EarthFair Food Vendors
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Giving EarthFair Attendees an alternative
to standard Balboa Park concessions
One of the goals at EarthFair is to give the 60,000 attendees good, healthy alternatives to the usual hot dogs and hamburgers you find at public facilities. To this end, we provide exhibit space for food vendors. If you are interested in providing food service at EarthFair, this section is intended to give you the information you need to decide whether this opportunity is right for you.
Exhibiting in this area is also of interest to organizations who are promoting specific food or beverage products and want to sample them to the public.
What can we sell at EarthFair?
The only restrictions are:
- All food items served be vegetarian
- All food service items must be compostable (see below)
Many vendors serve full meals (e.g., the Thai Clutural Center has been serving Thai combo plates, and ISKCON vegetarian pizza, at EarthFair for more than 15 years). Others serve beverages (smoothies, tea, health drinks, etc.) or snacks (e.g., pop corn).
How much will we sell?
You sales will depend on many factors, including the weather. However, in 2007 individual food vendors reported total sales between $680 (baked desserts - they ran out!) and $4,400 (pizza, lasagna, enchiladas, couscous, beverages).
Where Does EarthFair Food Service Take Place?
EarthFair takes place in Balboa Park; all of our food service takes place in the space we designate as Area 9 - Presidents Field. (click here to see a sample park map). The food booths are arranged in a large horeshoe shape, with an entertainment stage at the open end of the horeshoe (sample layout).
What does it cost to exhibit?
Food vendors pay the standard EarthFair exhibitor fees. These fees depend on the size and type of your organization (e.g., for-profit, non-profit), the size of your exhibit space, and what kind of exhibit materials you need (esp., if you are preparing food you will need a screened-in food booth; see below). Click here for exhibit space description and prices.
Non-profit organizations are free to keep all the proceeds from their sales. For-profit organizations are required to remit 10% of their net proceeds to EarthWorks (net proceeds = total sales - exhibitor fees paid to EarthWorks); for-profit food vendors will want to take account of this fee in their pricing.
What about Health Department?
All groups distributing food items at EarthFair must have a health permit issued by the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health (DEH). In addition, you must follow all the DEH gudelines - DEH inspectors will be at EarthFair and will close down any vendor not complying.
Click here to download the Temporary Food Facility Permit and Food Vendor Guidelines from the County website.
Specifically, if you are preparing food you will need to have a screened-in food booth with flooring. You can provide your own, or we can provide one for you.
We do provide a 3-comparement sink and hot water for use by food vendors.
What about cooking?
If you plan to cook food - whether with gas, electricity, or charcoal - you must follow the Fire Marshall's safety rules. The Fire Marshall will be inspecting each food vendor in the morning, and will close down any vendor not complying with their safety standards. Typical problems include not having the correct fire extinguisher, and having frayed or worn flexible gas lines.
Is electricity available?
Electricity is available for a $75 charge (we rent a generator for this; there is no house power provided by the park). We can provide 110 volt service only. If you have special or extreme needs, please contact us directly.
Food service item requirements
Food service generates a lot of waste. Instead of dumping this in the landfill as waste, the City of San Diego Department of Environmental Services collects our food waste and turns it into compost.
To support this recycling effort, all food service items must be COMPOSTABLE. This means:
- No styrofoam or plastic plates or cups. Use paper or corn starch.
- No plastic forks or spoons.Use corn starch or wood instead.
- No plastic condiment packs (e.g., ketchup, soy sauce). Provide condiments from bulk dispensers at your booth, or in compostable containers.
- No plastic straws, stirrers, lids, etc.
Compostable food service items are readily available from a number of vendors, but you will need to order them in time to have them shipped to you. Contact EarthWorks if you need a list of vendors.
How Do I Proceed?
You can register for EarthFair 2008 on-line. Go to http://sdew.earthmedia.bz/login, register as an Associate, and fill out the on-line form.
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