It’s important to be prepared for an outdoor craft fair because the weather isn’t always going to be perfect. The two biggest culprits? Wind and rain. You should always go to a show with a Plan B for inclement weather. Not only should you plan beforehand for your craft booth setup, but you should have a Plan B setup if the weather gets rough such as some heavy rain. Make sure your craft booth design is a layout that can be adjusted for increment weather. For instance, if you have a jewelry display that doesn’t bode well with windy conditions, then you should have an alternative display option ready. Plus, if you practice setting up your Plan B ahead and once the inclement weather hits, you’ll already know what to do, so you can quickly move things around or set up. You don’t want all your selling time to go to waste because you don’t know what to do in the case of bad weather.
Wind
When it comes to preparing your craft booth for an outdoor craft fair, it can be easy to forget about preparing for the wind. If it’s a blustery day, then the weather can affect your craft booth design and your displays (or your neighbor’s displays!).
You can easily combat the wind by ensuring that the tent is solidly weighed down on all four corners. It’s even a great idea to make your own weights in order to hold down your tablecloths and signage. This will ensure that your booth is safe and still easy to browse. There are tons of ideas for DIY weights for your craft booth and these are a few of our favorite easy projects:
Crochet Tablecloth Weights: this tutorial is simple and the perfect tablecloth weight.
Striped Drawstring Pouch: make a drawstring pouch to both house and disguise your weights.
Yarn Wrapped Pattern Weights: simply use your leftover yarn in order to decorate some handy weights.
Rain
Add a waterproof sealant to your tent fabric or you can pack a plastic tarp to line the inside of your booth with. This will help protect your tent and your merchandise from heavy rainfall. If you find yourself with a muddy floor for your tent booth, then you can try interlocking foam pads to cover your ground. This can work better than hay or a rug, and you simply hose off the pads once you’re done with the show. The pads can be especially helpful if you find the legs of your displays are sinking into the muddy ground.
In addition to protecting your merchandise and your tent, you should remember yourself when it comes to a rainy craft fair. Pack yourself an extra set of clothes such as a rain jacket and boots in case it gets muddy!
Comment below and let us know, what’s your best tip for weatherproofing your craft booth?
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All my craft fairs are outside so I have learned to assume that it will be windy. I bought $1 plastic picture frames to display signs. They have a ledge on the bottom (back) and I place fabric tubes that I have filled with sand. The material matches or coordinates with my displays and they keep the signs where I want them. I also made other tubes that I use as weights throughout my tables if it really gets windy. Also, a trip through a gem and rock shop, or a trip to the woods can sometimes get you some colorful “gems” or oddly shaped stones to scatter around. I have a town festival at Christmas that I have to set my tent up on the street. I am disabled so I can not lift anything too heavy. I went to the local hardware store and bought bright, shiny small buckets for about $4. I filled gallon zip lock bags with pebbles or sand and place them in the buckets. I tie the bucket handles to long clothesline or bungie cords and attach them to the top of the tent and make sure it is secure and tight. I wrap garland or something eye catching so the cords and buckets are noticeable — some branches stuck in the buckets look great and can be used as a display. Have had several other vendors “borrow” my idea and I love seeing them.
That’s a grand idea
Great ideas here for bad weather conditions. Thank you for shaing!
After our first windy craft fair I made shiny little weights to hold down our note card selection. Large flat marbles look like gems. I spiraled tacky glue on the back of each marble, then when dry reduced the tackyness with fabric. They remain tacky, but will also let go. These gems hold everything down and attract attention. Kids love them and stop their parents to check out our booth.
Beautiful and rustic décor of old tin coffee pots filled with rocks and flowers help to hold down a table cloth. The PVC pipes filled sand and capped off-but wait, use spray glue and cover them with nice material to hang in tent corners. A table cloth with tight mitered corners(drapes over another longer table cloth). The mitered cloth only hangs over table edge about 7-8 inches-so not too hard to put in place. Plus if is a contrasting color to the under cover – even better. Maybe a patterned cover over a plain matching color. Don’t forget to look up how to use a pool noodle to place under tent top to thwart off the puddle pooling/ oops- seems like an arroyo like loose.