Festival Setups!

Awww becky, I love hearing about your biggest fan! I have a VERY similar story . My first party was for a little girl who's mom tracked me down on the Forum to get in contact with me as I hadn't started advertising and didn't even think I was ready to start painting for money. I found out that the birthday girls mom was a photographer and offered to barter my services for hers and recently cashed in on her end of the deal to get photos for my website. They also follow me around to public events *LOL*.
I'm so jealous of all of you who have hubby's that are team players and help you out...my husband is rather shy and refuses to even be in my tent chilling out for fear he will have to interact with the public. The only time he'll help me out is when I need to close my line...he'll stand in the end and tell people I'm closing and he is the end of the line, but that's because he wants nothing more than to go home ! Luckily I do have a little sister (not really so "Little", she's 24) who I'm training to be my 2nd painter/assistant.

Anywho, here's a pic of my setup for an international market I did last weekend, but I'm only halfway there for what I have in mind for my "festival" tent...I have grand plans for banner stands and Polly deco mesh and lighting and all of that good stuff .

Argh! Why is only half of the pic showing up?!
Well if you wanna see the whole pic it's on my FB page at https://www.facebook.com/BoiseFacePainting

just right click and select "view image" then you can see it all... looks nice

Cool set ups! Uhg...festival season is exciting and scary at the same time!

I love the idea of those blocks. I am not sure what we would call them in Oz- perhaps Besser blocks. I need them.

Stacia wrote:

what are the letters made out of? they are cute.

Those are foam glitter letters I got at Hobby Lobby, I used permanent dimensional glue dots to stick them together how I wanted them, then stapled a million times on the back at the joints to keep them together (very few glues work with foam and not many that do work well). I stuck a magnet on the back and use washers on the other end of the magnet to hang them up. The letters are $1.49 each though...so depending on how long your business name it can get pretty spendy, but my thought was that I'd probably spend that much (or more) on a banner that said the same thing and then I'd have to deal with the banner being a pain to hang and whipping in the wind and all that stuff.

Stacia - you have a lot of great ideas! Mind if I 'borrow' a few???

lymymi wrote:Stacia - you have a lot of great ideas! Mind if I 'borrow' a few???

Don't mind at all, Knock yourself out .
I'd love to see pics!

Under our tent leg covers are 18 inch long 4" diameter pvc pipes filled with concrete and an end cap on each end; one end has an eye hook. We thread rope through the eye hook and hang them from the top of the leg. Wonderful stability, yet no one can see the weights. These has been in major winds and really held up. Please look past we didn't have our signs in place or our early morning outer wear put away..this was just a fun shot when 3 of us were mugging.

skjfunny wrote:

I love your bright, playful set up! Your mirror easel is totally fab.

My step-mom uses the same PVC pipe set up for her festivals (she makes jewelry) and it works beautifully. She works at coastal festivals in Oregon and there is often huge wind coming off the sea - so, they really have to stand up to a lot.

All awesome looking setups!
Dawnie, awesome banner stands, those are pvc? Awesome!

I don't carry cinderblocks, they are a burden. I carry empty 5 gallon buckets and fill them with water when I get there, then dump them before I leave.

Someone on here has these adorable homemade sandbags. They were super colorful and cuuuuute! Who was that? Anyone remember?

Thanks Stacia! Will try and post some pics. This is my first gig and I am soooo not prepared. I've been on the sidelines scared to move and the local small festival came about two weeks ago and I decided to take a full force running into the deep end doing a cannonball dive. So we shall see what happens! I know I wanted it to be colorful, so I went to the dollar store and found some pinwheels. Also bought two small panel curtains. Just saw sjkfunny's pics- so colorful, love it! Thanks for all the ideas gals! I hope I'll be able to contribute too.

skjfunny wrote:
Under our tent leg covers are 18 inch long 4" diameter pvc pipes filled with concrete and an end cap on each end; one end has an eye hook. We thread rope through the eye hook and hang them from the top of the leg. Wonderful stability, yet no one can see the weights. These has been in major winds and really held up. Please look past we didn't have our signs in place or our early morning outer wear put away..this was just a fun shot when 3 of us were mugging.

Hey SKjfunny awesome colorful tent.

Just wondering what are your tent leg covers? What are they made of?

This is such a great thread! I was looking through it a few days ago getting some great ideas, the next day I got a call from the director of an art center that is hosting a Texas Children's book festival on May 12th and would like me to be the official face painter. She found me on face book and liked my work! I'm so stoked because I've only been at this about 3 or 4 months and I already have been requested for a festival! So glad I have everyone on the forum to help me learn and grow as a face painter, and so glad I have this awesome thread to give me ideas for my set up next week! Lots to do, LOTS to do! Thanks again everyone, you all are great! I'm so happy to have such a wonderful, sharing, giving community of professional face painters to glean from

skjfunny wrote:

I love the bright colorful set up, your space is so well decorated and such an eye grabber, yet doesn't give off a cluttered feeling. Are those giant rolling trash cans supporting your paint set up? If that is, what a clever way to tote in all of your things and have a great bar height space to keep your paints! What other clever things have you come up with?

What are you using for your display board?

Lindsey, thanks we love our setup. If you could see the front of the $22. trashcans we have our name and website on the cans. When we come rolling in there is a great reaction. Had a top cut, painted black with molding overlapping the top and bottom. Top, chair, fp kit and even the tent will fit in one. Our crew loves them.
The sign board is just commercial a-frame message/sign board (sandwich board) plastic ordered on line. Two plastic plates glued to a paint stirrer is stuck between the handles to put or price up high.
We use the trash cans for birthday parties and all other events, we put our coats and other items in the can. I like neat clean work spaces, the balloons are only there because my husband was doing balloons and the octopus is the best seller so he makes them in slow periods so he'll be ready.
My new pride & joy is the stool you can barely see at the end of the low table. This was our first big event with glitter tatts and we wanted to operate down low, but if some one wanted it on the left/right they'd have to move the chair or stool. Finally found at the miracle price of $9.99 with NO SHIPPING a cushion lid for 5 gallon buckets...(unfortunately it only came in cameo..we don't do cameo) painted the cushion with fabric paint. IT "silently spins" around. Made for hunters so it has to be quiet and hold weight. What a find. All the glitter tatt stuff goes in it and the table cloths, grab the handle and go. Setups is my love, we have funhouse mirrors for really big buck gigs.

Love these set ups and the tutus at the beginning are darling

Sandy, I am still trying to wrap my head around some of your set-up stuff...like the cushion lid.... That's it...I need to come visit!!!!

that is awsome thank you.

My market setup. Was taken last year before the monsoon season so its a bit dry and dusty

All of these are so great ladies, thanks for sharing!

this is a pic from last year when Glitterfly and I worked the Rib Fest here together, some of the signs will be changing this year, but you get the idea anyway:


This is when I am setting up by myself at the market, though again, some of the banners are changing this year to match my new branding:

your signs are really great!