*Food Vendor Application accessible at the bottom of this page.

****PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS VENDOR OVERVIEW BEFORE ENTERING THE CONTRACT****
MOST OF YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED HERE

Once you are notified of your acceptance, we are happy to answer further questions that may not be covered here.
To download a PDF of this 2025 Food Vendor outline, click here

• Deadline for Application is May 2nd, 2025. Completed applications will be notified of the decision by May 16th, 2025.
• FULL PRE PAYMENT OF ALL FEES is due upon Application and can be paid by Stripe or etransfer to starbellyjam@gmail.com. No Application is considered without pre-payment. Unsuccessful applications will be refunded in full by May 28th, 2025.
• Vending space fee is $850+GST PLUS $350 damage deposit and includes up to four staff weekend passes and one 15 amp circuit.
• Vending area is 15’ (frontage) X 20’ (depth) or 20’ (frontage) X 15’ (depth). This area needs to include ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT, meaning trailer hitches, storage, coolers/freezers, serving areas, etc.
• Vendors can purchase additional footage in their application at a cost of $22 a foot. Vendors found repeatedly outside their purchased footprint during the festival will pay an additional surcharge of $40 per foot used.
• Up to four additional discounted weekend staff passes and one staff campsite at the Starbelly Campground are available to purchase for accepted vendors from June 2nd, 2025 by contacting sevices@starbellyjam.org
• Additional 15 amp circuits are available for $55 each.
• As Food Vending Area is limited, square footage paid for – beyond the basic booth footprint – may have festival water, electrical and/or grey-water lines running through it.
• Only Food items submitted on application are permitted to be sold at the festival without the specific written permission from the Food Vendor Manager.
• Starbelly Jam reserves the right to remove any items not approved in application.
• All vendors and employees must be wearing a festival vendor wristband.
• All accepted food vendors will be requested to donate 4 meals to the festival, to support volunteering managers.
• To help the festival towards a Zero Waste mandate Food Vendors are no longer allowed to sell water in bottles less than 1 Litre in size.
• Each food vendor is provided with a single cold potable water connection.
• Food vendors need to supply their own grey-water sump pump, 1/3 hp minimum (capable of pumping a 10 foot head).
• Food vendors need a one side threaded 3/4” connector for connecting grey-water to our system.
• Each food vendor receives one parking spot in the vendor parking area.
• Vendors are required in their application to declare the electrical load – in Amps – of all equipment being brought on to the festival site.
• Damage Deposits will be refunded on or before August 13th, 2025.
  • By submitting an application you agree to conform to all the conditions and acknowledge that the Damage Deposit is held as security, and can be forfeited for non-compliance.
  • Any and all vendor actions resulting in loss of damage deposit will be notified and documented via email by a Starbelly Jam representative. Examples of forfeiture of damage deposit include but are not limited to altering, damaging Crawford Bay Park property or infrastructure. Leaving litter and waste on Crawford Bay Park property. Disrespectful or abusive behaviour towards festival goers or Starbelly Jam staff and volunteers. Non compliance with any of Starbelly Jam’s requirements and policies.
  • There is no refund of Vendor Fees for successful applicants after approval.

* It is the vendors’ responsibility to have back-up personnel in the event of sickness, etc.

Important Documentation

ACCEPTED vendors will need to provide the following documentation by June 18, 2025 or risk losing their vending slot to food@starbellyjam.org

*A SPECIAL EVENT FOOD SERVICES PERMIT obtained for your booth or Food Truck from the Regional Health Authority

*A Valid BC FoodSafe certificate for at least 1 staff person per shift

*A $2 million public liability vendor insurance policy

Starbelly Jam Festival Health and Safety

• No food preparation is permitted on-site unless performed in a commercial kitchen set up approved by Regional Health.
• It is the vendor’s responsibility that their entire operation (including all equipment) meet current health and safety standards & be approved by a health inspector. Should health inspection take place at or before the festival and a vendor’s permit be revoked, Starbelly Jam will not reimburse any fees.

REGIONAL HEALTH INSPECTOR Contact Information:

Ivan Rukavina, Environmental Health Officer Interior Health, Health Protection Office, 2nd Floor, 333 Victoria St, Nelson BC, V1L 4K3 Tel # (250) 505-7200 ext 3 Fax. (250) 505-7211 attn Health Protection email: hpadminnelson@interiorhealth.ca.

• Vendors are required to keep a professional, clean, safe & cheerful booth and area, respectful of other vendors; keeping to a minimum both noise and loitering ‘friends’ (non-customers)
• Each booth must have at least one ABC fire extinguisher, minimum 5lbs
• Selling of drugs/alcohol or related paraphernalia is not permitted and will result in your removal from the festival and a future ban on participating
• Smoking is ONLY permitted in the smoking zone, which will have proper signage.
• No dogs, no drugs, no alcohol – intoxication is not permitted on the festival grounds and may result in loss of current and future vending privileges
• Vendors are not permitted to display or offer any literature, advertising or information of any nature (be it political, spiritual or otherwise) without the prior consent of the Vendor Manager
• Festival security persons will be on grounds 24 hours a day
• Anything that is a cause for concern may be addressed to any festival manager
• There will be a festival volunteer periodically checking in with vendors
  It is expected that all vendors and their staff will treat all Starbelly Jam volunteers & organizers with respect and courtesy – remember that these people make it possible for you to have this vending opportunity!
  Food vendors coming from afar who are interested in local food connections may contact the Food Vendor Manager at food@starbellyjam.org
  Failure to comply with Starbelly Jam requests, including but not limited to respectful conduct with all Starbelly managers, staff and volunteers, and requirements can result in loss of damage deposit and future vending privileges with the festival

Parking

Accepted Vendors are permitted to park one small vehicle in vendor parking (free of charge) Unregistered vehicles will not receive a parking permit, please provide the following information to food@starbellyjam.org by June 18, 2025

Make
Model
Licence plate number

Festival Set-up & Take Down

Vendor locations are assigned by Starbelly Jam and are non-transferable

Permit to Operate Package

• Pick up from the vendor manager upon arriving at the festival for load-in.
• It will include additional set up details, set up checklist, “vendor access pass”, festival wristbands, parking pass, camping pass if applicable festival Permit to Operate and a load-out checklist for damage deposit refund that will be completed by vendor manager or designate

Load-in + Set-up

• Vendors will be assigned a load in time between 7am – 12pm on Friday July 18th. This will be emailed by July 4th, and is determined on vendor placement and adjacent set-up requirements
• Vendors or their staff must check-in with vendor manager (or designate) prior to bringing in vehicle or supplies to the festival grounds
• No loading in prior to designated time is allowed
• Vendors not present at loading time may lose their vending space at festival, including forfeiting of all fees and damage deposit
• Staff without wristbands helping set up vendor booths must be off festival grounds by 5pm on Friday.
• If a food vendor wishes to have a GFS food delivery on July 18th they must inform the Food Vendor Manager by July 11th.

Take Down + Load-out

• Vendors are only permitted to load out on Monday July 21th from 6am – 11am
• Vendors or their staff must inform vendor manager (or designate) of intended load out time prior to Sunday morning
• Load out checklist will be reviewed with vendor and Starbelly Jam designate on Monday morning before vendor leaves festival site or vendor risks losing entire damage deposit
• Vendors must leave their site immaculately clean & void of vehicular damage upon departure. Vendors may choose to have a drop mat to make clean up easier.

*Note that no changes to the Crawford Bay Community Park trees/grounds/park infrastructure, may happen without approval of Vendor Manager, or vendor risks loss of damage deposit and future vending privileges.

Festival Vending Hours

Minimum hours required to be open:

Friday 5pm – 10 pm
Saturday noon – 10 pm
Sunday noon – 9 pm

*Vendors are encouraged to stay open until the music ends each day.

Vendors are responsible for their own shelters, tables, chairs and all other equipment/materials required.

Starbelly Jam is cultivating avenues of expressing gratitude for the thousands of volunteer hours that are donated to the festival each year.

In this context Starbelly Jam is asking all accepted food vendors to donate 4 meal tickets to the festival. These meal tickets will be distributed amongst Volunteering Department Managers. All of their work helps you have a smooth and profitable festival.

Starbelly Jam appreciates your support with this.

Water

• Each vendor will be provided with a single cold potable water connection that will require a food grade hose to tap into. No basins or hot water is provided.
• Vendors must provide their own utility-wash sink, food grade hoses etc.
• There are potable water faucets that vendors can direct customers to for filling water bottles.
• All Food Vendors are required to use the grey water system provided by the festival . This is for GREY WATER ONLY – NOT for OIL/GREASE or BLACKWATER. Vendors must have a grey water holding tank, or at a minimum, a Rubbermaid tote 14”x20” by 16” high outfitted with a filtered sump pump (min. size 1/3 hp and capable of pumping to a height of 10’ ). There must be a one way flow valve attached. From the one way valve the vender must have a fitting that has a 3/4” barb thread end to be able to hook into the 3/4” pipe that is the festival’s grey water system. Inserted image is an example of this type of fitting.
• Vendors are required to have a screen in their sink drains to assist in eliminating all small food bits from their waste-water
• Vendors may be asked to stagger draining grey water as to not overload the system

Electricity

• Starbelly Jam has a very limited power supply, we strongly encourage the use of propane for your refrigeration & cooking equipment. One 15 amp circuit is supplied with your vending fee, you may purchase additional power in your application.
• Depending on the electrical load information on your application our electrical supervisor may require an additional 15 Amp circuit to be purchased. Our electrical supervisor understands that not all equipment is likely to be on at once – however we need to be able to assess what the maximum load is that the system may experience from the equipment of all of the food vendors.
• Starbelly Jam reserves the right to shut down food vendor equipment when necessary &/or require food vendors to alternate usage of equipment.
• All lighting must be LED – this includes lighting in enclosed vending units such as trailers or food trucks.
• Ideally vendors bring their own electrical extension cables which meet the following standards:
  • Minimum #14 wire size AWG and 12’-25’ lengths only. Cord should read “SOOW” OR “SJOOW”. *It is possible to buy an extension cord on site from the festival electrician if requested beforehand to Food Vendor Manager NOTE: No yellow/orange cords permitted (typical outdoor extension cords).
  • No “SJTWA” or similar cords permitted.

*Generators are not permitted except when approved by Festival Site Manager in the unlikely occurrence of an extended power outage.

Electronic Payments

• Secure wireless service is provided to all vendors in order to facilitate their running credit card purchases through their SQUARE or PAYPAL accounts
• Vendor will be given password on site once Set Up Checklist is completed
• Do not share password with the public
• There usually is public ‘high-speed’ available for personal use in the core of Crawford Bay that does not require a password
• We do not guarantee that this WIFI will run flawlessly, but hope to make it work for everyone
• Note: that this wireless is NOT to be used for any other reason (Social Media, Netflix, email etc) as this secure bandwidth is VERY limited and shared by all vendors. Do not share the password

Zero Waste

• 75% of all garbage produced at Starbelly Jam is from food vendors!! We require vendors to do as much as possible as we continue to make big strides towards eliminating all of our waste. Thank you for your cooperation.
• Waste stations at the festival will be supervised to assist all festival goers & vendors with proper sorting of material to be disposed of.
• Biodegradable Plastic is Not Permitted at the festival as it can not be processed in local facilities and is not recyclable. This means Corn Based plastic cups are not permitted on site.
• Vendors are required to sell food/beverages at the event in packaging (plates/bowls/cups) that is compostable in a non-industrial facility. This includes paper plates, unbleached napkins, and paper cups. If a vendor wants to use a Plastic Cup for beverages (example fresh squeezed juice) it must be recyclable (Numbers 1-7) and the Vendor Manager must be informed.
• Eliminate disposable items & over-packaged products.
• Vendors may sell food in reusable packaging if secured with ‘plate deposit’.
• No glass is permitted on festival grounds
• Non Biodegradable or Compostable materials are Not Permitted on site. Example:
  • Polystyrene, Waxed cardboard, Foil lined Wax Sheets.

• Vendors are not to use plastic bags with the public. If necessary, please package purchased items in recycled (brown kraft) paper bags.
• DO NOT provide single serving items such as sugar, cream, ketchup, sauce, relish, salad dressing, chips, etc. Instead use dispensers or squeeze bottles that meet health requirements.
• Vendors are not to use plastic cutlery. Use wooden or bamboo cutlery and stir-sticks
  Correctly sort cleaned recyclables, and returnables into LARGE CLEAR PLASTIC BAGS that you provide – deposit these bags at designated recycling disposal zones at the event.
• Food Compost – vendors are responsible for separating compost into your own 5 gallon plastic buckets and disposing it at the designated waste stations.
  There is a limited supply of wooden cutlery, napkins, clear plastic garbage bags, paper cups and brown paper kraft bags available on site for vendors to purchase. They will be priced higher than if you provide your own. The Vendor manager can require you to purchase these items if your products are not in compliance with our policy.
• Bring all goods into the festival in cardboard or reusable boxes or containers.
• All oil must be packed out when vendors leave. There is to be no dumping of oil products on the festival site, in Crawford Bay or surrounding East Shore areas.
• Please help promote the composting system at the festival by telling your customers and co-workers about our goal of reducing garbage to ZERO WASTE and directing them to the compost disposal areas. The correct use of the facilities will make correct disposal easy. Our goal is to eliminate garbage going into landfills – WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

Belly Bux (Starbelly Coupons)

• Belly bux are provided to artists and staff as coupons.
• All food vendors must be willing to accept Belly bux during the festival.
• Food vendors will then exchange the belly bux to the site manager or vendor coordinator no later than Sunday night (after closing) to receive their refund (during the festival.)
• All remaining Belly bux are collected at the time of load-out. (reimbursements will be issued along with deposits.)
• Belly bux that are not collected before leaving the festival grounds will not be given reimbursements.

Camping

Many Food Vendors choose to stay in local accommodations or Starbelly Campground (please refer above)
There are limited spaces to camp on festival grounds close to the food vendor area. If you would like to do so please send your request via email to the Food Vendor Manager at food@starbellyjam.org.