How a Night Market Application Differs
A night market runs after dark, usually on a street, plaza or parking lot that wasn't built for vendors. That changes the application. Every booth needs its own light, many need more power than a daytime stall, food is often the main draw, and vendors load in before sunset and tear down in the dark. If you are still setting the market up, start with how to start a night market.
| Application | What it focuses on | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Night market (this page) | Lighting plan, power, generators, food permits, after-dark load-in | Your market opens at or after sunset |
| Holiday market | Gift-ready products, market dates, stall or chalet | A seasonal market from late November through December |
| Flea market | Resale, day versus season spaces, prohibited items | Used, vintage and collectible goods |
| Craft fair | Handmade rules, jury photos, booth display | A juried handmade show |
| Food vendor | Menu, health permit, cooking equipment | Food at any event, day or night |
For those formats, see the holiday market vendor application, flea market vendor application, craft fair vendor application and food vendor application. Many night markets use this form for everyone and attach the food vendor questions for cooks.
Copy-Ready Night Market Vendor Application
Copy this into your form builder or online checkout, replace the bracketed text and delete what doesn't apply.
Lighting, Power and Generator Rules
Power is usually the first thing a night market runs short of. Ask vendors for watts by appliance, add them up per row, and compare the total with what your site, rented distribution or generators can supply. The event power calculator helps with the totals. The figures below are planning examples, not ratings; use the label on each appliance.
| Vendor | Typical load | What to sell or allow |
|---|---|---|
| Retail booth, LED lighting only | Low: string lights and a lamp or two | Battery lighting, or a shared lighting circuit |
| Retail booth with a card reader and display lighting | Low | One outlet on a shared circuit |
| Dessert or drink stall with a blender or warmer | Medium | Its own circuit |
| Hot food stall with griddles, fryers or rice cookers | High: often more than one circuit | Dedicated circuits, or approved propane plus a lighting circuit |
| Food truck | High | Its own generator under your rules, or a shore power hookup if the site has one |
Jury Criteria and Review Checklist
Score applications the same way every time so returning vendors and newcomers get a fair look. The weights below are an example; publish yours with the application.
| Criterion | What reviewers look for | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Product fit and uniqueness | Fits the market's theme; not a repeat of booths you already have | 25 |
| Quality | Photos and description show well-made products or an appealing menu | 20 |
| Booth presentation after dark | A clear lighting plan and a display shoppers can see at night | 20 |
| Category mix | Fills a gap in food, drink, retail or activations | 15 |
| Readiness | Permits, insurance and power needs are complete and realistic | 10 |
| Reliability | Attended and followed the rules at past markets | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
| Check | Accept if | Follow up if |
|---|---|---|
| Food permit | Issued, or applied for with a date | No permit for hot food |
| Lighting | A plan that lights products and prices | "Will use streetlights" |
| Power | Watts listed and within what the row can supply | A high-load request with no appliance list |
| Generator | Inverter type and meets your rules | Open-frame generator or no model given |
| Insurance | Certificate on file or due by your deadline | No coverage and no plan to buy it |
| Category mix | Adds variety | The fifth booth of the same food |
Night Market Vendor Application Timeline
This is an example schedule for a market that opens on a set date. Shift it to suit your season.
- 1
10 to 12 weeks out: open applications
Publish the application, vendor rules, booth sizes, fees and a decision date. Price spaces and power with the vendor fee calculator.
- 2
8 weeks out: close and review
Close the form and score every application against your jury criteria. Total the power requests per row.
- 3
6 weeks out: send decisions
Send acceptances, a waitlist and declines. Ask accepted vendors to pay and upload permits and insurance by a fixed date.
- 4
4 weeks out: assign spaces and order power
Assign spaces with food, power and generator placement in mind, and confirm the power plan with your electrician or rental company.
- 5
1 to 2 weeks out: send vendor instructions
Send the vendor map, load-in times, parking, lighting reminders and the no-vehicle window.
- 6
Market night
Check permits, lighting and extinguishers during load-in, walk the rows at dusk, and log any issue for next season's review.
Group food vendors and generators together, keep retail booths where the light is best, and leave clear exits that stay lit. Draw the street or lot on event floor plan software so you can see which spaces have power before you assign them, and use the vendor market layout guide for aisle widths and space sizes. For the full rules document, adapt our vendor rules and regulations, and if you take bookings and payments online, see vendor fair software.