Any business or nonprofit organization selling either food and soft drinks or specialty beverages or alcoholic beverages.

The application deadline is July 21, 2023 for the best possible chance of consideration. There are special rates for early applicants. Last chance pricing goes into effect July 21–August 4 but allotted slots are not guaranteed.

Yes! We are lifting the restriction to be a foreign-born owner in 2023. You must share your nationality and ethnicity for reporting purposes but there is no restriction. You must identify what nation your business or organization will represent. This will allow for greater inclusivity of first-generation Americans, St. Louis favorites and a broader variety of cultural representation.

All applications must be approved by Festival organizers. Once approved, vendors will receive a Festival contract, invoice for 25% of vendor fee, calendar of mandatory meetings and any additional forms to submit if you have applied to be a premium vendor.

The total cost to vendors is comprised of:

Application fee: Every application must be submitted with a $25 application fee.

Vendor Fee: Varies depending on size and type (booth, truck, trailer, cart). 25% of this non-refundable fee is due upon application acceptance. The remainder of the fee is due on July 1 to secure your space.

Concession Donation: Ensuring that our vendors are dedicated to supporting refugees, immigrants and multiculturalism, vendors will donate a portion of their gross revenue each day. Donations range from 10-15%; details are defined in the full application. 

Electricity fee: Electricity is optionally available for $375 for 40 amps/8 outlets units. Additional amps cost more; details are defined in the full application. 

While it will be passed on to and paid by customers, vendors must also include a $2 service fee for every transaction. Festival organizers will invoice vendors for this service fee for transactions incurred during Festival of Nations. 

Festival of Nations is produced by the International Institute of St. Louis. As an organization dedicated to supporting refugees, immigrants, and multiculturalism, the International Institute of St. Louis is imploring vendors to invest in our mission by donating a portion of your gross revenue each day towards our efforts to provide vital services, resources and support to those in need. All participating Food, Beverage and Bar vendors and partners will make a tax-deductible donation back to the International Institute. This donation will be based off your gross revenue to be calculated and invoiced at the end of each day.

We understand these are significant transitions and truly appreciate your support as we continue to elevate the Festival to elevate our vendors and community. This transition will ensure a more friendly and seamless attendee experience for our Festival patrons, while also supporting the International Institute in its efforts to impact the lives of the people across our shared community.

Festival of Nations is committed to providing equitable support and reporting to its participating vendors, future participating vendors, partners, investors and community stakeholders. In order to accomplish this, we must rely on all participating vendors to provide accurate data for their daily transactions during the Festival.

Vendors must enter into a data-sharing agreement with Festival organizers, which outlines the types of data that will be collected, the purpose for which the data will be used, and the terms and conditions of data sharing.

Vendors will share all transaction data to the Festival organizers on a daily basis and as agreed upon in the data sharing agreement. This is made possible through adding Festival of Nations as a “Full Access Team Member” within your Square account, and/or sending full-detailed transaction reports at the end of each day of the Festival.

Festival organizers are committed to keeping the transaction data collected from vendors confidential and will not sell, share, or otherwise disclose the data to any third parties, except as required by law or with the express written consent of the vendors.

You will immediately pay a $25 fee with your application. Additional fees charged upon application acceptance and following the Festival of Nations.

Yes! We are offering discounted vendor fees to nonprofits and new entrepreneurs, defined as someone who has been in business for less than one year, as of August 31, 2022.

There are also special rates for the first 10 approved applicants on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once sold out, the standard rate will be in effect until July 21. Last chance rates are available July 21 – August 4. Details are defined in the full application.

To ensure the sustainability of the Festival of Nations—and our mission to uplift and showcase cultures, people and businesses from around the world—we are elevating the attendee experience and attracting more people to our event. We must be able to better record the economic impact of the Festival, which we can do together by streamlining the sales process across all vendors. Organizers are offering discounted rates to nonprofits and new entrepreneurs, while also improving Wi-Fi connectivity and providing point of sale hardware. There are also expanded opportunities for brand exposure and vendor engagement.

Yes! Food vendors may sell non-specialty drinks, including water. Food vendors are not required to sell beverages.

No. Beverage vendors may offer specialty and non-specialty beverage products but no food. Bar vendors may sell alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages but no food.

Booth sizes range from 10x10 to 10x40 feet. Truck and trailer spaces range from 10–50 feet. Mobile cart spaces range from 4–7 feet. Pricing will reflect the space allotment. Details are defined in the full application. 

No. All fees will be paid electronically by credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Cash App. Application fees will be requested and paid within the application itself.

Vendors may accept cash payments from customers, using a point of sale (POS) system that tracks all transactions. All participating vendors will be required to utilize and manage their transactions during the Festival of Nations weekend on a Square POS system. Vendors will facilitate reporting access to Festival organizers by adding us as a “Full Access Team Member” during the Festival.

The Festival's preferred point of sale (POS) system is Square, however, we understand that many of our vendors utilize other systems that support their businesses. If it is possible for vendors to use Square for the duration of the Festival that is preferred. If this is not possible, then Festival organizers ask for transparency and cooperation to aid our efforts in data reporting requirements. **Vendors who utilize a different POS system and/or are not willing to use Square will be considered on a case-by-case basis.**

Premium vendors will receive exclusive benefits including priority location during the festival and in promotions. Premium vendors will offer two of the three following commitments: 1) 5% increase in concession donation, 2) a festival ticketed program contribution, or 3) host a summer series event. Details are defined in the full application.

Beginning in June and running through August 19, Festival of Nations will promote a calendar of events showcasing participating Festival vendors and local restaurants and businesses. These events will be low-key and hosted by the vendor/restaurant/business themselves in an effort to promote the Festival of Nations and generate excitement leading up to the Festival.