A FEST CREATED BY ARTISTS FOR ARTISTS.
Located in one of the hottest, most affluent neighborhoods on the north side of Chicago, the Bucktown Arts Fest is known for both its grassroots atmosphere and its tradition of great artists representing their own, handmade work. Our jury selects up to 190 artists to be invited to the fest each year.
What began as four artists showing their work in the park has grown into a community tradition that hosts an estimated 30,000 people each year. We are a non-profit, all-volunteer run, no paid staff fest where all proceeds from the fest go to fund, develop and support arts education.
Our fest is free to the public. We have no gate and no donation request for patrons to enter this Fest. True to our roots, we are an arts fest put together by the community, for our community.
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This year's application
The application deadline is January 31 each year.
Stay in step with our application process at Zapplicaton -
Dates to Know
January 31 - Deadline to apply
April 30 - Deadline for booth deposit
July 1 - Deadline for full booth fee
mid-August - Final booth assignments shared
late August - Get ready to fest! -
For Artists Only
Our booth spaces are available only to individual artists who are present at the fest to sell and represent their handmade works. Artists must be juried in. Our jury is made up of artists, art professionals and senior members of the fest.
Mediums accepted are photography, painting, sculpture, prints, ceramics, textiles, wood, glass, metal and jewelry, including precious metal and gemstone jewelry. All work must be original, hand-made by the artist and available for sale.
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Fees
We strive to keep booth fees affordable in order to open the door to a greater number of artists who may not show at other art fairs.
Via Zapplication, there is a non-refundable fee of $35 to submit your application.
If accepted by our jury, the fees are:
- $340 booth fee for most
- $240 for seniors 60+
Fees include a $25 City of Chicago Vendor Fee which we pay before the fest on your behalf.
Booth sharing is also available to artists who have both juried into the fest for an additional $100 fee.
- $440 booth fee for most ($340 booth + $100)
- $340 for seniors ($240 booth + $100)
**Each artist must apply separately via Zapplication. -
How to Apply With Zapplication
New users will need to register with the Zapplication site using your email address and a password of your choosing.
Next, log in to Zapplication and follow the step-by-step instructions to create your application.
You will also be required to upload up to 5 images of your artwork for the jurying process. Please make sure your files do not exceed 5 MB in size.If you have technical issues, please visit the Zapp Help Center. There are a lot of answers there. You can also reach out to their customer service.
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Who We Are
We are the Bucktown Arts Fest, a community tradition for more than 30 years. We are also unique as an all-volunteer run fest. A registered non-profit, all proceeds from the fest go to fund, develop & support arts education in local classrooms & at Holstein Park.
**Please add inquiries@bucktownartsfest.com to your email address book to ensure you get our occasional emails – including notices of acceptance or rejection and invoices.
