Food Vendor Application

Welcome to the 37th Annual Florida Manatee Festival!! The Florida Manatee Festival is a two-day festival, held annually over Martin Luther King Jr weekend. Join the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce, the City of Crystal River, and over 300 artists, crafters, food vendors, and live entertainment as we bring the 37th Annual Florida Manatee Festival to Crystal River, Florida!
 
Saturday, January 13, 2023 -  9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
Sunday, January 14, 2023 -  9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 
Vendor Setup/Check-In: Only Friday, January 12th from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 
Vendor Tear Down: Sunday, January 14th at 4 p.m.
 

 

 

 

MAJOR food vendor is defined as selling two or more "main menu" items. (examples include but are not limited to: tacos, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and soups). Food vendors may only sell non-alcoholic beverages. Only items you list will be able to be sold on the day of the event. No exceptions. Food vendors will be responsible to meet all guidelines for temporary food service as set forth by the Department of Business and Professional Regulations (DBPR) or the Florida Department of Consumer and Agricultural Services (FDACS). Food vendors shall wear gloves and follow hand washing procedures set forth by the DBPR and FDACS.

 

 

 

Minor and/or impulse-buy food vendor is defined by selling one main food item (examples of minor food include but are not limited to pizza by the slice and/or hamburgers/hotdogs, etc). Minor foods may also be defined: Impulse-buy items are items such as boiled peanuts, cotton candy, frozen lemonades, desserts and/or non-cottage/craft foods. Food vendors may only sell non-alcoholic beverages. Please provide a menu of the minor and/or impulse-buy foods to be sold on the day of the event. Food vendors will be responsible to meet all guidelines for temporary food service as set forth by the Department of Business and Professional Regulations (DBPR) or the Florida Department of Consumer and Agricultural Services (FDACS).

 

 
 

 

 
Terms and Conditions:
 
The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce thanks you for your interest in the 37th Florida Manatee Festival 2024. Please carefully read the following rules necessary for vendors to participate in the event. 
 
Submitting this application does not guarantee booth space at the Florida Manatee Festival. ALL applications will be reviewed for approval. You will be notified by email as quickly as possible upon approval of your application. Please remember that your credit card is charged upon approval of the application.
 
Selection/approval is at the sole discretion of the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce. The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce retains the right to reject any vendor application. All applications must be submitted by December 22, 2023.
 
1. Booth space is sold as 10' L x 10' W. No discount on multiple and/or additional booth spaces. 
2. Electricity is not available for purchase at this event. If you require electricity, you must use a quiet generator. 3. Space assignments are made based on the best interest of the event. There are no guarantees/promises given to vendors as to assigned locations. This application neither implies nor grants any preferential consideration or treatment.
4. Vendors MAY NOT sublet, bring in the representation of a secondary commercial or charity to jointly work a vendor booth, switch product lines of what's been approved, or change the name of what's been approved to be posted to identify the vendor.
5. Event will be held rain or shine. This is an outdoor event with possible uneven terrain, inclement weather, and wind gusts. Please provide proper weights for the corners of your tent. NO STAKES permitted. Proper weights include but are not limited to water buckets, cinderblocks, and sandbags. The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce is not liable for any damage incurred to vendor booths/products during festival hours and/or setup/breakdown.
6. Vehicles (cars, trucks, trailers, golf carts) are not part of vendor space. Vehicles must enter at check-in, receive the assigned space/vendor map, and drop off/load in as quickly as possible. No vehicle will be permitted to remain parked at their assigned space during load-in/set up. Please remember, there will be other vendors needing to load in as well, please be courteous, and move quickly and safely.
7. Vendors MUST be set up and ready to open for business by 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning. No vendor will be permitted to load in on Saturday, January 13th after 8:30 am. Check-in will only be on Friday, January 12th. NO CHECK IN ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 13TH.
8. All vendors are required to be set up and operating Saturday & Sunday. This is a two-day event, rain, or shine. There will be no exceptions, must be set up by 8:30 am on Saturday, January 13th. Break-down/load-out will begin at 4 pm Sunday the 14th.
9. All vendor tents must be a solid, non-flammable, free-standing tent in good condition, without tears or stains, and securely weighed down. Tents must have the ability to withstand strong winds. Tents larger than 10x10 must provide a fire inspection, and fire retardant (stamp, letter).
10. All vendors are responsible for providing their own supplies needed to operate including, but not limited to, tents, tables, chairs, trash receptacles, trash bags, lighting, weights, etc.
11. No smoking / vaping in the vendor space. Please move away from your vendor space and/or food truck to a smoking area.
12. Vendors are required to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner when dealing with festival volunteers/staff, festival attendees, fellow vendors, and established downtown businesses. There is a strict no-tolerance policy regarding foul language, threatening or physically abusive behavior, disregard for the safety and/or property of those around you, or any other behavior that the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce deems unsafe or inappropriate. NON-COMPLIANT vendors will be asked to immediately shut down their location and be removed from the event (safely at the end of the evening). NON-COMPLIANT vendors will not be invited to return to any Citrus County Chamber of Commerce festivals, parades, and/or special events.
13. Booth space must remain clean throughout the weekend. Keep extra inventory, boxes, trash, etc. out of the display area. Vendors must dispose of all trash in one of the event dumpsters. Booth space must be left clean daily; no trash, trash bags, empty boxes or debris may be left behind. Non-compliant vendors are subject to additional clean-up fees and will not be permitted to participate in future Chamber festivals, parades, and/or special events.
14. Vendor identification signs are restricted to 18" high and shall be no longer than the width of the tent.
15. Absolutely no materials that link to, show, or infer sexual content, conduct, or encourage illegal or unethical activity. No lewd, lascivious, and/or slanderous materials against any one race, religion, ethnicity and/or political views. NON-COMPLIANT vendors will be asked to immediately shut down their location and be removed from the event (safely at the end of the evening). NON-COMPLIANT vendors will not be invited to return to any Citrus County Chamber of Commerce festivals, parades and/or special events.
16. Vendor booth/ products will resemble the photo depictions submitted with the application both in quality and appearance.
17. Vendors will receive detailed vendor information, including a placement map, check-in time/location of check-in by Thursday, January 11th, 2024., via EventEny email portal. If vendors do not show up during their outlined check-in timeframe, they will be required to wait until all other vendors have finished checking in. NO CHECK IN ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 13TH.  
18. Vendors will be responsible to fully comply with the Florida State Sales Tax Regulations in effect during the period of the event.
19. Event vendor withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing/email no later than 30 days prior to the event. Refunds will not be given unless notification is submitted no later than 30 days prior. Refunds will be at the Chamber's discretion. There are no refunds for vendors who do not show up/set up for the festival.
20. The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce reserves the right to cancel the event in total/ in part. All aspects of the event are subject to modification. We reserve the right to alter the layout and/or move vendors as needed.
 
FOOD VENDORS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO MEET ALL GUIDELINES FOR TEMPORARY FOOD SERVICE AS SET FORTH BY THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION (DBPR) OR THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AGRICULTURAL SERVICES (FDACS).A COPY OF THE GUIDELINES IS ATTACHED. FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING THE REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES, CONTACT THE DBPR AT 850-487-1395. A DBPR ISSUED LICENSE TO SELL FOOD IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA MUST BE ON SITE DAY of the EVENT.