Exhibitor / Retail Vendor Application - 2025 Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival

Applications received after 1/8/25 will be considered late and a late fee will apply. Late applicants will be placed on a waitlist.

*Please read all instructions, criteria, terms and conditions before starting the application.*

APRIL 26 & 27, 2025

Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival is held each spring on the streets of historic downtown Leesburg, Virginia. This award-winning festival showcases beautiful flowers, plants, and landscaping along with the best of gardening and outdoor living products and services.  The event draws tens of thousands of visitors each year from near and far. So, get your wagon ready and join us at the 35th Annual Flower and Garden Festival. 

Application Tips

• Submission of this application does not guarantee acceptance into the festival, even if applicant meets all criteria.
• All applications will be juried. Prospective vendors should make their best case to the jury with this submission of the application and photos.  Applicants should assume their business is unknown to the jury even if they have participated in the festival in the past. 
• Be sure to read the photo requirement and supply the best examples of your product.  Applications WITHOUT required photos will be placed on the waitlist.  
• This application is for vendors selling and promoting products and services that meet event criteria listed below.  Food vendors preparing and serving food on site must use the separate food concessions application to be posted in November 2024.
• Nonprofit organizations may apply for a paid booth space with this application or apply for a limited number of fee-free nonprofit spaces on the Nonprofit Application to be posted in November 2024.  In all cases booths should align with event criteria and acceptance is never guaranteed.
• Booth spaces are assigned based on availability.  Vendors may request particular locations or multiple adjacent spaces; however, requested booth quantity, sizes and locations are not guaranteed, even if accepted.
• Please list all items you intend to sell. Items not listed will not be permitted at the event.
• Please do NOT answer questions labeled OFFICE USE ONLY.  
• Application fee is charged at time of submission and is nonrefundable, even if applicant is not accepted.  Booth fees will be charged on the same card at a later date if vendor is accepted into the festival.
• THIS IS A RAIN OR SHINE EVENT.

Vendor Criteria

The Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival promotes a theme of landscaping, plants, flowers, gardening, lawn care and outdoor living.  Our jury selects a curated group of vendors selling products and services that fit with this theme and bring something unique to the event.  Please keep in mind that not all who meet the criteria will be selected.  Nearly all vendors will fall into one of these categories:  

1. Landscaper - This category is for landscape companies. These large exhibitor spaces must be landscaped with live plant material. Landscaped gardens will be entered in our annual landscape display People’s Choice Award Competition.
2. Live Plant Material - This category is for vendors who are selling primarily live plants, trees, and flowers.
3. Garden Related Products - Products and services that make gardening and lawn care easier and more enjoyable.
4. Outdoor Living Products - This category is for products or services that encourage and enhance outdoor living at home.
5. Plant Made Products/Packaged Food - Food packaged off site and sold as retail may fall into this category along with products made from plant-based materials.

Festival Specifications & Requirements

Application Deadline for Initial Jury Consideration: January 10, 2025 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:PLEASE RETAIN FOR YOUR RECORDS 

• Confirmation: You will receive an on-screen confirmation that your application has been received immediately upon submission.  You will receive notification of your status no later than five weeks after the application deadline.  Acceptance or Waitlist notifications will come through Eventeny to the email address on your account.  Please be on the lookout.  Please also remember that submission of application does NOT guarantee acceptance and participation in the festival.
• Regulations: Vendors are required to meet all federal, state and local health and fire codes, including inspections when required.  Please contact the Loudoun County Health Department and/or Fire Marshal"s Office with questions
• Refund Policy:If you cancel at least sixty (60) days prior to the event, you will receive a refund of 25% your processed booth fee. Booth fees are processed once you are accepted into the show. Application fee is charged upon receipt of application.  Application fee is not part of the booth space fee and is fully non-refundable after submission. 
• Booth Load In & Set-up: The festival staff will assign specific arrival and load-in times, staging locations, and parking locations to ensure orderly set-up.  Vendors must follow instructions as sent in pre-event packet.
  • Landscapers will be given Friday evening set up times beginning at 6:00pm.
  • Other vendors may be assigned Friday set up times when and if the festival layout allows. 
  • Remaining vendors will load in early Saturday morning.
  • All booths must be set up and vehicles must be off the street before 9:30am each morning of the festival.
• Vehicles: Festival organizers may limit the number of vehicles vendors and exhibitors (including landscapers) are permitted to bring on the street at one time.  Please plan to load in and out with the minimum number of necessary vehicles.
• Tents & Booth Space: Vendors should consider a tent for coverage in case of rain. 
  • All tents must be set up with legs against the curb.  All boxes and supplies on the ground must be set up one foot (12”) from the curb to provide room for water to flow freely. Displays, supplies, and chairs  may not overstep outlined space.  All vendor equipment and other items, including generators (if approved), must remain within the booth space and dimensions at all times.
  • Nothing may be placed on the sidewalks or interfere with nearby buidlings, entrances, walkways, and residences. 
  • Tents may not exceed 10 feet in width.
  • All tents will be set up on asphalt or other hard surface and may not be staked.
  • Tents must be properly weighted at all four corners.
  • Tent must be fire retardant. No Smoking signs must be posted on tent/canopy.
  • Vendor’s booth must not interfere with or intrude upon adjacent exhibits or open buffers in any way.
  • Vendors shall be liable for delivery, handling, erection and removal of their own displays and materials.  Event staff WILL NOT be able to carry or set up any part of a booth.
• "No Show” Policy:  Please note that if you are selected to participate and then choose not to participate for any reason, including inclement weather, you will not be eligible to participate in the following year’s event.
• Sharing Space: Vendors may NOT sublet any portion of their space or share space with another vendor or organization.
• Merchandise: Vendors may only sell items or dispense information as specified in your application.  Please list everything you intend to display or sell.
  • Festival Management will determine through its selection process whether merchandise is acceptable. Vendor may display or sell only juried merchandise as listed on the accepted application.
    • Festival organizers reserve the right to veto certain items as a condition of acceptance.
    • Vendors selling non-approved merchandise may be asked to leave the event. 
    • Applicants may request to add new product after submission.  Permission may be given at organizers" discression.
  • Excess inventory must be kept from public view or stored in your vehicle.
  • Tables tents, canopies, and merchandise may be left set-up each evening, at your own risk of loss. The Town of Leesburg Police Department will patrol the festival area during non-show hours; however, the decision to leave your materials and merchandise set up, rather than stored, is yours alone and the Town of Leesburg, the event organizers, and sponsors assume no responsibility for damages to or theft of your booth and merchandise.
• Booth Breakdown & Load Out: Festival staff will assign specific load-out times to ensure orderly breakdown.  Vehicle access to the street will be allowed only at staff direction. 
  • All materials must be completely removed from the streets. All trash and debris needs to be removed by vendor.
  • Mulch used in landscape displays will be removed from street by The Town of Leesburg.  All other material must be removed by landscaper.
• During Festival Hours: The booth must be open and staffed during regular festival hours. Any vendors arriving late, leaving early, or breaking down during show hours may be refused entrance to future festivals.
• Soliciting: Vendors may not leave their booth space to approach or solicit event attendees
• Conduct: Vendors and their staff must exhibit professional behavior at all times while on the festival site.
  • Festival management reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine what constitutes professional behavior.
  • Violation of this rule may result in the vendor, their staff, and exhibits being excluded from the show site with no refund. This may impact your acceptance into future shows.
  • All staff or volunteers working in a vendor"s space must be made aware of and held to all included terms and rules.
  • Exhibitors and vendors are responsible for the conduct of their staff and volunteers.
• Service Animals who are trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability are welcome. Other animals/pets are not permitted.
• Sound: No microphones, amplified sound, or noisemakers may be used at the festival without the permission of the Festival Management.
• Electricity: Electricity may be requested but is not guaranteed.  All generators must be approved by event staff.
  • Electrical service can not be guaranteed even if you are assigned a booth space that typically has access.  Utility work and construction projects change the availability and are out of our control.  We promise to do our best!
  • If you are unable to run your booth without electricity, please plan to bring a generator or external power bank. 
  • All electrical extension cords and electrical plugs must be the 3-wire, heavy-duty type and U.L. approved. There must also be a ground fault circuit.
  • Generators must be disclosed to (on this application) and approved by festival management.
    • Must be placed within your assigned booth space.
    • Only invertor or "whisper" generators will be approved for vendors and exhibitors.
    • Generators may NOT sit on sidewalk.
  • Any cords exposed to pedestrian traffic must have cord covers to prevent tripping. 
• Trash and Cleanup: Trash must be placed in appropriate receptacles or taken with you. You may not store garbage in the spaces between or behind vendor booths.
• Tax: Vendors are responsible for reporting all applicable Virginia and Town of Leesburg sales tax.
• Food & Beverage vendors have the exclusive right to sell prepared food and beverages of all kinds. Food and beverage may not be sold or distributed by other vendors unless prepackaged and specifically approved by event management.
• Packaged food vendors that intend to distribute samples will require a Temporary Food Permit from Loudoun County Health Department.
• Emergency or Severe Weather:  In case of emergency or severe weather, vendors and exhibitors must follow staff instructions. Part or all of the festival area may close and vendors and exhibitors must cease operations right away.  
• Discrimination:  Vendors may not discriminate against any customer or person on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or military status.

Landscape Display & Competition Terms

• Vehicles and equipment should report to staging lots in advance  of load in as directed in pre-event packet.  Landscape display construction will begin around 6PM on Friday.    
• Any items staged on sidewalk during setup must allow 4 feet of passage for pedestrians.  
• Vehicles will enter event footprint only at staff direction.  They must drop off material or equipment then exit the area. 
  • Vehicles will not be permitted to stack up and prevent other vendors from loading in. 
  • Staff may limit the number of vehicles permitted on the street at one time.
• Landscape display construction should be finished by early Saturday morning.  All vehicles and materials must be off the street before 6:00am to allow for other vendor load in.
• At the conclusion of the festival, Town of Leesburg staff will remove mulch from the streets.  Landscape exhibitors must remove all materials from the street. 
• Electricity is not available in all display areas.  If you require electricity, please communicate that to festival staff upon application.  Access to electricity is NOT guaranteed. 
• Landscape display exhibitors must have liability Insurance written for a combined single limit of at least $1,000,000 each occurrence for bodily injury and property damage. Please include coverage for automobiles. Landscape Display Vendors shall furnish an endorsement to the Town prior to the event.
  • The endorsement shall include the date and location of the event, and must include the Town of Leesburg (25 W Market St) as an additional insured.