Vendor Guide
Welcome to the Croxfest Vendor Guide, your essential resource for navigating this community festival.
As a vendor, you play a key role in creating Croxfest’s unique atmosphere.
This guide provides valuable information on preparing for the event, setting up your stall, and engaging with festival-goers.
Take this opportunity to showcase your offerings and connect with the vibrant community.
Let’s make this festival memorable together!
Table of contents
- Vendor evaluation criteria
- Marketing and promotion
- Location, Transportation, and Parking Information
- Schedule for the day
- Information for food vendors only
- Information for commercial vendors only
- Information for all vendors
- Sales Do’s and Don’ts: A Quick Guide
- Contact information
1. Vendor evaluation criteria
The organisers will evaluate all vendor applications for Croxfest based on specific criteria.
When the same food categories are submitted, the organisers aim to choose one operator for each type of food, such as one for burgers and another for fish and chips. However, this isn’t always possible due to the variety within different food categories, like various styles of Indian cuisine and street food, as well as the popularity of certain side items like chips.
While the organisers will strive for a diverse selection, they cannot guarantee exclusivity.
With an audience size typically ranging from 7,000 to 8,000 throughout the day, even overlapping offerings can succeed. Croxfest does not set any pricing rules for the operators.
Ice cream will be sold only by designated ice cream vans, meaning food vendors cannot offer ice cream.
Furthermore, food vendors are prohibited from selling any other products, services, or activities, and the sale of alcohol or tobacco/vape products is not allowed.
All food vendors must submit relevant information on application to the event. Some documents are mandatory while others are optional. The following items are required for event licensing from the local authority:
- Local Authority Registration – the name of the local authority with which you are registered.
- Food Hygiene Rating and the date of the last inspection.
- Public Liability Insurance Certificate
- Employee Liability Insurance Certificate
- Gas Safety Certificate (if applicable)
- Electrical Testing Certificate (if applicable)
- Food Safety Risk Assessments (mandatory)
All documentation produced for Croxfest will be available upon request by the relevant Environmental Health Officer, Food Safety Inspector, or Safety Advisory Group. It is the Operator’s responsibility to ensure that all paperwork is prepared and submitted to the organisers.
Copies of documentation should be submitted with application form.
Please be aware that, due to insurance regulations, Croxfest cannot allow any vendors to participate in the event without the required certification being provided in advance. Entry to the site will be denied without the prior submission of the necessary certification. There will be no refund of the Pitch Fee if the required certification or information is not presented.
Additionally, while the event is free for attendees, it is not a closed event; the audience is welcome to bring their own food and beverage options.
2. event Marketing and Promotion
Vendors play an essential role in making Croxfest a success, both on the event day and in the lead-up and follow-up.
As organisers, we strongly encourage you to send us your logo, a couple of photos, your website link, and links to your Facebook and X accounts, along with a brief description about your business.
We are committed to promoting you on the Croxfest website, which attracts a substantial amount of traffic each year for a single-day event.
However, we can only achieve this if you provide us with the necessary materials. Please don’t wait until the last minute; the web traffic is significant and consistent. The sooner you submit your information, the more visibility you will gain.
We also strive to promote all our vendors on social media. Every sponsor, vendor, and partner will be mentioned, but only if we
have space in our content.
Our media announcement schedule is frequently updated and starts weeks prior to the event, continuing through and beyond it. If you delay providing us with your information, you will receive less exposure in what tends to be a busy schedule.
Once your information is on the website, please take a moment to review your entry and the associated links to ensure everything meets your expectations. If you notice any discrepancies, please let us know.
3, Location, Transportation, and Parking Information
The event will take place at The Green, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 3HY.
Food stall operators are encouraged to arrive in as few vehicles as possible due to limited parking. With Croxfest hosting more sponsors, stallholders, partners, participants, and volunteers than ever, support vehicles must be parallel parked behind the food stalls, and this will be managed by staff on the day. All restocking should occur from these support vehicles.
Access to the Croxfest site is exclusively through the southern entrance (Entrance A – please refer to the site plan).
You will be guided to your designated position upon arrival. The site opens at 8 AM, with vehicle access closing at 11 AM. Croxfest will welcome the public at 11:30 AM, with the first performance starting at noon.
Upon arrival, a parking official will guide you from the road (The Green) onto Copthorne Road, where you will immediately turn right onto The
Green (event site) and then be directed to your pitch via Entrance A.
Pitch allocation is determined by arrival time. Due to limited space, the lineup will be organised in this manner, except for the ice cream operation, which will be placed separately to enhance audience experience. The final layout will be decided by Croxfest.
Please note that there is a speed limit of 5 miles per hour for all vehicles on the event site. When on site, vehicles must use hazard indicators at all
times.
There is no separate vendors’ car park; parking is located south of the event site, as shown in the site plan. You will be directed by a Croxfest
official.
Once vehicles are parked, there will be no movement allowed until approximately 45 minutes after the event concludes at 8 PM, as it typically takes this long for the audience to exit.
Vendors may close once the final act begins on stage (around 7 PM), but exiting is not permitted until 8:45 PM.
Please be cautious during this time as it will be nearly dark; headlights and hazard lights must be used at all times while on site.
4. Schedule for the day
The Croxfest Event Site opens for vendor setup at 8 AM on the event day.
Overnight stays for vehicles, personnel, gazebos, or equipment are not permitted on site before or after the event.
If you find yourself running late, please contact the Event Day number listed on the Croxfest website as soon as possible. We will do our best to assist you, but entry cannot be guaranteed after 11 AM. It is your responsibility to arrive on time, and the organisers cannot be held accountable for any delays.
The event will proceed as scheduled due to licensing requirements, and no pitch fee refunds will be issued for late arrivals.
All stalls must be fully set up and manned, with any additional vehicles (other than parallel-parked service vehicles) moved to the Car Park by 11 AM.
A safety briefing for Croxfest volunteers and stewards will take place at 11 AM (stall holders are not required to attend).
The audience will be allowed entry to the site starting at 11:30 AM. The first act will begin performing at 12 noon. The last act will conclude at 8 PM.
All stalls must be staffed for the entire duration of the event. Given the long day ahead, it is advisable to have enough personnel and supplies to cover breaks.
Official trading ends at 7:50 PM. You may begin to close and dismantle your stall from 7 PM, but vehicle movement is not allowed until Event Control has granted permission.
5. Information for food vendors only
Pitch options are available in sizes of 3m, 4m, 5m, 6m, and 7m. These dimensions refer to the frontage facing the audience. If vehicles are equipped with towbars, they must fit within the 2m gap between stalls.
The overall stall area has size limitations, and the organisers will ensure that all booked operators have adequate space. For your reference, a standard gazebo measures 3m, while a double gazebo is 6m.
If your vehicle measures between specific dimensions (for example, 6.5m), you will need to reserve a 7m pitch. Please avoid booking a pitch smaller than your vehicle or stall dimensions.
Additionally, there is an undefined area in front of each pitch where seating or sauces can be placed. The amount of seating allowed is at the discretion of the organisers, as it depends on weather conditions, and you may be asked to reduce it if attendance exceeds expectations. Please note that the organisers do not provide any furniture.
6. Information for Commercial vendors only
The standard commercial pitch measures 4m x 4m, which is sufficient to accommodate a 3m x 3m gazebo.
You are responsible for providing the gazebo, and any additional furniture must fit within this designated area. A double pitch measures 8m x 4m, allowing for a 6m x 3m gazebo.
The spacing between pitches will depend entirely on the number of pitches occupied.
For vendors offering child-focused activities, it is imperative that all personnel working at the stall comply with current safeguarding procedures.
7. Information for all vendors
Please refrain from extending your pitch beyond the designated area, as doing so may interfere with other vendors’ spaces.
There are no options for return frontage (side serving). The organisers have arranged the layout to ensure safety for all participants.
Please note that there is no gas or electricity available on-site. All vendors must be self-sufficient in this regard. Any stalls needing power must supply their own generators and will be responsible for their condition and maintenance.
Vendors must demonstrate that their generators are suitable for use. Water is accessible via a single standpipe located in the food stall area, but the quality of the water is not guaranteed, and organisers do not provide water carrying facilities.
The layout for Croxfest has been carefully established and is a key component of the event license.
Therefore, it is crucial for Croxfest to comply strictly with the approved plans, allowing no deviations from these guidelines for vendors.
Your designated pitch location has been assigned by the organisers and must stay the same unless explicit permission is given for any changes.
STALL CLEARANCE, FOOD WASTE AND RUBBISH
Vendors must take away their own waste for disposal at the end of the festival. We do provide skips (courtesy of an Event Partner) but these are generally filled to capacity on the day and are for audience use. We do not offer any food waste facilities.
Please do not leave your rubbish for us to clear way.
8. Sales Do’s and Don’ts: A Quick Guide
All of the following applies to all vendors irrespective of type of operation
Monetary Collections are prohibited. Croxfest holds the sole Street Collection Licence valid for this event, which is crucial for our revenue generation as a non-profit organisation. The collections on the day are essential for our continued operation.
If you are a charity and a member of the audience offers a donation at your stall, you are welcome to accept it; however, please refrain from soliciting donations from attendees.
General Leafleting: Please do not distribute leaflets to the audience. Croxfest generates litter that must be cleaned up by lunchtime the day after the event (volunteers are welcome from 8 am). You are allowed to provide information to audience members
who approach your stall.
Data Capture: You may collect data at your stall, but any liability regarding its storage and use under data protection legislation rests with you. Please do not pursue audience members for their information.
Alcohol: Croxfest does not hold an alcohol licence and does not permit any vendors to sell or provide alcohol to the audience or for consumption at any stall. Attendees are welcome to bring their own.
Smoking Materials: The sale or supply of smoking or alternative smoking materials is not allowed at Croxfest.
Games of Chance: Croxfest prohibits the offering of games of chance to the audience.
Audience Giveaways: If you intend to provide giveaways to the audience, please contact us in advance. We maintain a list of annual giveaways provided by sponsors to avoid duplication.
and finally…
The information we’ve shared about stall operations at Croxfest covers just about everything we can think of! However, we know that every year brings new ideas and proposals, and we’re always excited to hear them.
Our main goal is for everyone to have a fantastic day and to make a positive impact on our community as summer winds down.
Wishing you a wonderful day!
If any issues come up, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
And remember, if you need any more information, we’re here to help!
Best,
Croxfest Organisers