including materials, origin, age, maker and function.
• If you do not know, say you do not know. Find out or direct the guest to someone who does.
• Do not misrepresent your goods, your prices, the Festival or anyone else working here.

Accurate descriptions protect guests and the makers whose work genuinely is handmade.

Safety and restricted areas

PetsRegistered pets are allowed in the campground only. Personal pets may not enter the Festival village.

• No unauthorized weapons. Weapons, props, equipment or materials specifically approved for a vendor, performer, production or other authorized work may be used only as approved.
• No illegal drugs or unlawful possession or use of controlled substances on Festival property.
• Service animals and other legally protected access are handled in accordance with applicable law.
• No unapproved open flames.
• Do not enter areas marked Closed, Restricted, Staff Only or otherwise blocked from participant access.
• Do not move, bypass or alter gates, barriers, fencing or safety equipment.
• See something unsafe? Say something. Tell the nearest manager, Site staff or Festival office. Nobody gets in trouble for reporting a hazard.

Social media

The test is simple: don’t post something about the Festival that you wouldn’t post about your own business.

What participants post is often read by guests as coming from the Festival, whether you meant it that way or not. This applies year-round, not only on operating days — an off-season post reaches the same people.

• If something is wrong, bring it to us before taking it public. Give us a chance to address the actual problem.
• Post what is confirmed, not what you heard. If you are unsure about a schedule, policy, event detail or Festival decision, ask before posting it as fact.
• Speak for yourself, not for the Festival. Do not answer guests as though you represent Festival management unless that is your role.
• Do not post internal, confidential or behind-the-scenes Festival information that is not intended for the public.
• If we ask you to correct or remove inaccurate Festival information, do it promptly. We will tell you what is wrong and why.

Post about your shop, your act and your work constantly — we want you to. Show people what you make, what you perform and what makes your corner of the village worth visiting.

Photos and video of you

We photograph and film throughout the season — the village, shops and the people who make it work. That material is used to promote and document the Festival.

By accepting a credential, you agree that the Festival may photograph and record you, your booth inside and out, your products, your marks and your staff, and may use that material for marketing, promotion, editorial purposes and Festival archives.

That use may be worldwide, in any media now existing or developed later, without a time limit or additional payment. Material may be edited and may not appear exactly as originally captured. To the extent allowed by law, you waive claims to approve the material, receive payment for it or control the use of your image, likeness or voice.

Plainly: if you are on site in costume, you may end up in an ad.

If a particular image presents a genuine problem, tell us and we will do what we reasonably can. The agreement above still applies.

For minors, the parent or guardian registering the child through the credential portal accepts the Participant Rules on the child’s behalf.

Trash and disposal

8-yard dumpstersSmall 8-yard dumpsters are for Festival-day operating trash only.

• Break down all cardboard boxes before putting them in a dumpster.
• Do not use the 8-yard dumpsters for booth cleanouts, large amounts of cardboard, construction debris, furniture, appliances or other bulky waste.
• Keeping these dumpsters available is important during operating weekends. If they fill with booth or construction waste, Festival staff cannot use them for normal operating and guest trash.
• Take larger loads and non-Festival-day waste to the designated roll-off or disposal area.
• Furniture, appliances, construction debris, tents, canopies and other large or bulky items require approval before disposal and may be subject to a dumping fee.
• Do not leave trash, boxes, furniture or other materials on the ground beside dumpsters.

Mail and deliveries

• Mail and deliveries must go to the Festival’s designated mail or delivery location.
• Delivery vehicles may not drive on site without authorization.
• If a delivery requires site access, coordinate it with Festival staff before the vehicle arrives.
• Pick up packages and deliveries promptly. Festival delivery areas are not storage areas.
• You are responsible for any special delivery, signature or payment arrangements required by the carrier.

Hours and how your shop looks

• Open 30 minutes before posted Festival opening and remain open until 15 minutes after posted closing.
• Your booth must remain adequately staffed and stocked.
• Bad weather does not automatically mean closing. Remain open unless Festival management tells you otherwise.
• Maintain your structure and guest-facing areas in keeping with the Festival setting.

Selling and promotion

• Sell only merchandise and services approved for your shop.
• New product categories or materially different merchandise must be approved before being offered for sale.
• New laser-engraved product lines are not being accepted for approval.
• Previously approved merchandise remains subject to the vendor’s existing product approval.
• Your booth is for the business named in your agreement.
• Do not sublet, share, transfer or host another business, guest vendor or guest artisan without written approval.
• No roaming sales, hawkers or carts unless specifically authorized in writing.
• Printed and promotional materials require approval before distribution, including flyers, handouts, coupons, promotional QR codes and similar material.
• Do not solicit tips. No tip jars, “tips welcome” signs, tipping QR codes, gratuity prompts, hat passing or verbal hinting unless that method has been specifically approved in writing.
• Any tipping exception may be changed or withdrawn by the Festival.

Made by hand, not by machine

Without written consent, you may not sell, display or market AI-generated creative work or 3D-printed merchandise.

Neither may be presented as handmade, handcrafted, original or artisan-made.

This applies to merchandise, booth displays, product photography and other public-facing creative work associated with your shop.

It does not apply to ordinary behind-the-scenes business tools.

Festival merchandise represented as artisan work should reflect genuine human authorship and craft.

Fire and electrical safety

Fire & electricalBooths must meet Festival and Fire Marshal safety requirements and are subject to inspection.

Festival staff, the Fire Marshal and other authorized officials may inspect structures and equipment for safety compliance.

If a scheduled safety inspection is being conducted and no one is available to open the booth, authorized Festival staff may enter the structure to complete the inspection.

• Every booth must have at least one current, properly tagged 5 lb ABC fire extinguisher.
• A working smoke detector is required on every floor.
• Any floor or area used for storage or living must also have a fire extinguisher.
• Extension cords must be heavy-duty, outdoor-rated, minimum 12-gauge, in good condition, less than five years old and GFCI protected.
• No household or light-duty extension cords.
• No extension cords longer than 50 feet.
• No daisy-chaining extension cords or connecting multiple extension cords from a single outlet.
• No exposed wiring.
• All outlets and switches must have appropriate covers.
• New electrical wiring must be installed in conduit.
• No bare light bulbs. Bulbs must have appropriate covers or guards.
• No hot plates.
• No space heaters.
• No gas, fuel or fuel containers inside or underneath a building.
• No open flames in retail or craft booths.
• Approved commercial food-service equipment is subject to separate Fire Marshal requirements.
• Air conditioners may not be operated while the Festival is open to guests unless specifically authorized. Festival electrical capacity is limited.
• A booth or area that does not meet required safety standards may not be used for overnight sleeping until the problem is corrected.
• Unsafe equipment or conditions must be corrected when directed by the Festival, Fire Marshal or another authorized official.

Your space and its equipment

• Keep your space and the area around it clean, safe and in good repair.
• Back-of-house areas must remain clear of trash and unauthorized storage.
• Do not store merchandise, equipment or materials in roads, fire lanes, neighboring spaces or other unauthorized areas.
• Anything left where it does not belong may be treated as abandoned and removed at your expense.
• If Festival staff must clean, remove or dispose of materials from your space, the cost may be charged to you.
• When you leave for the day, shut down unnecessary power. Unplug non-essential equipment and switch off breaker boxes inside your structure where appropriate.