Christmas in July Welcome Package
Welcome!
We're so excited to welcome you to Christmas in July at Bolton Spring Farm!
This joyful summer tradition brings together talented artists, makers, farms, specialty food vendors, gourmet food trucks, and local businesses from across New England for a festive celebration of creativity, community, and early holiday cheer.
Below you'll find important information and tips to help you prepare for a successful, and FUN, weekend in the orchard.
One of the things guests loved most about Christmas in July is seeing vendors embrace the spirit of the event. While participation is entirely optional, we encourage you to have fun with the theme through your booth display, products, packaging, attire, signage, or festive touches. Whether it's a hint of holiday nostalgia or a full North Pole-inspired experience, those little details help create the magical atmosphere that makes this event so memorable for guests and vendors alike.
We can't wait to celebrate with you!
Updates
Below please find some updates since our last email.
Booth Assignments & Set Up Windows
Event Floor Plan
Below, please find a rough schematic of the event floor plan to help you find your booth space easily when you arrive.
The Merry Maker Tour
We're excited to bring back our Merry Maker Tour, a fun passport-style adventure designed to encourage guests to explore the entire fair, discover new artists and artisans, and learn more about the incredible people behind the work.
Below is a preview of the Merry Maker Tour postcard guests will receive upon arrival. After you've finished setting up, please stop by the ticketing booth to pick up a red pen. As guests visit your booth, simply check off your studio or business name on their postcard before sending them on to their next creative discovery.
This was one of our guests' favorite activities last year and a wonderful way to spark conversations, introduce visitors to new makers, and encourage them to explore every corner of the fair.
If you prefer not to participate, just let us know. We'll mark your booth on the postcard in advance so guests can continue the tour without missing a stop.
🎁 Prize Drawing
Guests who complete their Merry Maker Tour postcard can enter a drawing for a special prize.
Last year, winners received a complimentary Pick-Your-Own Apple Experience during the fall season and a handcrafted holiday wreath at our November Holiday Artisan Fair.
We're considering something even more exciting this year, a Merry Maker Gift Basket featuring a collection of handcrafted items donated by participating artists and artisans. Not only would this create a wonderful prize for our guests, but it would also allow us to showcase and promote the talented makers who helped create it in the weeks leading up to the event.
If you'd be interested in contributing a small item, we'd love to hear from you. Participation is completely optional, but we think it could be a fun way to introduce your work to an even wider audience.
🎵 Supporting Our Musicians
We're grateful to have Aunt Mimi providing the soundtrack for Christmas in July once again! To make it easy for guests to show their appreciation, we've created small 4.25" × 5.5" signs featuring a QR code for digital tipping.
If you'd like to help support the band during the event, please stop by the ticketing booth after you've finished setting up and pick up one to display at your booth. It's a simple way to encourage guests to support the talented local musicians who help make the weekend so special.
Completely optional, of course~
🤗 Supporting YOU!
Water
Make sure to bring a refillable water bottle. We will have a water station behind the Bolton Spring Farm Beer Tent where you can grab some icy cold water throughout the day.
Vendor-Only Portable Bathroom
We will tuck a porta pottie into one of the lanes within the orchard behind the art fair area and label it as VENDOR ONLY.
This will be far more convenient for you to access.
Food Truck Information
We're excited to welcome you to Christmas in July at Bolton Spring Farm!
Food, beverages, and festive treats play an important role in creating the joyful atmosphere that guests have come to love about this event. Throughout the weekend, visitors will spend time shopping with artists and makers, enjoying live music, exploring the orchard, and gathering with friends and family. Your participation helps create the warm, welcoming experience that makes Christmas in July such a memorable tradition.
Key Details for Food Trucks
Please plan to be onsite, parked, and ready to serve by 10:45 a.m.
We have carefully reviewed your setup requests and will position your truck in the location that best accommodates your operational needs while supporting the overall event layout.
Additional information regarding attendance, demographics, marketing efforts, and event details can be found later in this packet.
Arrival & Parking
Food trucks will enter via the gravel road located directly across from the Bolton Spring Farm Country Store and proceed onto the event field. Once you arrive, a member of our team will direct you to your assigned location.
Please refer to the map below for your entrance route, parking location, and exit path. Trucks will exit using the same route at the end of the event.
The yellow area on the map represents the artisan fair. The live music area and beverage service will serve as central gathering points designed to encourage guests to move throughout the event grounds.
Matt Regan will be your primary contact for food truck arrival and placement. Having operated a food truck himself for several years, he understands the logistics involved and will help ensure your arrival and setup go as smoothly as possible.
Utilities
Please note that water and electricity are not available onsite. Food trucks should plan to be fully self-contained.
Trash Removal
Food trucks are responsible for removing all trash, recycling, cooking waste, grease, boxes, and other materials generated by their operation during the event.
Please plan to leave your space in the same condition in which you found it. Bolton Spring Farm does not have dumpster facilities available for vendor use, and food truck trash may not be left in event trash receptacles intended for guests.
Any bags, boxes, or waste materials left behind will be considered vendor refuse and may impact participation in future events.
Thank you for helping us keep the farm clean, safe, and welcoming for our guests, vendors, and staff.
Vendor Information
Set up & Breakdown
Booth Setup Guidelines for All Participants
All booths must be set up by 10:45 a.m. and ready to go by 11:00 a.m.!
Business name and/or logo must be clearly displayed.
Vendors to provide their own tents, tables, and chairs (we prefer white pop-ups, but it is not required)
All display tables must be covered with floor-length tablecloths.
Packing materials must be kept out of sight and stored under tables with clothes.
Tents must be secured to the ground by weights and stakes.
General Logistics for All Participants
There will be signs marking booth rows
Each row starts with 1 at the top
Each space is marked with your number on the ground
The right and left corners of the front of your booth are also marked on the ground
While your booth space is 10x10, we allow extra breathing room between spaces so center your booth between the two corner marks to benefit from that space
ENTRANCE & EXIT. Please do not enter through the main entrance (where the event occurs). ENTER at the gravel road that loops around to the field. This is the vendor entrance. It will be marked and there will be a parking assistant waving you in. Then please EXIT at the main entrance. This will help prevent congestion.
Booth breakdown cannot start until after 4:00 p.m. No vehicles are allowed on the field until all guests have exited
🚨 Please know your booth number and assigned row when you arrive.
🚨 All events are outdoors and run rain or shine.
🚨 All cars must be off the field and parked in vendor parking by 10:45 a.m.
FULL WEEKEND INSTRUCTIONS
Additional setup and logistics details, including booth assignments and arrival windows will be emailed the week prior to the event.
Friday Setup Option
You can opt to set up your key booth infrastructure (tent, table, chairs, displays) on Friday between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. If you would like to set up on Friday, please let me know by July 10.
Saturday Setup
Setup Windows. On Saturday, there will be two set up windows:
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Booth Access. Vendors can drive directly to their booth. We ask that you please drop off your items, park in the dedicated vendor parking, and then come back and begin your set up. This will help minimize congestion and ensure everyone has access to their booth.
Booth Assignments. Set up windows will be sent with your booth assignments the week before the event, along with other details including parking instructions, etc.
Saturday Breakdown
Booth Access. You will not be allowed to drive up to your booth on Saturday. You will be allowed to park on the main event field, but will have to carry your items from your booth to your vehicle. There will be parking assistants there to help you if needed.
Overnight Security. We will have someone on-site to provide courtesy security, but we cannot guarantee the safety of your products. We highly recommend taking high-value items, cash boxes, items that could get damaged, etc. with you at the end of the day.
Sunday Setup
Setup Windows. You will have the same setup window time on Sunday that you were assigned on Saturday.
Booth Access. You will not be allowed to drive up to your booth on Sunday. You will be allowed to park on the main event field, but will have to carry your items from your vehicle to your booth. There will be parking assistants there to assist you if needed.
Sunday Breakdown
Booth Access. To ensure a safe and efficient load out:
All guests must be off the field before any vehicles are allowed to enter for load out.
Booths must be completely packed up before you can bring your vehicle on-site.
Then head to the vendor parking to grab your vehicle.
Drive back to the event and load out.
Our events are continuing to grow and we are implementing additional procedures to ensure the safety of our partner vendors, staff, and guests 🤗.
SATURDAY ONLY INSTRUCTIONS
Saturday Setup
Setup Windows. On Saturday, there will be two set up windows:
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Booth Access. You will not be allowed to drive up to your booth on Saturday. You will be allowed to park on the main event field, but will have to carry your items from your vehicle to your booth. There will be parking assistants there to assist you.
Booth Assignments. Set up windows will be sent with your booth assignments the week before the event, along with other details including parking instructions, etc.
Saturday Breakdown
Booth Access. You will not be allowed to drive up to your booth on Saturday. You will be allowed to park on the main event field, but will have to carry your items from your booth to your vehicle. There will be parking assistants there to assist you if needed. All guests must be off the field before any vehicles are allowed to enter for load out.
SUNDAY ONLY INSTRUCTIONS
Sunday Setup
Setup Windows. For Sunday-only booths, there will be one setup window:
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Booth Access. You will not be allowed to drive up to your booth on Sunday. You will be allowed to park on the main event field, but will have to carry your items from your vehicle to your booth. There will be parking assistants there to assist you.
Booth Assignments. Set up windows will be sent with your booth assignments the week before the event, along with other details, including parking instructions, etc.
Sunday Breakdown
Booth Access. To ensure a safe and efficient load out:
All guests must be off the field before any vehicles are allowed to enter for load out.
Booths must be completely packed up before you can bring your vehicle on-site.
Then head to the vendor parking to grab your vehicle.
Drive back to the event and load out.
Our events are continuing to grow and we are implementing additional procedures to ensure the safety of our partner vendors, staff, and guests.
Vendor Placement Considerations
As part of our event planning, we work to thoughtfully place vendors throughout the market to support safety, accessibility, and the overall guest experience.
If your booth includes items such as latex balloons, strong fragrances, generators, propane equipment, smoke-producing cooking elements, amplified sound, or anything else that may impact nearby vendors or guests with sensitivities or accessibility needs, please let us know in advance so we can consider this during booth placement planning.
Field Access and Parking
Please ENTER through the roadway across from Bolton Spring Farm and EXIT through the main field opening for set up. This will enable us to keep cars moving safely and efficiently. There will be attendants there to direct you. See map image and Google Map.
Vendors are welcome to drive up to their booth space for Friday or Saturday setup. Please drop your things and park vs. leaving your car in the aisle while you set up. Clearing vehicles from the aisles quickly will prevent congestion and allow all artists to benefit from the opportunity to drive up to their respective booth.
Vendor parking is located at 115 Main Street. It is about a 5-minute walk from the event field (it is a front yard area of a home on the Bolton Spring Farm property). See map image and Google Map.
Event Highlights
Artists, Makers & Small-Batch Food Artisans
Christmas in July is designed to encourage guests to slow down, linger, and enjoy the full experience. In addition to shopping the market, visitors will be able to enjoy local wine, refreshing wine slushies, gourmet food trucks, specialty food vendors, and farm-fresh offerings throughout the day. Bolton Spring Farm will be decked out in all her holiday splendor for the event as well!
Guests often spend several hours on the property browsing handcrafted goods, enjoying food and beverages, listening to live music, and soaking in the festive atmosphere. The combination of holiday cheer, beautiful orchard views, and a thoughtfully curated vendor lineup creates a relaxed and joyful experience that encourages visitors to explore, discover, and return throughout the day.
Public restroom facilities will be available for vendors and guests during the event.
Also joining us will be:
The new Bolton Spring Farm beer garden will be back!
Hardwick Vineyard & Winery offering wine tastings and bottles for purchase throughout the weekend.
Live music in the orchard from Aunt Mimi both days to create a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
A curated selection of gourmet food trucks and specialty food vendors serving delicious seasonal offerings throughout the event, including:
Wheelie Good (Sat. & Sun.)
Smokin' Food Truck 51 (Sat. Only)
Wheat + Water Crafted Doughz (Sun. Only)
Trolley Dogs (Sun. Only)
Beautiful orchard views, picnic areas, and plenty of space for guests to slow down, gather, and enjoy a summer weekend on the farm, with a festive twist!
How You Can Help Us Run A Smooth & Successful Event 🤗
Permitting. If you are serving any food items or samples, you must have a permit from the Nashoba Associated Board of Health. You can find all the information you need on our Vendor Application page (at the bottom of the page). All permit requests must be received by Nashoba Associated Board of Health by mail 14 days before any event. A copy of your permit must be emailed to events@BoltonSpringFarm.com a week prior to the event.
Be Prepared. You must know your booth number when you arrive. If you don’t, we will not check you in and ask that you go park and look up your number. By knowing your booth number you will help keep everything running smoothly and avoid delays for fellow vendors. We are always going to be there to help you, but we need everyone to do their part (and the majority of you certainly do!). We want to get everyone set up as safely and efficiently as possible and this small detail will go a long way in helping us achieve that goal.
Stop. Drop. And GO! Please unload your items and then move your vehicle promptly to vendor parking before setting up. This ensures all vendors can access their booths efficiently.
Use the Proper Entrance and Exit. We have a dedicated entrance and exit for vendor set up. Please enter through the driveway across from the farmstand. We will have an attendant there this year to direct you. The map is included above.
Early Arrivals. If you are planning to come earlier than your assigned set up time, you must let me know in advance. The morning is heavily scheduled to allow time for the event staff to set up, and then the vendors. This flow helps ensure that the venue is set up for a successful day while also allowing the vendors the time and space they need to make their booths shine!
Go Ahead and Wave Me Off! The rows and booths are all marked. If you know where you are going, just wave me off at check in and head to your spot.
Audience & Demographic
Christmas in July attracts a broad audience of shoppers who value handcrafted goods, local businesses, seasonal experiences, and community connection. While women ages 25–65 continue to make up a significant portion of our audience, the event also attracts couples, families, groups of friends, and visitors looking for a unique and memorable summer outing.
Our guests are highly engaged and intentionally seek out artisan markets, farm experiences, and opportunities to support local artists, makers, farms, and small businesses. They enjoy discovering one-of-a-kind products, hearing the stories behind them, and finding meaningful gifts well before the traditional holiday shopping season begins (one artist shared that she sold a painting for $1,000 at the Savor Fair event in June! So excited for her!).
Unlike many traditional craft fairs, Christmas in July is designed as an experience rather than simply a shopping event. Guests often spend several hours on the property enjoying live music, food and beverages, orchard views, and the festive atmosphere while exploring the market throughout the day.
Vendors can expect a crowd that is curious, supportive, and eager to connect. Products that feel giftable, seasonal, handcrafted, nostalgic, festive, or unique tend to resonate particularly well with this audience.
Estimated Attendance
We welcomed more than 1,000 guests to Christmas in July last year. While the event was previously held as a one-day market, we have expanded to a two-day format this year to provide guests with an even more enjoyable shopping experience and, hopefully, improve our odds of beautiful summer weather.
As with all outdoor events, attendance is influenced by weather conditions, but we anticipate a strong turnout throughout the weekend. (And yes, the rum has been planted!)
Promotion
Farm Fresh Events has launched a full promotion plan, including:
Facebook event (Launched 6/17)
Instagram reminders (Launched 6/17)
Cross promotion at the Savor Fair event (6/13 & 6/14))
Door signage at Bolton Spring Farm (6/13)
Road Signage (Installed at Bolton Spring Farm on Main Street (6/23)
Yard signs installed on Bolton Spring Farm property along Main Street (6/15)
Flyers posted in key coffee shops and community areas within a 40+ mile radius of Bolton Spring Farm (7/6) You can download the flyer here.
Participating artists will be spotlighted in social media posts leading up to the event
All confirmed artists* are featured on the event webpage (*Payment and agreement received). If you see an error on your slide, please email me.
Ongoing social media campaign
Event description you can cut and paste:
A little holiday magic, right in the middle of summer
A festive artisan fair celebrating creativity, community, handcrafted goods, and early holiday cheer among the apple trees at Bolton Spring Farm.
🎄 60+ artists, makers, farms, and specialty food vendors
🍷 Local beer & wine and refreshing wine slushies
🎵 Live music throughout the day
🌳 Beautiful orchard setting
🎁 One-of-a-kind gifts and handcrafted treasures
July 18 & 19 | 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Bolton Spring Farm | Bolton, Massachusetts
Admission to Christmas in July is $5 per person (children under 16 free). Event admissions help support the creation of community events while preserving open space, local agriculture, and the future of family farming at Bolton Spring Farm.
How you can help spread the word!
Please help us spread the word by liking, commenting on, and sharing event posts whenever you can. We also encourage you to engage with posts from your fellow artisans and makers, supporting one another helps expand everyone’s reach and visibility online!
Share your participation at the event on social and Tag @BoltonSpringFarm (I will add it to our story and highlights). Please tag instead of “add as collaborator.”
Use the event logo with any of your social posts. Include the event link: https://www.farmfreshevents.com/christmas-in-july-artisan-fair-market
Logo Downloads
Instagram Square Post & Facebook Square Post (1080 × 1080 px)
Instagram Story/Reel and Facebook Story (1080 × 1920 px)
Instagram Carousel (1080 × 1350)
A Thought on Marketing Your Business
One of the questions I am often asked by vendors is how to better use social media to drive sales at events.
My answer may surprise you.
People are rarely buying a candle, painting, cutting board, piece of jewelry, or handcrafted soap.
They're buying the person behind it. They’re buying the story.
They’re buying the years spent learning a craft, the inspiration behind a design, the materials carefully selected, the mistakes made along the way, and the passion that drives someone to create something by hand instead of taking the easier path.
In a world filled with mass-produced products, handmade items carry something different: a human connection.
These people aren’t spending their Saturday at Homegoods, they are in a field, sipping wine, strolling the market, taking in the beauty of your work, learning about your artistic journey. They are invested in you.
So, as you work on your social, for this event and others, I encourage you to:
Invite people into your process.
Show them the sketch before the finished painting.
Show them the workshop (the messier the better!)
Show them the materials arriving at your studio.
Show them the packaging you carefully selected.
Tell them why you started.
Tell them what inspires you.
Share the moment you realized a new design was finally right. Share the artistic process that got you there.
Introduce them to the people, pets, places, and experiences that shape your work.
Those stories are often more powerful than the finished product itself.
As consumers, we can purchase almost anything online in seconds. What we cannot purchase is authenticity. That is your greatest advantage.
When guests arrive at an event already feeling connected to you, your story, and your work, they’re not simply shopping. They're supporting someone they feel they know.
That’s the magic of handmade. That’s the magic of you.
Important Notice Regarding Event Communications
Dear Artists, Artisans, Farmers, and Gourmet Food Producers,
Thanks to the thoughtful messages from two members of our community, it has come to our attention that there have been a few fraudulent attempts to contact vendors while falsely representing themselves as members of the Bolton Spring Farm or Farm Fresh Events team.
Please know that I, Karen Regan, am the only person responsible for curating our events and communicating with vendors regarding applications, participation, booth assignments, and payments. If you receive a message from anyone else requesting payment, vendor information, or claiming to represent our organization, please treat it with caution.
For your reference, all official communications from our team will come from email addresses associated with:
• boltonspringfarm.com
• farmfreshevents.com
If you receive communications from any other domain (including variations such as .org, .co, or similar), they are not affiliated with our organization.
To our knowledge, our accounts and systems have not been compromised. These individuals appear to be independently attempting to impersonate our organization through their own channels.
If you ever receive a message that seems suspicious, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly to verify its authenticity.
On a more positive note, I suppose there is one silver lining: we have created something special enough that someone thinks it's worth pretending to be part of it. In my "glass-half-full" view of the world, I'll take that as a compliment to all of us and the incredible community we've built together.
Thank you, as always, for your trust, support, and partnership. We appreciate you and look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming events.
Warm regards,
Karen Regan
Farm Fresh Events
Bolton Spring Farm