Nonprofit Application - 2025 Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival

On-Time Application Deadline:  February 1, 2025. 

***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

• Only government entities and IRS 501(c)(3) organizations engaging in activities that support the local community are eligible for a nonprofit booth space.  
  • Non profits must be able to show proof of 501(c)(3) status.
• Submission of this application does not guarantee acceptance into the festival. There are a very limited number of booth spaces for nonprofit exhibitors.
• All applications will be juried. Prospective participants should make their best case to the jury with this submission of the application and photos. Applicants should assume their organization is unknown to the jury even if they have participated in the festival in the past.
• Please describe your proposed booth activities fully. Include giveaways, theme, messaging, any other relevant information.
• Please do NOT answer questions designated OFFICE USE ONLY.  
• THIS IS A RAIN OR SHINE EVENT.

Organization Criteria

The Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival promotes a theme of landscaping, plants, flowers, gardening, lawn care and outdoor living.  Our jury will select qualifying organizations (government entities and IRS 501(c)(3) non profits) that actively support the local community and also propose a booth that will enhance the festival in line with our theme.  Among eligible applicants, extra consideration will be given to:   

1. Organizations based in the Town of Leesburg, providing services to Town residents.
2. Organizations based in Loudoun County, providing services to Town of Leesburg residents.
3. Other local, regional, and national organizations, providing services to Town of Leesburg residents.

*Equally qualified applicants will be chosen at random for the very limited number of spots.

Application Deadline: February 1, 2025 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:PLEASE RETAIN FOR YOUR RECORDS 

Booth Operations and Conduct:

• 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 and exhibitors 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.
• Location:  Nonprofit booths will likely be located in a designated area in the post office parking lot, just off of East Market Street. Location is subject to change.
• 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 against the curb or as directed by event staff.  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 and 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.
  • Tents may not exceed 10 feet in width by 10 feet in length.
  • 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.
  • Nothing shall be placed on the sidewalks or interfere with nearby buildings, entrances, walkways, or residences.
  • 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 to not 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 giveaway items or dispense information as specified in your application.
  • Any changes must be approved by festival management before event weekend.
  • Excess supplies must be kept from public view or stored in your vehicle. Tables tents, canopies, and merchandise may be left set-up each evening, should you choose to do so and 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.
  • 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.
• 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 is not available in nonprofit area.  
  • 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Nonprofit Organization Additional Terms

• Eligibility: This application is only available for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and government entities.
• Nonprofit organizations are prohibited from conducting sales within the event.  Non-profit spaces are for raising public awareness, sharing information, and collecting donations only.
  • Giveaways are permitted, subject to festival organizer approval and must be disclosed in the application.  
  • Non-profit applicants who are raising funds for national or regional organizations such as walks, runs, marathons, etc. will not be considered.
• Organizations must commit to exhibit both days and have booth staffed during all festival hours.  Those who do not may not be asked back in the future.
• Nonprofit organizations may NOT involve or share space with another organization without explicit permission from festival management..