Chicago Wicker Park Participation Kit

Congratulations on your acceptance to Renegade Craft Chicago!

We are so excited to have you as a part of our community! Please read through our Participation Kit to get ready for the Fair. Please take a moment to click through and read each section, which has detailed and important information. We can’t wait to see you and what you’ve been making!

YOU'RE IN! SPREAD THE WORD!

Congrats, you’ve been accepted to Renegade Chicago in Wicker Park!

Help spread the word and post the official eflyer to social media, embed on your website, blog, or email and tag @RenegadeCraft. Search Renegade Craft in gifs and add a sticker to your Story ☺︎

FAIR INFORMATION

Email

Prior to the Fair, send us your questions and ideas via email to Info@RenegadeCraft.com. We will get back to you asap during regular working hours M-TH.

At The Fair

During the weekend of the Fair, you can find our team at our Info Booth located on the south side of the street at the corner of Division & Honore.

There is not an official check-in, but please feel free to pop by our Info Booth at anytime to say Hi, ask a question, share ideas, or meet the Renegade team.

We will have complimentary snacks, water, enamel pins and stickers available while supplies last.

Text or Call

You can also call or text our on-site crew on the Rc hotline phone. That number is: 312-724-5205.

Your Onsite Crew

☺︎ Meet our team here

venue + address:

W. Division St. between Damen Ave. + Ashland Ave.
Wicker Park
Chicago, IL 60622

notes:

- The Fair will be open 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. both days.
- The event will be held outdoors, rain or shine!
- Leashed pets and service animals are welcome to join in on the fun!
- To support Renegade’s mission of empowering creative small businesses to succeed, there is a $5 suggested entry at the door for attendees. With rising venue, rentals, and industry costs, this helps allow our community to participate in keeping artist fees low and Renegade operating. Thank you for understanding!

venue character:

Our Flagship Chicago Fair takes place on Division St. in Wicker Park. The Fair is 7 city blocks-long, from Damen to Marshfield. There are many spots on Division St. to grab a drink and bite, but expect to be preoccupied with lots of customers – so bring provisions and/or a helper! The average temperature in mid-September is around 70°F with a chance of weather, so prepare to bring a tent, layers, and your wonderful self to meet our lovely Chicago community!

See photos from last year to get a feel of the Fair!

This event is held on Division St. which is a city street that’s ground level and accessible via sidewalk ramping. Please be advised that city streets may present obstacles for some disabled persons, such as uneven terrain, potholes, sewer grates, etc. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions you may have.

BOOTH INFORMATION

Rentals

Head here to reserve rental items, including, tables, chairs, canopies and garment racks.

+ Canopy orders are due by August 10
+ Rental orders are due by August 24

PS – We offer a “shared canopy” rental option for those in shared booths. We will pair you with another complementary vendor who has also rented a shared canopy. This is why the rental deadline is set before curation and being introduced to your boothmate ☺︎

WiFi

WiFi is not available at this Fair. We recommend contacting your cellular service provider for a mobile hotspot, running offline sales, or a universal hotspot (though we cannot guarantee this is a good fit for everyone, please confirm with your cellular provider). In any case, please test your tech before the event.

Electricity

Access to electricity is not readily available, and is only considered if you need it for your product, such as food or beverage service. Please get in touch if you have additional questions.

At the Fair

If you rented tables, chairs, or clothing racks through us, you will need to pick them up from the Rental Depot located closest to your booth during load-in (see map).

Rental depots are located in two areas:

Northeast corner of Wolcott + Division
Southwest corner of Hermitage + Division

If you rented a canopy, it will be set up and weighted by the rental company for you in your booth space. Please note that rental canopies do not come with sidewalls, so be prepared to have your own in case of weather.

Depending on which size booth you applied for, your footprint at the Fair measures 5’x10’ for a shared booth, 10’x10’ for a full booth, or 10’x20′ for a double booth.

Each 10’x10′ booth will be marked on the ground in chalk. There is no pipe or drape to divide each booth, so please plan accordingly. Be mindful of your setup to ensure the back and sides of your booth aren’t obtrusive to your booth neighbors.

Only the items you applied with are allowed to be sold at the event. If you outsource any of the items in your collection, you may only sell the items you’ve designed or made yourself.

If you signed up for a shared booth, you will receive your booth mate’s contact information after curation, around August 20.

Please get in touch with each other as soon as you are introduced to discuss your shared booth setup and rentals as needed.

Shared Booth Canopy Rentals

We offer a “shared canopy” rental option for those in shared booths. We will pair you with another complementary vendor who has also rented a shared canopy. This is why the rental deadline is set before curation and being introduced to your boothmate ☺︎

Shared Booth Setups

Please note that shared booths most typically are oriented with the shortest side facing the aisle. Shared booths at this Fair are 5′ wide x 10′ deep. Please work with your booth partner and plan accordingly so that shoppers can browse both of your setups. Read more on sharing a booth here.

Here are a handful of diagrams to give you some ideas on how you could set up a shared booth space. The diagrams are to scale, so please notice how the displays fit within the booth and how much space is available for attendees to browse both of your products.

For outdoor venues, we encourage white tent tops as they allow for the most natural light, and won’t cast a color on your work. This is not a requirement, just a tip we recommend.

Weighing Your Tent

Important! It is required for you to weigh your tent.
Be sure to use a minimum of 40 pounds per leg and and securely fasten with a sturdy rope or heavy gauge zip-ties.
Securing multiple tents together is not safe for anchoring.
If your tent is not weighed properly, it can become like a giant kite and fly away, topple over, and potentially cause injury or damage to those people and booths around you. You are responsible for acting with the upmost safety at the event.
Lowering one’s tent at night and covering all sides will help protect against wind and weather for overnight. An even safer practice is to remove the top and use it to tarp your displays, eliminating all possibility for wind to lift your tent or canopy, or for it to collapse under severe wind or rain.

If you rent a tent through Renegade, the rental company will ensure that the tent has the proper weights and setup. Please note that rented canopies don’t come with sidewalls so come prepared for sun, rain, wind, etc.

AT THE FAIR

Your Booth Assignment, the Roster, and Map will be posted after curation is complete, around August 20. Please keep an eye out for an email update from us!

Click the tile for your business on the Fair Roster and make sure all looks great. Here you will find your:

Booth Number
Artist Profile
Location
Instagram Link

Your tile and profile will also be added to our 2025 Roster, you’re in great company! Please reach out if you need any updates.

Map

Coming soon!

If you requested a corner placement in your application, we tried our best to accommodate your request, however corner placements are not guaranteed. Please see the map for your booth placement.

Load-in will begin at 7 a.m. on Saturday and at 8 a.m. on Sunday.

Each group will be given 30 minutes to drop your items and load out from their assigned booth locations. Once your car is unloaded, please find parking before you begin setting up your tent or anything else. Everyone will have until 11 a.m. to set-up. There will be staff on hand to help direct cars loading in.

Saturday’s Load-In Assignments

Group 1 / 7–7:30 a.m.:

Odd numbered Booths 1-99
Load in from the east, going west on Division St. starting at Marshfield Ave. Drive along the north side of Division St. until you reach your booth (marked in chalk on the pavement).

Even numbered Booths 2-100
& Participants located on the south extension of Winchester Ave.
Load in from the east, going west on Division St. starting at Marshfield Ave. Drive along the south side of Division St. until you reach your booth (marked in chalk on the pavement).

Group 2 / 7:30–8 a.m.:

Odd numbered Booths 101-199
& Participants located on the north extension of Wolcott Ave.
Load in from the east, going west on Division St. starting at Marshfield Ave. Drive along the north side of Division St. until you reach your booth (marked in chalk on the pavement).

Even numbered Booths 102-200
& Participants located on the south extensions of Wolcott Ave. or Honore St.
Load in from the east, going west on Division St. starting at Marshfield Ave. Drive along the south side of Division St. until you reach your booth (marked in chalk on the pavement).

Group 3 / 8–8:30 a.m.:

Odd numbered Booths 201-285
& Participants located on the north extension of Wood St.
Load in from the east, going west on Division St. starting at Marshfield Ave. Drive along the north side of Division St. until you reach your booth (marked in chalk on the pavement).

Even numbered Booths 202-286
& Participants located on the south extensions of Wood St. or Hermitage St.
Load in from the east, going west on Division St. starting at Marshfield Ave. Drive along the south side of Division St. until you reach your booth (marked in chalk on the pavement).

Group 4 / 8:30–9 a.m.:

Odd numbered Booths 287-351
& Participants located on the north extension of Paulina St.
Load in from the east, going west on Division St. starting at Marshfield Ave. Drive along the north side of Division St. until you reach your booth (marked in chalk on the pavement).

Even numbered Booths 288-354
& Participants located on the south extension of Paulina St.
Load in from the east, going west on Division St. starting at Marshfield Ave. Drive along the south side of Division St. until you reach your booth (marked in chalk on the pavement).

Load In Procedure

Vendors may drive their vehicles on to Division St. heading west from Ashland Ave.
The site plan begins at Division and Marshfield.
Drive your car on the side of the street where your booth is located. Odd numbered booths are located on the north side of the street, and even numbered booths are on the south side of the street.
Booth numbers will be marked on the ground in chalk.
Find your booth, quickly unload, and immediately exit the site plan before setting up.
You can exit by driving west on Division St. to Damen Ave. and find parking from there.

Other Load in Options

We suggest taking the first parking space you can find in the neighborhood nearest to your booth placement on Division St. and use a hand truck or cart to load in from there to avoid congestion within the site plan.
If you take a ride share to the site plan, you can have them drop you off at the closest side street to your booth off of Division St. This will help free up parking in the area for shoppers as well.

Notes:

Please follow instructions from our load in team and security.
If you arrive earlier than your load-in time, you will not be permitted to enter the site. We are setting up and prepping for your arrival up to load in time and appreciate your patience!
Vendors are not permitted to spread out into empty booths outside of their assigned booth footprint. Please come see us at the Info Booth on the south side of Division at Honore if you’d like to upgrade your booth size.
If you have rented a canopy, that will be in place for you upon arrival.
If you rented tables, chairs or racks you will need to pick them up from one of two Rental Depots closest to your booth, located on the northeast corner of Wolcott and Division or southwest corner of Hermitage and Division (noted as R on the map). They will be available during load-in. Please return them to the rental depot while loading out on Sunday evening.
We will have a handful of hand trucks available for vendors to use for load-in and out. The hand trucks will be available on a first-come-first-served basis at the rental depots and will require a photo I.D. as collateral.
This site plan is open to the public walking around during set up so please keep that in mind, and be ready for customers ready to shop at 11 a.m. each day.

After loading in, you can find paid street parking in the area, but it can be hard to come by and is not guaranteed.

We have some security roaming throughout the site plan overnight, but please note that this is a public venue; we strongly encourage you to take your merchandise and anything valuable with you for the night.

If you choose to leave your displays, merchandise, etc., please note that anything you leave overnight is done so at your own risk. Renegade Craft Fair will not be responsible for any damages or theft that may occur.

Keep an eye on what the weather will be like overnight and on Sunday morning. If you bring your own tent, lowering it at night and covering all sides will help protect against wind and weather. An even safer practice is to remove the top and use it to tarp your displays, eliminating all possibility for wind to lift your tent or canopy, or for it to collapse under severe wind or rain.

Breakdown begins at 7 p.m. on both days and cars will not be allowed on Division until after 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Please do not pack up early! Load-out will happen the same way as load-in.

Please help us make this a smooth and easy load-out by packing up your booth prior to loading out. Due to the high traffic nature of the area, we encourage vendors to hand-cart or carry your items back to your vehicle at the end of the event. If you do need to bring your car around, please have absolutely everything packed and ready to go and be prepared to wait until the Fair site is mostly clear.

Vendors are responsible for disposing of their own trash at the end of the night! Thank you for doing your part, we appreciate it.

In the event that an emergency situation forces Renegade Craft to evacuate, we must do so in a calm and safe manner. The below information is to help you best prepare yourself and your staff in case of evacuation.

If possible, Renegade will send communication to our vendors via email in the event of an evacuation or emergency.

Before the Fair

❖ We recommend you have a plan in place with your lead on-site managers. These leads can change day to day, so please make sure they are aware of your plan each day/shift.
❖ Have contact info for all employees working that day, for all shifts, not just the present.
❖ Have a designated safe house, this could be a vehicle or planned location ahead of time so that all employees can be accounted for.
❖ Designate a time to meet back at the venue after evacuation.
❖ Use technology to keep staff informed and updated. There are mass texting services that can help with this, but the best course is just to start a group text or email chain at the beginning of the day with all of your employees that day on it.
❖ If there is a possibility of evacuation due to weather, we will try to notify you ahead of time and we will keep you updated as decisions are being made via email to contacts you provided before the event and in person, when applicable.
❖ If there are warnings of evacuation, prepare your space by putting away stock in sealable tubs with lids, and tie down all equipment that could move around during high winds and rain. An alternative to this is tarping your space, be sure to secure tarps with rope and not bungee cords. Leave all large heavy equipment. Begin to taper off sales and stop cooking food (food vendors)

Evacuation Procedure

❖ If we have to evacuate the fair, you will be notified either directly or via email.
❖ In the event of an evacuation, all equipment must be turned off and all fires extinguished.
❖ In the event of evacuation, we will be turning off all nonessential electric generators and propane. Generators that supply electricity to food vendors will remain on to ensure proper food safety temperatures are maintained.
❖ In the event of evacuation leave all equipment behind, have your necessities on you, and exit the park through the nearest exit.
❖ Once evacuated, meet your staff at your designated safe house and do a headcount.
❖ Wait for the weather/cause of evacuation to subside and wait for updates prompted from us via email.

After Evacuation

❖ Await messaging before returning to the venue.
❖ Upon returning to the fair, assess your space, equipment, and note any damage that may have occurred due to weather.

FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Booth fee invoices will be sent on August 5 via QuickBooks. Booth fee invoices are due upon receipt; we appreciate your prompt payment!

Booth Sizes + Prices

5’x10′ Shared Booth – $390
10’x10′ Full Booth – $815
10’x20′ Double Booth – $1665
Vehicle – Fee determined by footprint
Food Truck – 15% of Gross Sales w/$200 minimum. Please report your sales to us asap via email to Info@RenegadeCraft.com.

If you requested an upgraded corner placement and received one, we email you an invoice on or after August 20 ($50 for a shared booth, $100 for full booths, $150 for double booths).

In the event you must cancel your participation:

If you cancel before or on the cancellation deadline of August 10, we will cancel your invoice. If you cancel your participation after the cancellation deadline of August 11, we cannot offer a refund.
The $35 application fee for each event canceled is nonrefundable.
Once you cancel, you forfeit your spot in the Fair and you are not permitted to sell or trade your space.

All vendors making sales in Illinois are required to report and pay all tax due based on their total receipts within ten (10) days of the close of the Fair.

Once accepted into the event, you can use the Illinois Department of Revenue Special Event Tax Coupon to send to the Department of Revenue along with your payment.

For more information about Illinois sales tax, please visit the Illinois Department of Revenue website. Renegade takes no responsibility for calculating, reporting, or otherwise having any involvement with such reporting, other than to make you aware of the requirements based on our understanding of IL State regulations with regards to sales at Special Events.

We are required to supply a list to the IL Department of Revenue with participating vendor information, including:

1) the name of the business
2) business address
3) individual contact person
4) IL Department of Revenue tax account number (IBT Number) if you have one

How and When to Pay

If you are an existing business in the State of Illinois with an IBT number, and you regularly make payments to the State, you can include your sales at Renegade with your regular filings. There’s no need to make a separate payment using the coupon provided in the Participation Kit.

If you are not an existing business in the State of Illinois, don’t have an IBT number, or don’t make regular payments to the State, simply use the coupon found in your Participation Kit to remit payment within 10 days of the event as per the instructions on the coupon.

All vendors selling consumable, ingestible, food or beverages must submit the following materials to participate in the event. Please email your materials to info@renegadecraft.com as soon as possible and no later than August 7.

Vendors who do not submit completed materials by this date will not be permitted to participate in the event, and their booth fee will be refunded.

After the event, please email us a gross sales report to info@renegadecraft.com, and we will invoice you for the 15% participation fee minus the $200 deposit already paid.

For food/drink requiring assembly or cooking onsite, or that’s sold in packaging that will be opened and sampled to customers, the following materials are required:

Copy of Temporary Special Event Food Single Event License (apply here) -OR- Copy of 180-day Special Event Food License obtained from the City of Chicago.
Chicago Summer Festival Sanitation Certificate. The city requires that one person with the certificate be present at the event at all times.
Chicago Department of Public Health Inspection Record -OR- inspection record/sanitation certificate from the City/State where you reside.
Certificate of General Liability Insurance, listing Renegade Craft Fair, Inc. as additionally insured. Our address is 205 North Michigan Avenue Suite 810 Chicago, IL 60601.
Diagram showing booth layout and location of gravity fed hand wash station. It is preferred that you have your own sink within your booth footprint, but if needed, one hand wash station will be provided at each concessions area of the fair, and pre-packaged vendors are permitted to use the concessions sink. We can share the locations with you, but they won’t be placed at your booth.

For food/drink sold in closed packaging that will NOT be opened or sampled, the following materials are required:

Chicago Department of Public Health Inspection Record -OR- inspection record/sanitation certificate from the City/State where you reside.
Certificate of General Liability Insurance, listing Renegade Craft Fair, Inc. as additionally insured. Our address is 205 North Michigan Avenue Suite 810 Chicago, IL 60601.

For Food Trucks, the following materials are required:

Copy of Food Truck Permit
Certificate of General Liability Insurance, listing Renegade Craft Fair, Inc. as additionally insured. Our address is 205 North Michigan Avenue Suite 810 Chicago, IL 60601.

An Important Note: Any risk in not providing the above documentation is assumed by the vendor and not Renegade Craft. We don’t know ahead of time whether or not an on-site inspection of our event will occur. Safety at our events is paramount, and it is on the individual vendor to remain compliant. For questions about health and safety requirements and permitting, please contact the Chicago Department of Public Health at (312) 747-9884.

Our community has the power to create transformational change in our society! When preparing for Renegade, we encourage you to implement the below environmentally-sustainable practices into your setup. We understand there may be cost, privilege, and access barriers to some of these suggestions, but we appreciate you making changes whenever possible.

Encourage your followers to walk, carpool, or use public transportation to get to the event.
Avoid using single-use decor items, such as balloons, confetti, and plastic tablecloths. Opt for decor that you can reuse or repurpose into something else.
For booth decor and printing, shop from local businesses rather than big box stores whenever possible.
Utilize QR codes, dry-erase boards, blackboards, or other signage instead of handing out paper materials.
Avoid handing out single-use items, such as plastic bags, paper receipts, or disposable serving-ware.
If paper materials are needed, reduce the size and number of materials, print double-sided, or use recycled content paper.
When you’re finished setting up, utilize public transportation to get to-and-from the event.
Utilize containers that can be reused or recycled, and avoid individually wrapping your products.
Monitor your use of electricity and turn off equipment at night or when not in use.
Be mindful of disposing waste and follow recycling signage and guidelines.
Bring your own reusable water bottles and refill where you can.
Donate or give away anything you don’t need at the end of the event instead of trashing it.
At the end of the event, make sure you leave nothing behind.

Here is a link to the Participation Agreement that you electronically signed during the application process. We are excited to work together!

Be on the watch out for people or businesses that are contacting Renegade applicants and vendors and attempting to get them to pay for products or services that are not authorized through us. Many are simply scams or misleading association with us, so even if some are offering legitimate services, we do not endorse any of these companies sending these solicitations, and you are not required to use them.

Examples include: selling our attendee or mailing list to vendors. Accepting application and/or booth fees directly (we only ever take registration through the Renegade Craft website). Hotel discounts and deals that are not affiliated with us. And other similar products and services.

If you see any of these types of solicitations via email, Facebook, Instagram, or other sites please report them through the appropriate channels. Thank you for your help!

We’d love to hear about your experience after the Fair. Take our survey to let us know. You could win a free booth at an upcoming fair ✿