ABOUT
THE FAIR:
| Dates: |
Four
Weekends + the Friday after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 28th - Saturday, December
21, 2008 |
| Times: |
11:00
a.m. - 7:00 p.m. |
| Location |
Cow
Palace Exhibition Halls |
| Ticket
Prices: |
General Admission $22.00
Student/Senior/Military $19.00
Children 5-11 $10.00
Groups of 25 or more $15.00 (purchased in advance)
Pickwick Club (Fair season pass) $65.00 adult/$30.00 children |
| |
| |
| Parking: |
$8.00
(charged by the Cow Palace) |
| Discounts: |
Flyers
and postcards will be available to all merchants for distribution
to their clientele. |
The
Great Dickens Christmas Fair -- the Bay Area favorite
-- returns! The fair is a theatrical re-creation of nineteenth
century London with all the color, charm, and merriment of
Christmas during the time of Charles Dickens. The air is filled
with enticing aromas of festive foods and the sounds of street
vendors hawking their wares. The streets are filled with characters
from Dickens' A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, and
Nikolas Nickelby, not to mention Mr. Dickens himself.
First-time
participants should be aware that this is a highly themed
street fair, designed to create a total environment. All booth
workers need to help us maintain the public's illusion by
staying in costume and learning a bit of English cockney.
The magic of the Dickens Fair, and what sets it apart, is
the detailed theatrical setting we create together and the
sense of ensemble and Christmas spirit put forth by all participants.
COSTUMES:
With
that in mind, we are requiring head-to-toe costumes for all
participants during hours of the fair. No participants should
be in the streets of London out of costume or in a partial
costume. We do not have a full costume shop this year but
will have ample costume information available for you and
your employees. You can review the costume
guidelines on this website; these guidelines are also
included with mailed vendor applications. Please share them
with your employees.
We
will have a separate participants' entrance and a dressing
area with mirrors, tables, coat racks, etc. If you arrive
after opening, please make use of this changing area before
entering the fair. We will not, however, be able to provide
a secure area for personal belongings; if you have a backpack
or other bag, please bring it to your booth (but be as discreet
with it as possible if the fair has already opened to the
public).
Please
remember that the rest rooms are for public use and should
not be used as a dressing or "primping" area.
2008
LOAD-IN SCHEDULE:
The
venue will be available to build your booth from Nov. 10th-21st,
from 8am til 6pm, with management approval.
Call (800)510-1558 for more info.
WORKSHOPS
AND COSTUME APPROVAL:
Optional
free workshops in language, improvisation, and characterization
will be offered. Details will be provided in acceptance packages.
Stake-out will be Saturday, November 10, from 10 am-4 pm.
We will distribute media, show you your spaces, and answer
any questions. Workshops are held at another location, so
if you wish your employees to attend, please give us a call.
GATE
PASSES:
We
will not be mailing out gate passes. Vendors and their employees
will receive gate passes at stake-out or anytime thereafter.
To receive passes, all paperwork needs to have been completed,
fees received, and costumes approved. You must also submit
a list of your employees, in order for them to recieve their
passes.
EVENT
ACCESS:
During
the fair, the building will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00
p.m.
No
one may remain in the building after 9:00 p.m., and we have
no facilities for overnight camping. If you wish to remain
in the area rather than traveling home each night, we will
provide you with a list of hotels and motels nearby which
you can also view on our Area
Accommodations page. You can also visit the Cow Palace
web site at www.cowpalace.com
for additional information.
ELECTRICAL
INFORMATION:
Please
-- no space heaters (the building is heated), coffee pots,
hot plates, toasters, TVs; in short, nothing that will draw
more than your share of electricity.
Basic
electrical service (10 amps) is included in your booth fee.
A surcharge will apply for booths requesting additional power.
Please note your estimated power requirements on your application.
We
will be lighting the streets and your exterior signage. You
will be responsible for all interior lighting in your booth.
All light fixtures must be Victorian-looking; use brass fixtures,
flicker bulbs, frosted hurricane lamps, etc., but no open
flame fixtures. We will be glad to provide assistance with
attaching fixtures and running cords if necessary.
To
create a brighter atmosphere, yet authentic feeling, paint
or wallpaper interior walls in pale colors and use many low-wattage
bulbs instead of a few high-wattage ones.
For
more detailed information, please see the Electricity
& Lighting page.
SIGNAGE:
You
are responsible for your own signage -- please be sure to
use Victorian shop names and Victorian signs. All signage
must be approved byRed Barn Productions.
FIRE
AND SAFETY:
No
open flames or smoking are allowed inside the building.
All
booths must have fire extinguishers.
All
booths are required to have all material state certified for
fireproofing.
Because
of the indoor sprinkler system, we need all booths to have
open tops. This means no solid or cloth roofs allowed.
Pets
are not allowed. If you wish to have an animal as part of
your exhibit, please attach a written request to your application.
See
sample booth designs in the Booth
Building Guidelines.
HOW
TO REACH US:
MERCHANT
QUALIFICATIONS:
For
caterers: