ARTISAN & MERCHANT BOOTHS
Celebrating Colonial resistance to British rule, Chestertown, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, will hold its Annual Tea Party Festival Saturday, May 23, 2026 and Sunday, May 24, 2026. A large part of the Festival is the popular Artisan Market. This Market runs along High and Cross Street and features over 100 vendors selling their wares to approximately 15,000 visitors. We encourage anyone with homemade wares to consider being a vendor. Spaces fill up very fast, so early registration is encouraged. For questions, email merchants@chestertownteaparty.org.
Click Here for a List of Artisan Booths at the 2025 Festival
FOR QUESTIONS, EMAIL merchants@chestertownteaparty.org.
Please Note: Unfortunately, there are a few scammers posing as representatives from our Festival. Please do not assume anyone reaching out via email or social media are associated with the Chestertown Tea Party. Use the contact information above to contact us directly.
DATES
April 5, 2026 ALL Vendor Applications must be completed online or post marked.
May 1, 2026 Space Assignments and vehicle passes mailed
May 23, 2026 Festival Hours 10AM- 4PM in downtown Historic Chestertown
May 24, 2026 Festival Hours 11AM-4PM Wilmer Park on the scenic Chester River
TYPES OF MERCHANTS
The Festival accepts three different types of vendors (excluding food):
Artisan/Crafter Vendor- sell your handmade wares! Before registering, please Click Here To Review the Rules and Regulations.
ARTISAN REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
Non-Profit Booth– these booths are informational in nature and do not include merchandise. If a non-profit would also like to sell items, please register as an artisan craft vendor.
NON PROFIT REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
Farmers Market Vendor– If you are applying as a Chestertown Farmers’/Artisans’ Market vendor, you must be confirmed by the Market Managers.
FARMERS MARKET VENDOR REGISTRATION & PAYMENTTHINGS TO REMEMBER
Your fee reserves a space approximately 10’ deep X 15’ wide. A 10’ X 10’ tent will fit into this space. Setups can be no higher than one story tall (i.e. the height of a tent).
Vendors must provide their own tables, chairs and tent. No electricity will be provided. No sales commission will be taken.
Maryland Sales Tax of 6% is the responsibility of the individual vendor. The Chestertown Tea Party Festival Committee does not supply application forms for taxes.
Every effort will be made to guarantee returning vendor space locations IF registration and payment made online or post marked by April 5, 2024.
The Chestertown Tea Festival Party, Inc. DOES NOT cover your liability. CHESTERTOWN TEA PARTY FESTIVAL, INC. ACCEPTS NO LIABILITY FOR LOSS DUE TO WEATHER, DAMAGE OR THEFT. Vendors must send a Certificate of Insurance to Chestertown Tea Party Festival, PO Box 526, Chestertown, MD 21620
or via email Merchants@chestertownteaparty.org
The Festival occurs RAIN or SHINE. All activities take place out of doors. There are no refunds if we are rained out. There are no covered spaces. It is necessary to bring tents, tarps or other protective devices for inclement weather.
Signs are limited to one per booth, no larger than 24” x 36”. Lettering, color, etc. should be in the style of the colonial period.
No party is permitted to create or sell items using the Chestertown Tea Party logo, name, or likeness.
VEHICLES
A vehicle access pass will be provided and a map with further instructions will be provided to all registrants in early May 2024.
You MUST display your vehicle access pass in order to drive inside the Festival area for load in.
Only one (1) vehicle per vendor space will be permitted inside the Festival area at a time. To off load merchandise, merchant vehicles will be permitted in the Festival area on Saturday from 7AM until 9AM. Vehicles must then be moved to designated vendor parking. No exceptions will be granted.
To load up at the end of the day, on Saturday, merchant vehicles will be permitted inside the Festival area on a phased basis beginning at 4:15pm or at a time at the discretion of the Festival staff for safety of the patrons.
The Festival area will be closed for all through traffic until 7pm.
