Culinary Artist

Downtown South Bend, Inc. invites local culinary artists and food trucks to apply to Art Beat 2026! We love to see a variety of cuisines represented - Korean, Mexican, BBQ, Vegan, Soul Food, and more. Share your culinary talents with the community! 

PARTICIPATION RULES FOR CULINARY ARTISTS

Eligibility: Artists living in the following counties are eligible for participation: St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Marshall and Starke counties in Indiana and Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph counties in Michigan.

Application must be submitted before the deadline: April 24, 2026.

Culinary vendors are required to have an artistic component to their booth. Examples include ornate displays or carvings of food, artistic presentations, demonstrations, inventive pairings, etc.
Linens and 8 ft. tables will be provided to culinary vendors. Please indicate on application how many you will be needing, and provide a general description of your booth layout.
All vendors without an annual permit will need to submit an application for a Temporary Food Permit through the St. Joseph County Health Department at least 7 days prior to event – by August 7, 2026.
Vendors are encouraged to provide a culinary demo at some point during the event, and can email the details (preferred time and content) of their demo to Jessica at jbamber@downtownsouthbend.com.
Culinary Art Village menus will be posted to the Art Beat website in mid July. Please provide your menu details on your application, or, email to Jessica (jbamber@downtownsouthbend.com) prior to July 1.

Culinary Art Village vendors will need to have their booth setup and ready for health department inspection by 10:00 am If the inspection time is scheduled for earlier than 10:00 am vendors will be notified.

All vehicles must be removed from the Art Beat campus by 9:30 am To aid in the flow of traffic during set-up and tear-down, one-way traffic patterns will be established that participants will be required to follow. Information on which streets will be one-way in which direction will be posted on the Art Beat website and will also be distributed in e-newsletters to participants.

No early tear down will be permitted, and to ensure the safety of visitors, no vehicles will be permitted inside the Art Beat campus prior to 7:30 pm

FEES 

All fees are non-refundable. A small credit card processing charge will be added to each fee. The culinary vendor fee for Art Beat is $200 and does NOT include the cost of electricity. If you are accepted, the fee will automatically be charged on July 1 using the card on file with Eventeny/Stripe. 

ELECTRICITY ADD-ON

Medium Load: 13-20 amps (120v) - $75+

• Coffee makers, hot plates, crockpots, small refrigerators, multiple devices running at once. 

High Load: 20-50 amps (120-240V) - $175+

• Fryers, griddles, steam tables, espresso machines, food trucks. 

Vendors are responsible for accurately reporting their expected electricity usage at the time of application. Electricity pricing is determined by self-reported tier selection; however, Downtown South Bend, Inc. reserves the right to assess actual usage on-site and reclassify vendors accordingly. If a vendor is found to be operating equipment that exceeds their selected tier, an additional fee will be assessed to reflect actual usage. By submitting your application, you agree to these terms and acknowledge that accurate reporting of electrical needs is required.

RAIN POLICY:
In case of severe weather, the event will be delayed 24 hours until Sunday, August 16, 11:00 am - 7:00 pm. Event organizers will make this call by noon on Friday, August 14 and notify all participating artists by email as well as post information on the Art Beat website, and DTSB's social media. 

COMMUNICATIONS: 
Informational e-newsletters will be sent out to Art Beat applicants on a regular basis. Applicants are requested to include an email address that is checked frequently in their application so as not to miss important announcements and instructions. Applicants should also check their spam/junk folders to make sure that important Art Beat emails are not hidden. Additionally, the Facebook group "The Artists of Michiana...Unleashed!" is a helpful resource for local artists and event updates. Event info and a list of accepted artists will also be available at ArtBeatSouthBend.org. 

Art Beat participants are encouraged to share and post in the official Art Beat 2026 Facebook Event page. PLEASE DO NOT CREATE YOUR OWN ART BEAT FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE as it confuses visitors as to which is the real one, causing them to miss out on important event updates and announcements. Any questions, comments, issues, or suggestions regarding Art Beat can be directed to the following email address: ArtBeatDTSB@gmail.com.

NOTIFICATIONS:

Applicants will be notified on or before May 22 as to the status of their acceptance.

NO-SHOW POLICY:
Art Beat organizers must receive notice of your inability to attend the event at least 4 weeks prior to the event so the space can be reassigned to another artist. Please note that application processing fees cannot be refunded. Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by the Art Beat Committee. All participants must arrive prior to 9:30 am on the event date. Participants failing to arrive by 9:30 am will be declared a No Show and their booth space will be forfeited.