Bring History to Life
The Living Craft Demonstrator Program recognizes vendors who help create the experience of a medieval village through scheduled demonstrations of their craft throughout the festival weekend.
Selected demonstrators receive:
- A featured listing as a Living Craft Demonstrator on the festival website.
- Inclusion in the official Living Craft Demonstration Schedule.
- Promotion through festival marketing and social media, when available.
- Preferred booth placement in the Wychwood - Living Craft Village whenever possible.
- The Wychwood is made up of shady wooded sites with room for a small audience
- A $25 booth discount to thank you for helping create an interactive guest experience.
What We're Looking For
A Living Craft Demonstration should allow guests to observe how your work is created, learn about your craft, and interact with you while you work.
Examples include:
- Blacksmithing
- Leather carving, tooling, or sewing
- Basket weaving
- Spinning or weaving
- Wood carving
- Chainmail weaving
- Pottery
- Tinsmithing
- Hammering copper
- Calligraphy and illumination
- Bookbinding
- Traditional fiber arts
- Stained glass fabrication
- Gourd arts
- Other traditional or handmade crafts
Each proposed demonstration is reviewed individually. There are limits for each category.
What Does Not Qualify
The following activities generally do not qualify as Living Craft Demonstrations:
- Assembly of purchased or prefabricated items
- Activities that do not meaningfully demonstrate the creation of the finished product
- Electronic machinery-assisted crafts (3D printers, laser cutters/engravers, etc.)
- We do accept these products for sale and believe there is a great deal of effort and creativity in them.
- The Living Craft Demonstration program focuses on traditional crafts.
Festival staff reserve the right to determine whether a proposed demonstration supports the goals of the program.
Demonstration Commitment
Guests plan their day around the published Living Craft demonstration schedule. By participating in the program, demonstrators agree to help us provide a reliable and engaging experience.
Participants agree to:
- Submit demonstration times by the published deadline.
- Conduct demonstrations during their scheduled times.
- Be prepared to answer questions and engage with visitors.
- Ensure booth staffing allows for someone else to handle sales while demonstrations are conducted.
If circumstances prevent a scheduled demonstration, please notify the Merchant Coordinator as soon as possible.
Failure to fulfill scheduled demonstrations may result in removal from the Living Craft Demonstrator Program and may affect eligibility for future participation.
Our goal is to provide guests with an authentic, dependable experience they can enjoy throughout the weekend.
If you have a unique craft and are unsure whether it qualifies, we encourage you to apply. We'd love to hear about what you create.
-Application available in August-
