Grant Park Conservancy Summer Shade Festival 2025

The Grant Park Conservancy is happy to announce that we will be hosting the 23rd annual Summer Shade Festival in Grant Park!

Artists (Juried and Non Juried) — Items suitable for sale at the Summer Shade Festival are handcrafted items, as well as antiques, furniture, memorabilia, consumables, and other unique items. Handcrafted items are items that are designed and/or made by the exhibitor. Items may not be mass produced. Artist applications will be reviewed and responded to in the order they are received.

Community Partners — If your organization would like to participate in the Summer Shade Festival for outreach and educational purposes only, you may apply as a Community Partner. To qualify as a Community Partner, you must either be (1) a non-profit/community organization, (2) local political candidates or incumbents, (3) local churches, and (4) schools. While Community Partners are not allowed to sell anything from their booths, they are allowed to hand out free samples that representative their organization. Community Partner applications will be reviewed and accepted/rejected as they are received. There are a limited number of Community Partner applications available. 

Jury Scoring — A panel of local artists reviews and scores work in these four areas:

• Level of Achievement - The artist has a consistent body of work that reflects a style and approach to the medium as well as skill in the handling of the medium.
• Technical Skill - The artist’s handling of the media exhibits control, skill, and experience. The design or composition of the work shows an understanding and utilization of the principles of design.
• Concept - The artist works with ideas and effectively reflects an idea, a point of view, or a specific concept.
• Presentation - The work itself is presented appropriately for exhibition. The support materials reflect a professional standard.

Jury Awards - The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place recipients will receive their awards during the festival.

• 1st Place: $250 + complimentary booth for the 2025 Summer Shade Festival
• 2nd Place: $150
• 3rd Place: $100

Animal Welfare Groups — We welcome organizations that work with animal welfare but we do not allow animals on site, caged or otherwise.

Cancellation — Prior to August 1, 2025, refunds of booth fees must be requested in writing. After August 1, 2025, no refunds will be granted. Application fees are nonrefundable.

The Grant Park Conservancy is happy to announce that we will be hosting the 23rd annual Summer Shade Festival in Grant Park!

Booth & Electrical Fees:

10x10: $970.00 + electrical if needed

10x15: $1,130.00 + electrical if needed

10x20: $1,280.00 + electrical if needed

10x30: $1,600.00 + electrical if needed

Pushcarts: $445.00 + electrical if needed

The Festival will determine the location of all food vendors, including push carts.

Application Deadline - Food vendor applications must be submitted by May 16, 2025 to guarantee consideration.

Notification of Acceptance - Accepted vendors will receive notification of the Food Committee's decision no later than June 09, 2025.

Waitlist - The Festival will maintain a waitlist and notify food vendors if/when an opening occurs in a specific category.

Deposit & Fee Payment Schedule - A $40 nonrefundable application fee is due at the time of application. A $250 deposit is due at the time of acceptance. This deposit will be refunded upon completion of the festival, if the booth space is returned in an orderly state. The full booth and electrical payment will be due on July 1, 2025.

Festival load-in occurs on Friday, August 22 starting at 8:00am. Vendors will not be able to load-out on Saturday evening. You must plan on having your booth set up the entire weekend.  Limited street parking is available however, it will fill up quickly.  See below to purchase garage parking passes.