2025 Light The Nations
Vendor Application
Light the Nations features over 60 vendors highlighting local non profits, artisans, food and sponsors.
This application is for local artists/craft/food vendors.
All other businesses would be considered sponsors and can visit us here for more information on becoming a sponsor for Light The Nations.
LOCATION
51st Ave North between Michigan Ave and Georgia Ave, Nashville, TN
ABOUT THE EVENT
The event brings together neighbors and businesses in The Nations and surrounding neighborhoods for an evening filled with live music, a local vendor marketplace, delicious food, and much more.
MARKET HOURS
Saturday October 18, 2025
2:00 PM - 10:00 PM
COST
Local Business * - Light The Nations is devoted to maintaining a creatively driven vendor marketplace. Therefore, we limit the number of promotional spaces at the event. Local businesses can be involved in Light The Nations through sponsorship of the event. Please reach out to katie@goodneighborfestivals.com if you are interested in sponsoring this event.
Artist $225.00* - Individuals who hand-make/handcraft the items they will offer at the event.
ARTIST CATEGORIES
Artist categories are used by Light The Nations as a tool to ensure vendor diversity at the event. Please find descriptions of media categories below:
Candles: Personally concocted scent profiles and hand-poured candles and wax melts
Ceramics: All original clay and porcelain work other than jewelry is accepted in this category. No machine-made or mass produced work is permitted.
Clothing: Hand-sewn articles of clothing by you.
Digital Art: This category includes any original work for which the original image, or the manipulation of other source material, was executed by the artist using a computer. Traditional photographs taken through a digital media should apply in the photography category.
Drawing: Works created using dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax crayon, etc. or from the fluid medium of inks and washes applied by pen or brush are to be entered in this category.
Fiber: All work crafted from fibers including basketry, embroidery, weaving, leatherwork, tapestry and papermaking. This can be wearable or non-wearable.
Glass: No forms of mass production are permitted. Mass produced glassware vendors should fill out the Local Business Vendor Form.
Health/Beauty: Beauty (skincare, make up, etc) products hand-made and concocted by you. No mass-produced products are allowed.
Jewelry: All jewelry whether the work is produced from metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic or other materials must be entered in this category. No commercial casts, molds or production studio work is allowed.
Metalworks: Includes all non-sculptural, non-jewelry works crafted from metals. No production studio work is allowed.
Painting: Works created in oils, acrylics, watercolor, etc. are in this category.
Paper Making/Book Arts: Hand-binded journals, notebooks, etc.
Photography: Photographic prints made from the artist’s original image, which have been processed by that artist, or under his or her direct supervision, are included in this category.
Printmaking: Printed works for which the artist’s hand manipulated the plates, stones or screens and which have been properly signed and numbered as a limited edition may be entered in this category.
Sculpture: Three-dimensional original work done in any medium.
Wood: Original works in wood that are hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved are accepted in the wood category.
Non-Profit $225 * - Non-profits must be a registered 501c3.
Food Truck/Vendor Space - 15% of gross sales at the event
Good Neighbor Festivals will collect a non-refundable deposit of $275 upon acceptance into Light The Nations. At the end of the event, prior to load out, food vendors will need to provide a gross sales report. In the event 15% of your gross sales exceeds the deposit amount, you will receive an invoice for the remaining balance.
Failure to provide your sales report at the end of the event will result in denial of applications for future events.
-Example: You will provide a non-refundable $250 deposit prior to the event. If your gross sales are $3,000 (15% of $3,000= $450), you will receive an invoice for an additional $150. If your gross sales are $2,000 (15% of $1,500= $225), you will not receive an additional invoice.
DETAILS
Vendor Rules and Regulations
1. GNF agrees to provide each Vendor with an assigned 10’x10’ space(s). Vendors must supply all tables, chairs, tents, generators, and security.
2. Vendor agrees to obey all rules and instructions as directed by the Festival Director during the festival weekend. Any failure to strictly adhere to such rules or instructions may result in the immediate termination of this agreement and immediate forfeiture of any and all fees paid to GNF.
3. Vendor hereby acknowledges its liability, and agrees to compensate GNF, for any damage(s) caused by, including but not limited to, its representatives, agents, employees, volunteers, members, vehicles, equipment, materials and objects to the environs and infrastructure of city or private propriety which causes GNF to pay for repair, replacement, or other remuneration to the Metropolitan Parks Department and/ or Nashville-Davidson County Metropolitan Government for such damage to the environs or infrastructure.
4. As a courtesy to other vendors and festival participants, any amplified sound or loud noise from Vendor’s space is prohibited. This includes loud generators. If the vendor brings a generator to use in their booth space, it must be whisper-quiet.
5. GNF reserves the right to prohibit, within any booth or on the festival grounds, the display, advertisement, or other promotion of any business, company, or organization which may be in conflict with a current sponsor. Any questions concerning current sponsors should be directed to the Festival Director prior to the event.
6. Vendor shall not display, offer for view or sale any illegal or contraband items. The laws of the State of Tennessee and local ordinances of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville – Davidson County shall control. Vendors shall not display, offer for view or sale any items that are unlicensed and/or copies/interpretations of licensed or registered items at any site or operation of the 2024 festival.
7. Vendor understands and agrees that Light The Nations is intended to be, and at all times shall be, a family friendly event.
8. Vendor shall not sublet its space without express written consent.
9. Vendor acknowledges and understands that it is solely responsible for the collection of any sales or use taxes and shall in no way hold GNF or its representatives responsible for any type of permits other than for the festival itself.
10. No refunds shall be given due to cancellation or interruption of the festival for reasons beyond the control of GNF. These reasons include, but are not limited to weather, acts of God, acts of terrorism, or governmental intervention.
11. Vendor is solely responsible for the security for all its items at the festival location at all times.
12. Light The Nations makes no representation or guarantees towards actual festival attendance.
13. Vendor understands that GNF has no control over weather, acts of God, acts of terrorism, or governmental intervention, or any other cause that may prevent, and or interrupt, the festival weekend, and participants shall hold GNF harmless for any losses that could arise because of such event.
14. We reserve the right to place Vendors in booth locations at the complete discretion of GNF. GNF shall have sole and complete authority to place the participant in any location contained in the Market Place, irrespective of the participant’s request.
15. Vendor upon vacating its space(s) shall ensure that such space shall be free of any and all trash and refuse with such being placed in the appropriate containers. Failure of the Vendor to clean their space may result in future refusal of Vendor application.
16. Vendor certifies that it maintains adequate liability insurance to cover any and all occurrences which may result in the damage or injury to any person or thing within the confines of the Vendor’s space or as a result of the Vendor’s actions at the festival.