GREENING UP THE MOUTAINS

2025 BEVERAGE VENDOR POLICIES

Please read this information carefully prior to submitting a vendor application. Each application will be reviewed by the festival committee for compliance with these terms to determine your acceptance into the festival. The submission of your application does not guarantee acceptance into the festival, regardless of your participation history with the festival.

FESTIVAL MISSION AND VENDOR ALIGNMENT

The Greening Up the Mountains Festival is a celebration of spring through both traditional and contemporary forms of Appalachian art, music, food, and beverage which honor our community and local artisans. This is a heritage arts festival and, as such, requires that all artisans and crafters be engaged in the business of selling their own fine arts and handmade crafts. No mass-produced items will be permitted at the festival, this includes, but is not limited to, t-shirts, signs, stickers, skin care products, and food products (with the exception of drinks).

APPLICATIONS

Artisans and Crafters are required to submit three (2-3) GOOD photos of the products that will be sold on the day of the festival, as well as one (1) GOOD photo of their booth set up. The photos assist the committee in making determinations about which applications to accept and assigning vendor booth spaces. Photos will also be used on the festival’s social media platforms to promote the festival. Vendors must adhere to selling the products as described on their application which have been reviewed by the festival committee. All vendors are required to submit the requested photos, regardless of participation history and previously submitted photos. Applications that do not include photos and payment are considered incomplete and will be denied. Please DO NOT mail hard copies of your photos, digital photos are required.  Please be sure to include the name of your business as it appears on your application in your email so that your photos can be properly matched with your application.

COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

No plastic bags are permitted. This specifically refers to plastic grocery-style bags used by customers to carry the products they purchase from your booth. Please use recyclable paper bags or reusable bags. This does not apply to products packaged in plastic bags, such as kettle corn, or food items, such as pastries, that are pre-wrapped in plastic. No styrofoam containers, including, but not limited to, cups and plates, are permitted. Vendors must use reusable or recyclable products (paper or plastic food containers are recyclable in our area). Beer vendors are requested to use clear cups for alcoholic beverages and another type of cup for non-alcoholic beverages.

ELECTRICITY

No electricity is available. You may use a whisper quiet generator, if needed, but no loud generators are permitted. If you bring a loud generator, you will be asked to remove it from the festival area and you will not receive a refund of your fees if you are unable to continue business. You will not be permitted to break down your booth until the festival is over.

Wi-Fi

No Wi-Fi is available in the festival area.  You will need to provide your own data if you plan to accept credit cards.

REFUNDS

This is a rain-or-shine event. No refunds will be issued for any reason other than those specifically named herein.

CONDUCT

Absolutely no disrespectful or inappropriate interference with festival attendees, volunteers, or staff will be tolerated. This will result in immediate ejection from the festival. You will not receive a refund of your fees. Your application will not be accepted for future festivals. There is no appeal process.

COMMUNICATION

All communication with the event coordinators and members of the festival committee must take place via email at [email protected],  or via previously scheduled in-person meetings at the Sylva Town Hall, 83 Allen Street, Sylva, NC 28779. Email is the best method for contacting the event coordinators. Emails will be returned as soon as possible.

SET UP AND TAKE DOWN

You will receive an email regarding your assigned set up time once the festival layout has been finalized. Set up times are staggered by the various festival zones and are in place to provide an equal number of volunteers to each zone as vendors arrive to unload, as well as to ensure the safety of all vendors, volunteers, and staff as vendors are unloading. Our application asks for a preferred set up time. Please be aware that set up times are directly related to your location, therefore if you request a booth space in a zone that is scheduled for 6:30 a.m., and we are able to accommodate your request, then your arrival time will be 6:30 a.m. If you are traveling from a far distance and need a later arrival time, you need to state that on your application, and we will work to assign you to a zone with a later arrival time. Preferred arrival time requests are not guaranteed, but the committee tries to accommodate as many requests as possible. Once the layout has been finalized, it is too late to request a change in your location/arrival time.

You may not begin to break down your booth until the festival is over at 4 p.m.

Beer vendors are typically scheduled for 8:30 a.m. arrival.

ACCOMODATIONS

Once the vendor booth assignments have been sent out, there will be no changing of booth assignments. If you have special concerns or need accommodations, such as handicap or special parking, you MUST state this on your application. We have much more flexibility in accommodating your needs during the planning stages. Once the layout is finalized, any changes would adversely affect other vendors.

BOOTH ASSIGNMENTS

The planning committee tries to accommodate as many booth space requests as possible, but we are not able to accommodate them all, as we have approximately 175 booth spaces and nearly that many vendors. The committee assigns booth spaces based upon the needs of the festival. We kindly request that you refrain from sending emails and leaving messages regarding the reasons why you were assigned a specific booth space. It is the committee’s job to make the festival fun and interesting for the attendees and profitable for the vendors and it is with this in mind that the spaces are assigned. No refunds will be issued if you are unhappy with your booth space.

Any vendor who fails to comply with the Festival’s policies in their entirety will not be considered for participation in future festivals. By submitting your application for the Greening Up the Mountains Festival, you are agreeing to abide by the festival’s policies as stated above.

As a reminder, it is a violation of your ABC permit to consume any alcohol while you are working. Anyone in
violation of this law will be asked to discontinue service at the festival.
This is a rain or shine event, and no refunds of vendor fees will be issued for any reason other those named herein. Please remember, every representative that you encounter is a volunteer, so please be kind.

Beverage Vendor Application

Beverage arts spaces are reserved for Independent craft breweries and wineries. You must also get a certificate of insurance from your insurance company for the day of the event naming the Town of Sylva as an additional insured with a liability of $1,000,000. This will need to be submitted with your application. If you would like to apply and pay online, please fill out the form below. Otherwise, please download/print the PDF of the information listed above and apply in person or via mail by sending the form to Sylva Town Hall. 83 Allen Street, Sylva NC, 28779.