Gastonia Fall Festival

No additional italian ice, lemonade, donut, and funnel cake food trucks/trailers will be accepted. All applications with these cuisines will be waitlisted. 

 

The City of Gastonia's Fall Festival is taking place on October 18 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Rotary Pavilion and downtown Gastonia. The event features food trucks, vendors, a beer garden, free entertainment, live music, free carnival rides and games and more.

We are looking for family-friendly vendors for the event. If you are interested in becoming a vendor for the marketplace, please fill out the below application.

• Food vendor fee: $35 

Application deadline: September 1, 2025. This is an electronic agreement and by selecting the booths, you are validating and approving this agreement electronically. Payment will be charged to card after application is approved. Food truck/trailer spots are extremely limited. Filling out an application does not guarantee approval due to space limitations, cuisine limitations, etc. Once all food truck spots are filled, waitlisted applications will be approved in the order in which they were received and by type of cuisine needed in the case any vendor space becomes available.  

 

Food Vendor Information:

• At this time, only food trucks and trailers are accepted.
• Food Truck set up/break down information:
  • Food trucks must supply their own generator. 
  • Food trucks may either be set up in one of the Rotary Pavilion parking lots, or on Main Ave. 
  • Food truck set up will be around 1:00 PM. A final, confirmed time will be sent out at least two weeks prior to the event.
  • Food truck breakdown is no earlier than 7:00PM and must be completed no later than 8:00PM.
    • You will not be able to bring any additional vehicles onto Main Ave. or the Rotary Pavilion parking lots or have the food truck leave Main Ave. or the pavilion parking lots until the crowds have cleared.
    • Food vendors must provide properly rated fire extinguishers.
    • It is the responsibility of the vendor to keep the booth and surrounding area clean. Each vendor shall leave the area in the same condition as it was found.
    • A final packet going over these regulations and procedures will be sent to the point of contact listed on the application within two weeks before the event.  The packet will also include a site map, timeline, and set up and breakdown information.
  • Health/Permit information:
    • Food vendors must adhere to the regulations set by the Health Department.
    • If applicable, a copy of the Gaston County Health Department permit must be uploaded in this application.
      • Vendors are required to adhere to all applicable laws and provisions established by North Carolina, Gaston County Health Department, and the City of Gastonia Police and Fire Departments. Vendors shall adhere to all federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations applicable to its business.
      • Upon approval, the City Event Planner will send the applicant a Gaston County Temporary Food Establishment permit to fill out. If the applicant has filled out this permit in the past, or has exempt food, the application still needs to be completed but the applicant will not have to pay Gaston County the $75 fee. If a permit is needed, the applicant will need to pay Gaston County $75 for the permit.
    • All vendor activities must be suitable for a family event. Offensive materials, ads, or public displays will be removed and participation refused.
    • The site map, set up information and timeline will be sent via Eventeny at least two weeks prior to the event.

The City of Gastonia's Fall Festival is taking place on October 19 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Rotary Pavilion and downtown Gastonia. The event features food trucks, vendors, a beer garden, free entertainment, live music, free carnival rides and games and more.

 

We are looking for family-friendly vendors for the event. If you are interested in becoming a vendor for the marketplace, please fill out the below application. Application deadline: September 1, 2025.

 

This is an electronic agreement and by signing, you are validating and approving this agreement electronically. Payment will be charged to card after application is approved.  Vendor spots are limited.  Once all vendor spots are filled, waitlisted applicants will still be accepted through the deadline date. If you apply and more spots become available or another vendor cancels, the event organizer will contact waitlisted applications in the order they were received to confirm availability and then approve the application. 

 

Vendor fees:

• Downtown Gastonia businesses: free (contact event organizer for discount code)
• Marketplace vendors: $25 vendor fee
• Unfortunately, no power is available this year for vendors. 
• No food truck, food cart, or food trailer vendors are accepted under this application. Please view Fall Festival Food Truck/Trailer Application to apply as a food truck or food trailer. 

Vendor Guidelines and Information:

• All vendors will be allowed to display their goods on 10/19/24 from 3:00PM to 7:00PM.
• Booth set up/break down information:
  • Individual vendor booth area is 10ft x 10ft.
  • Vendors will be set up on Main Ave. between 321 and Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd. in downtown Gastonia. 
    • You will be able to pull one vehicle up to your spot at a time and unload. As soon as you unload, you need to move your car to a parking lot nearby (parking lot on 321 or lot between S. South St. and 321.)
    • Vendors are responsible for providing their own table(s), chair(s), and tent.
      • Tents must not exceed 10ft x 10ft and they must be secured with tent weights or sandbags. 
  • Only space is provided. If you need power (one outlet), the extra fee is $15. 
  • Do not block private drives, entrances, or doors. Be respectful of private property.
  • No generators allowed.
  • Booth set up will be around 1:00 PM. A final, confirmed time will be sent out at least two weeks prior to the event.
  • Booth breakdown is no earlier than 7:00PM and must be completed no later than 8:00PM.
    • You will not be able to bring any vehicles onto Main Ave. until the crowds have cleared.
  • It is the responsibility of the vendor to keep the booth and surrounding area clean. Each vendor shall leave the area in the same condition as it was found.
• Vendor booths serving food:
  • Vendor booths may not grill or smoke any food. 
  • Vendors serving food out of their booths will have to fill out a Temporary Food Establishment permit with Gaston County. This will be sent to the applicant upon approval. If the applicant has filled out this permit in the past, or has exempt food, the application still needs to be completed but the applicant will not have to pay Gaston County the $75 fee. If a permit is needed, the applicant will need to pay Gaston County $75 for the permit.
  • Vendors are required to adhere to all applicable laws and provisions established by North Carolina, Gaston County Health Department, and the City of Gastonia Police and Fire Departments. Vendors shall adhere to all federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations applicable to its business.
• All vendor activities must be suitable for a family event. Offensive materials, ads, or public displays will be removed and participation refused.
• A final packet going over these regulations and procedures will be sent via Eventeny messaging within two weeks of the event. The packet will also include a site map, timeline, and set up and breakdown information.

Volunteers may be assisting with vendor load in/load out, contests, carnival games, or inflatables. Volunteers will need to report to the Rotary Pavilion at their shift start time. There will be a volunteer check in table set up behind the pavilion. Volunteers will need to check in and get their volunteer information packet. These packets will also be emailed to all volunteers prior to the event date. Drinks and snacks will be available throughout the shift at the check in table. All volunteers will be assigned in a group of two minimum. At least one person needs to be at the volunteer post throughout the entire event. Please give each other breaks since you are in a group.