Paying for a space at a craft fair?

Wondering how most of us manage to make a profit at a craft fair because to actually RENT a booth space may cost $100 for a weekend! That would be pretty risky for me in my small town as I would probably only earn $200 over two days by charging $3-5 per face.
The deal I struck with the craft fair organizer was to paint the "elf" (child helpers) she had working in exchange for a space. I was glad for the gig but figured for 14 hours work I was basically working for $12 hour. How do those of you who face paint as a second job feel about that?
If you are working on your own would you pay for a booth rental?
Do most of you just give a percentage of your takings without paying for a booth?
And what percent? 10, 20,30%?
Are most event organizers just happy to have the added attraction to make the event more fun ?
I realize some forum members are full time face painters and some are 'after work' artists, which may have different perspectives.
Thanks !

I went to a craft fair and nobody got their faces painted... I actaully went home in the hole.... usually old ladies go to craft fairs, not kids... that was my first and last experience with craft fairs.

I'm VERY picky about what pay-per-face events I work. Some are hugely successful and others are total flops. Here are some things to ask yourself when deciding to do an event:

How many people do they expect to attend? How many are children? The organizers should be able to give you an estimate. The general rule is that you need about 10,000 attendants per painter in order to keep yourself busy. A good percentage of these need to be children.

Do they have other children's activities? If so, ask to be situated in or near the children's area.

Does the event offer live entertainment? (Bands, dancers, singers, magicians?) Events with entertainment usually do well for facepainters. People are coming to relax, listen to some music and have a good time. If people are coming on a specific mission (to get a bargain) they probably won't have time for you.

Does the event provide tents for their vendors? This factors into the price for me. Also, how many days is the event, and what are the hours?

If you have a chance, go to the festival and check it out, then sign up the next year if you like what you see. Ask the organizer if he/she can offer you a reduced rate since you are limited in how many faces you can paint in an hour. They are custom designs, done on-site one by one. You obviously won't be able to make as much as the potter in the next booth who has 300 pieces of art prepared to sell. Sell yourself as entertainment. If that doesn't work, ask if you could pay on a percentage basis. 20% is typical for me at least. If I have a line all day, that ends up being a lot of money, but if you think the event might be a flop, it's a safer way to go.

Are there any other face painters there? How many? This is an important one! If there are others, you likely won't be able to get the organizers to discount your booth rent. If you decide to work an event that already has face painters, be sure to ask for a location as far from them as possible, so that you don't choke each other out.

There's my .02 on festivals! Good luck!

I this in the right section?

I think this post is in the wrong section. Try reposting under "marketing".

Craft Fairs are not good money makers. There are not a lot of kids. I never pay the full booth fee unless it's super cheap. I always try to negotiate a free space, them paying me or a reduced rate. I also ask what the demographics of the event are(mostly adults, college drinking crown, families w/ children), what the expected # of people will be, & how long has the event/festival been going.

Did my first craft show this summer at a trailer campground.
My family owns there, so I know we bring our kids to look around
and so do other families. So I did two (july 4 & labor day) and it went great!
Had tons of people and the line just went on and on. All the other booths were
torn apart and I was still painting.

A woman I met at one of these events, asked if I could come to their school's craft show
and a scarecrow fest. Got sick on the day of the scarecrow gig, but showed up for the craft
show. IT WAS DEAD!!!! I doubt more than 40 (is that too high) people were walking around.
It was more than an hour from home, needed a sitter for our sons and we sat from 9 am until
2:30 pm; we left before the 4 pm time. I painted between 6 - 8 faces! I made about $40.
But then minus, the $25 for the table, minus the gas, the drinks and food we bought... NEVER AGAIN!

If I do another, I have to KNOW that there will be kids, they have HUGE crowds and it is CLOSE to home. Even if you are handing out some business cards, you would like those people to not be
an hour and a half from home! It CAN work, just know what you are getting yourself involved with!

Craft fairs....NO WAY!!

festivals and carnivals.....DEFINITLY.

I usually split on a booth with Perry Noia who also is one here. Last year we paid (I think it was $75 each) for the booth at a festival. Worked 4 days. Alot of the hours that normally would be the busy time were rained out. We both still ended up making over $600 each. Now minus our expenses. But, not a bad amount of cash to make in 4 days. I enver break it down by hour. it just depresses me. But, all in all $600 cash back into my bank account is a good weekend.

Good luck.

Thanks for all the posts! Angie I especially can think about your "questions to ask self". Great suggestions. I found it so interesting how folks have had different experiences with craft fairs. I can appreciate the risk more now and aim to get a space cheap like a small "donation" or percentage. I will not go for a booth unless it is a big kid friendly event or festival. Thanks, you are are amazing artists and I appreciate your time to answer my questions.