Vendors

We look forward to a banner 51st Anniversary of Dickens on The Strand on Friday, December 6 through Sunday, December 8, 2024. We rely on our vendors to contribute to the theme of the festival through the suitability of their presentations, displays, and costumes. Welcoming over 35,000 guests annually, the event has become famous for its ability to maintain an authentic Victorian ambiance and experience for the guests. Vendors are selected based on product suitability and compliance with the below-mentioned requirements.

VENDOR APPLICATIONS

ALL vendors must submit photos or samples of products to be sold in addition to photos of booth decor, signage, and costumes. A vendor will not be approved without materials included in the application. Once approved, a vendor cannot change any details without submitting for re-approval prior to the festival date. If a vendor arrives with unapproved products, signage, decor, or costumes, they can face immediate removal from the event, loss of security deposit, and/or refusal for future events.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please call (409) 765-3459 or email us.

2024 EVENT FEES

Deposit and booth fees are due at the time of submission. Vendors booking multiple 10’x10′ booth spaces together will receive a 10% discount at checkout.

VENDOR RULES

All festival requirements will be strictly enforced. Vendors who do not comply will NOT receive a refund on their security deposit and risk not being permitted to attend future festivals.

FESTIVAL HOURS | The festival is open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Vendors MUST stay open during these hours unless otherwise specified. Any vendor not in compliance will not get their security deposit refund. Fezziwig’s Beer Hall will be open with live entertainment from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday. Vendors, especially those assigned in that area, are encouraged to be open for business during this time frame

VENDOR LOAD IN & LOAD OUT | Load-in begins on Friday, December 6 at 12 p.m. Vendors MUST be completely set up and festival-ready for inspection by 9 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. Load-out begins immediately following festival closure on Sunday.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS | Every food booth and any booth using flammable material MUST have a portable extinguisher. These must have a one-year current inspection tag signed by a Texas-registered company. The Fire Dept. will inspect each booth during the event.

• Booths w/ Fryers: 10lb. 60 BC dry chemical fire extinguisher
• Booths with Open Coals: 10lb. 4A 60 BC ABC dry chemical extinguisher OR a Class 2A water-type fire extinguisher. Coals/BBQ Pits must be placed at least 10 ft away from buildings/structures, excluding booth
• Booths with Flammable Materials (i.e., propane, kerosene lanterns, oil lamps): 10lb. 4A 60 BC ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher

Please call the Fire Marshal at 409-621-3190 with questions. 

TEXAS STATE SALES TAX REQUIREMENT | All vendors must provide a Texas sales tax permit number. The permit must be in the vendor’s name or company name. You cannot use another person’s state sales tax number or an out-of-state sales tax number. A Texas state controller representative will check vendors for current sales tax permits.

MERCHANDISE | Handcrafted, Victorian Christmas items are preferred but not always required. All items being sold at the festival must be approved. Samples or photos of the exact items to be sold must be submitted with the application. Any vendor selling unapproved items will be shut down. T-shirts may be sold case-by-case, but the Dickens on The Strand name or logo may not be used unless you are a licensed vendor of the official Dickens on The Strand T-shirt (see below).

LIABILITY INSURANCE & HEALTH CERTIFICATE | Food vendors MUST furnish a copy of the Food Vendors Liability Insurance and obtain a Health Certificate from the Galveston County Health District, (409) 938-2303. The health certificate number must be reported to GHF before Thursday, November 28th. GHF reserves the right to limit the number of food and beverage items and reserves the right to deny vendor applications or request that menu items be removed based on variety. Food vendors are only permitted to use quiet generators, as unapproved loud generators will result in a shutdown. 

The Galveston County Health District will inspect each food booth on site. Although only required for food vendors, liability insurance is strongly recommended for all vendors, as GHF is not liable for vendor spaces and products.

SIGNAGE | All booths and carts are required to have an appropriate and visible booth sign with a Victorian, British, or Dickensian name (e.g., Victorian Thymes or Fagin’s Flowering Onions). Preferably, it should be on a wooden sign depicting the booth’s name, but it can be a computer-generated sign displayed on the tent or table. Signage must be easily seen from the front of the booth. All new and returning vendors must submit a photo of signage for approval. No plastic or vinyl signs are allowed without prior approval. Vendors without appropriate signage will not receive their security deposit refund. If a vendor needs assistance with signage, GHF will print it to ensure it is the appropriate fit for a Victorian festival. The fee for signage is $50, and materials must be submitted by Wednesday, November 6th.

DISPLAY REGULATIONS | Booth spaces are 10’x 10’ and will be situated directly next to each other. All vendors MUST create a Victorian holiday theme with their decorations and set up of the booth or cart display.  Vendors may use the pop-up style canopy as a booth, following the below guidelines. Trailers, wheeled booth spaces, and food trucks are prohibited unless otherwise pre-approved by GHF and wheels and hitches must be disguised. These will be approved and priced based on length. Please contact us at (409) 765-3424 or by email.

• All tents must have a white top. NO EXCEPTIONS.
• The front metal poles must be camouflaged with garland, ribbon, etc., so the metal is invisible.
• The front and two sides of the canopy must be decorated around the top edge using garland, ornaments, lights, ribbon, etc.
• All booth and cart displays must be decorated using greenery (fresh or artificial), fabric, bows, etc.
• All tables within the booth space must be skirted. NO glitter, tinsel, or metallic garland is permitted.
• Vendors must bring sandbags/weights to secure the poles of their tents.

WOODEN CARTS | GHF has a limited number of wooden carts that can be rented for a flat fee of $200. All carts must be decorated according to festival guidelines. They must be stored in the GHF Warehouse at the end of each day and returned on Sunday evening in the same condition in which they were received: clean and ready for use. 

LIGHTING & ELECTRICITY | Booths and carts must be adequately lit with one of the following:

• Propane/Kerosene Lanterns or Oil Lamps (please see fire extinguishers section if using this option).
• Battery-operated lanterns or battery-operated lighting concealed in the underside area of the roof.
• White, non-blinking holiday lights may be used for both lighting and decoration.

Electricity will be provided to booth spaces. These provided outlets are the ONLY acceptable source of electricity. We strongly recommend booths continue providing Victorian ambiance with historical lanterns or battery-operated lighting. Electricity may be requested on the application. The fee for an outlet connection is $100. Note your electrical need in your application.

PETS | Pets are prohibited from the festival grounds. However, vendors may be permitted to have pets at booth areas on a case-by-case basis. The pets must be authorized by GHF and remain in crated behind the booth during festival hours.

BOOTH ASSIGNMENT | While GHF will make every effort to place vendors in their preferred location, GHF assigns these for various reasons, and specific vendor spots WILL NOT be guaranteed under any circumstance. The spaces will be honored on a first-come-first-serve basis. Once space has been assigned to a vendor, they are not allowed to move to a different location.

TRADEMARK LICENSE | The name, logo, and image of Dickens on The Strand, or any deceptively similar name, logo, or image, cannot be used on any product (such as commemorative mugs, ornaments, jewelry, etc.) without the vendor entering into an approved licensing agreement with GHF. The fee to obtain trademark rights during the two-day event is $350 per trademark item. “Dickens on The Strand” is a registered trademark of Galveston Historical Foundation. A separate application and agreement must be entered into to obtain a license. Please contact us if you are interested in licensing the mark.

COSTUMES | Costumes are required by all working in your booth area. Click here for costume tips. Booths with employees not wearing appropriate costumes will be penalized, and the security deposit will not be refunded post-event. Guests bringing costume weapons and props will have them secured by on-site security and be asked to undergo additional screening.

INCLEMENT WEATHER | In case of inclement weather, you will be contacted of any and all updates as soon as they are made available. Dickens on The Strand is a Rain or Shine event. Should a vendor choose to cancel prior to Dickens due to inclement weather, you will not be penalized for future years, but you will lose your vendor fee.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY & PAY FOR YOUR APPLICATION

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable. The festival is open, rain or shine. GHF is not responsible for independent transactions between visitors and vendors. We are committed to making Dickens on The Strand special needs accessible. If we can assist with arrangements, please contact us at 409-765-7834 before your visit.

Pets and ice chests are not allowed. Scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, skates, Segways, and other recreational “wheels” are forbidden. Guests bringing costume weapons and props must have them secured and be asked to undergo additional screening.