Setting up at a festival with your homesteading products

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Sweet Success

Fall festivals are a golden opportunity for local vendors to showcase their products. While our homestead focuses on honey products, these steps are applicable to any product you come up with on your homestead. Whether you're a seasoned beekeeper, small-batch producer, or selling things you've made, setting up at an autumn-themed event can help you connect with your community, educate visitors, and boost your sales. Here's a guide to making your booth the buzz of the festival.

1. Plan Your Product Line with the Season in Mind

Fall is all about warmth, comfort, and harvest. Bring that feeling to your table with a variety of honey-based offerings:

• Raw and infused honey (check out this book I use for ideas: https://amzn.to/4frnqK9)

• Honey Jars with Honeycomb inside (People LOVE this stuff)

• Beeswax candles in autumn shapes (leaves, pumpkins)

• Honey sticks (great for kids and impulse buys)

• Soothing lip balms and lotions

• Honey-based baked goods like muffins, cookies, or cornbread (if permitted)

• Gift sets for early holiday shoppers

  (Make these easily with our favorite shrink bags: https://amzn.to/4lhsP7y)

Offer sample-sized jars and festival-only specials to encourage first-time buyers.

Pro Tip: Small products that you can sell for a few dollars or less always sell super well! Festival products aren't always cheap. Parents (and kids!) love our honey sticks, for example, because they can get the kids a treat without spending a fortune. We sold our honey sticks for 50 cents each at one festival and sold over 150 of them!

**Again, this can be applied to any product! Go with the vibe of the season for best results.

2. Design an Inviting Booth

Your booth should reflect the warmth and richness of the season. Think rustic and cozy:

• Use natural textures: burlap, wood crates, fall leaves, and dried flowers. I love these: https://amzn.to/45gE6Py but you can also find some cute ones at thrift stores sometimes!

• Display products on varied levels to catch the eye.

• These tablecloths are super popular at festivals because they don't blow around: https://amzn.to/40VQ3sT (get a basic color so you can use them in spring festivals, too!)

• Include signage with your farm name, story, and product benefits. I like to put these in cute frames.

• Use cute chalkboards to list your prices. I prefer using chalkboard markers (https://amzn.to/3Hgogg4) versus trying to use actual chalk. Rookie mistake at my first festival ;)

• Decorate with sunflowers, gourds, and mini pumpkins to create an inviting feel.

Don’t forget to bring a weatherproof canopy, a sturdy table, and banners that can stand up to wind or drizzle.

3. Educate and Engage

ALWAYS make eye contact, say hello, and be friendly! This is the most important thing. We use festivals as a way to sell our products, but also to make connections and get our name out there.

Festival-goers are curious. Use that to your advantage by creating a hands-on or educational component:

• Offer samples of honey or other products (with disposable tasting spoons or stirrers). (I love these cute sample spoons: https://amzn.to/41pDRRe or these https://amzn.to/41AD6or for a more natural option)

• Display a frame of honeycomb or photos of your bees and hives.

• Share fun facts about bees and pollination—especially appealing to kids.

• Have a "Guess the Queen Bee" game or trivia wheel for small prizes.

People are more likely to buy when they connect with your process and passion.

4. Be Prepared for Sales

Don’t miss a sale because you're unprepared. Make sure you have:

• Plenty of change and a cash box (We love this one: https://amzn.to/4otnmxu because it locks and keeps the money separate for easy handling, but have also thought about using these handy fanny pack type: https://amzn.to/3HqoD7I)

• A credit card reader (Square, Venmo, etc.)

• Bags or boxes for purchased goods (https://amzn.to/4fpBaVA)

• Business cards or flyers with your contact info, website, and social media

• A sign-up sheet for a newsletter or product restock notifications

Keep your display neat and products restocked throughout the day—empty tables look uninviting. These festivals are often social events with friends coming together, and there are tons of other booths to choose from, appearances are important!

5. Leverage the Festival for Marketing

Fall festivals are not just about one-day sales—they're a springboard for future business.

• Post photos and stories on social media before, during, and after the event.

• Encourage customers to tag you in their photos with your products.

• Run a small giveaway for those who follow you on Instagram or sign up for your email list.

• Partner with other vendors for cross-promotion (e.g., honey + tea or honey + bread bundles). We had another vendor create dish towels that incorporated our honey theme. She made money, and we were able to sell them for a small profit, but also use them in our gift baskets!

Easily assemble your gift baskets with products you already have!

Put some cute filler (https://amzn.to/45s3uSK) and voila!

Shrink bags here (super easy!): https://amzn.to/3Hs5hPF

Be mindful of the size!

Final Thoughts

Selling honey (or other products) at a fall festival is more than a business opportunity—it’s a chance to celebrate the harvest, share your story, and build lasting relationships with customers who care about local and natural products. With a warm display, thoughtful products, and an engaging presence, your booth can truly shine this autumn.

So pack your jars, polish your signage, and get ready to make some sweet memories!

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