Kawaii Fall Festival

Applications will be open until Sept 12 11:59PM. Applications are subject to close early should there be a large amount of applications.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis during the application open period, and up to a week (7 days) after the applications close. Please allow up to one week (7 days) after your application has been submitted for review. 

There will be options for vendor placement, as well as sponsor vendors, that will determine the pricing of the booths available. We would also like to offer a discount to those who are willing to volunteer to either setup or cleanup the festival with us for at least an hour either way. Many hands make light work!

AI art policy:

Please note that we do not allow prominently AI art booths. We believe Kawaii culture comes from the heart, and is often reflected in handmade and traditional works that exhibit unique personality that AI simply can't replicate. Booths that show art pieces that are entirely or mostly generated using AI will be rejected. We ask for art booths to please show examples of your art process for at least one piece (like WIP photos) to verify authenticity that your work is your own. WIP videos on your socials or websites are even better! If this is not provided, we will be reverse image searching and using AI art checkers and plagrarism checkers websites to verify your works. Even with these checks, online checkers do not catch everything. If we are notified about prominently AI art at your booth during the event, you will be asked to remove the AI piece. If multiple items at your booth are AI pieces, you will be asked to leave the event early due to our non AI art policy.

All vendors & artists must present at least 80% of their table with Kawaii products. Per the internet definitions: "Kawaii is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity. The kawaii aesthetic is characterized by soft or pastel (usually pink, blue, and white) colors, rounded shapes, and features which evoke vulnerability, like chibis, and has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, influencing entertainment (including toys and idols), fashion (such as Lolita fashion), advertising, and product design." Think Hello Kitty/Sanrio, Shoujo manga, overly cute art, pastel colored and soft styled j-fashion clothing, etc.

We will have limited food vendor spots - once full, we can only accept waitlists. We currently only plan for one food vendor, but may be able to have two.

General Information:

• We recommend vendors bring a water bottle, a snack, and some change for cash purchases, as well as a sign of what payment methods you accept. We recommend bringing a table cloth for your table, and signage of your booth name, and pricing (could be a price chart, stickers, etc).
• Setup
  • We will begin setup of the festival at 12pm. Vendors are welcome to start their setup at 2pm. The festival opens to the public at 4pm. Vendors are able to pull up their vehicles to the Anime Paradaisu parking lot until about 3:30 to unload. Please park your vehicles either on the street or at the Oak Park Shopping Center lot across the street once you've finished unloading. If you are running late, please do not pull up your vehicle after 3:30, but you may park in the nearby parking along the street or near the Info booth at the front of the lot to unload.
  • We will put any requested tents, tables, and chairs in your designated spot for you to setup by 2pm. Volunteers will help with setup as vendors arrive. You can find volunteers and event staff at the Info booth near the front of the lot.
  • Vendors should be setup by 4pm when the event starts. You may use Anime Paradaisu's bathroom, but please note they have only a single stall restroom, so the wait may be awhile.
• Cleanup
  • The festival end time is 9pm. Vendors are allowed to pre-close as early as 8pm, and start packing at 8:30pm. 
  • Volunteers may help to pack up if you need assistance. If you are able, please fold up your rental chairs and tables, and leave them laying in your booth spot for us to pickup. If you are able, please also close up the tent, and lay it in your booth spot for pickup.
  • Please ensure you toss all your trash into trashcans along the sidewalk and picnic tables. We want to ensure the lot is as clean as we found it.

Vendors may come to the Info desk for a bottle of water at any time as long as supplies last. Please stay hydrated <3

The Info Desk is where you will find the Event Coordinator, Volunteers, water bottles, and is also where attendees can purchase activity booth game tickets, as well as start and end the Mononoke Kodama Scavenger Hunt. The Info Desk will be located near the front of the lot.

Service Animals are always allowed - so please be mindful of those who have service animals to not distract them from their job, and treat them with respect. People may also bring their personal pets. Many times, the animals are well behaved, but if any animals are overly reactive, please let a staff or volunteer know so we can ask them to leave the event,

Hello! Welcome to The Kawaii Fall Festival!

We would love to have your help making this into something better each year!

We are in need of volunteers and staff for a range of tasks:

• Volunteers are unpaid helpers that do receive a few perks in exchange for their assitance. Perks include: Water bottles & snacks to refuel at the Info Booth, a voucher for a free warm drink & snack from the Maid Cafe booth, a 10% booth discount if you're also a vendor, take home a Kodama tea light from the scavenger hunt, and a Kawaii Fest T Shirt :)
  • Help with setup (12pm-4pm) this is the time to setup equipment, booth items such as tents, tables, and chairs, signs, string lights, etc.
  • Help vendors and attendees throughout the event (4pm-9pm) with directions, setup, water bottles, and activity booths.
  • Help vendors with cleanup (8:30pm-10pm) this is the time to help vendors break down their booths (if needed), fold up chairs, tables, and tents as vendors finish cleaning up, and then collect all of these items to put on a collection truck at the end. We also will collect any trash left behind to go into the trashcans along the sidewalk, and clean up the activity booths and stage areas. 
• Staff are volunteers with added responsibilities. Staff will be paid a $50 stipend for these additional responsibilities, and will receive the volunteer perks as well. 
  • Organize the Free Activities (2pm-9:30pm)
    • There will be two events that will need someone to take charge :) 
      • Kawaii Fashion Showcase
        • This is a free to participate activity for attendees to show off their favorite kawaii outfits from lolitawear to harajuku fashion! Overall this is a simple showcase - no particular prizes as it is not a contest. Just an opportunity to walk the stage to show off one's outfits and share how they made it or where they bought it from, sharing the joys of their outfits or collections with fellow enthusiasts. 
        • Your role for this is to take sign ups at the Info Booth leading up to the showtime (4-6pm), with you being the host for the Showcase being from 6-7pm (or end earlier if there's not a lot of participants)
      • Scavenger Hunt: Mononoke Kodamas
        • For this activity, attendees will approach the Info Desk to start the search for the kodamas, then they must walk around the festival to search for these kodamas along with hints where to find the next ones. They must present a selfie with the final kodama to a staff or volunteer at the Info Desk to obtain a prize. 
        • Your role for this is to organize the scavenger hunt itself - finding unique spots to hide them (could be within our activity booths, in the  AP shop, or at vendor booths) with the first one at the Info Desk to get it going, working with vendors who would like to participate, and putting together the prizes for winners. This is a passive activity during the event, so most of the work for this is planning beforehand.
  • Manage the Activity Tent (1pm-9:30pm)
    • The Activity Tent is where special fun activities will take place. Attendees can play a few games such as Ring Toss (on Ramune bottles), Goldfish (toy) scooping, and ghibli-themed souvenir crafts.
      •  You will need to be present to run these activities (reset the games occasionally, give instructions for attendees), take their activity tickets, and give out prizes to winners of the games. We will need some help with putting it all together as well during setup, and packing up at the end of the event. A volunteer or other staff member should be able to relieve you for a break.

General Information: 

• The Kawaii Fall Festival is open October 17th as an evening market-type event from 4pm-9pm. Setup is 12pm-4pm. Cleanup is 8:30pm-10pm.
• For all vendors and staff, anything you may need to unload you may do so by pulling up your vehicle to the lot, then park your car either on the street or at the Oak Park Shopping Center lot across the street. 
• There will be some water bottles & snacks available at the Info Desk for volunteers, staff, and vendors. There will be a food truck, and the Maid Cafe as food and drink vendors. 

Hello! Welcome to Kawaii Fall Fest 2026!

This year, we are hosting a simple, runway style Kawaii Fashion Showcase! 

This is not a competition, but rather an opportunity to showcase your favorite J-Fashion outfits with other particpants who enjoy J Fashion too! You'll walk on stage briefly to show it off, and you can optionally talk about it to your fellow particpants if you'd like to share how you made it, altered it, where you bought it, what brand/clothing line it's from and so forth, to connect with other J-Fashion fans! 

Sign up is free, it's just to know how many people to expect. Sign ups will be open until the Fashion Showcase starts at 6pm on Oct 17 2026. There will be one hour from 6-7pm to participate.

We hope you enjoy connecting with other fans of the Kawaii & J Fashion scene, and have fun!