The following rules and regulations apply to ALL Festival participants. Those selling OR sampling FOOD/BEVERAGES, providing EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, and participating as FARMERS/PRODUCERS are subject to additional rules and regulations (see appropriate section on this page).

1. The Festival is held rain or shine. BOOTH/REGISTRATION FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. Refunds (less a $50 administration fee)  will be granted upon request for cancellation received before April 1.
2. ALL vendors are charged a refundable $50 cleaning deposit ($100 for food/beverage vendors) to ensure compliance with all rules, especially that vendor booth areas are free of all items and trash at the end of the Festival.
3. earthday365 reserves the right to determine whether any company, organization, or product is eligible for inclusion in the Festival. This determination may be made at any time before or after the booth registration.
   1. Vendors/exhibitors who do not comply with rules and regulations or who are deemed inappropriate for the Festival may be denied participation in future years.
4. Vendors/exhibitors are screened for their commitment to sustainable business practices or products. Only those with an established sustainability offering are permitted at the event. “Offering” is defined as a product, service, or brand that represents a company’s commitment to sustainability, social equity/justice, public health, or the environment, and is reviewed at the discretion of earthday365 staff and board.
   1. All materials distributed by vendors must have a verifiable scientific basis, and must not include assertions unsupported by or contrary to established scientific principles. earthday365 reserves the right to make such determinations in its sole discretion and to prohibit the distribution of materials that fail to meet this standard.
   2. Vendors will uphold the spirit of the St. Louis Earth Day Festival encapsulated in the earthday365 mission and values.
5. The standard VENDOR BOOTH consists of a 10’x10’ space:
   1. One 8-foot table and one chair are provided in registration fee.
   2. A professionally-installed, weighted 10′ x 10′ tent may be rented for an additional fee through earthday365.
   3. ALL booth tables must be covered.  Vendor/exhibitors must provide the table covering.
   4. All vendor/exhibitor activities—including giveaways, petitions, surveys, games, etc.—must be confined to the allotted booth space area. Adjacent booths are available for an additional fee.
   5. Vendor/exhibitor booth number(s) will be labeled for setup, either in spray paint on grass, or with chalk and/or flag on concrete.
6. TENTS are encouraged but not required.
   1. No vendor/exhibitor can have a structure or signage higher than the front of their tent without prior approval from earthday365 staff.
   2. All tents must be secured. This is required by the City of St. Louis Dept of Public Safety.
      1. No staking is allowed anywhere on the Festival footprint. Underground sprinklers may be damaged, and vendors/exhibitors could be held responsible for repairs.
      2. Acceptable options are sandbags, cinder blocks, or water ballasts attached to the tent structure.
   3. Tents WILL BE inspected, and violators must adjust or take down their tents. There will be no exceptions.
      1. Violators will be cited. If sprinkler system is damaged, a repair fee will be accessed by the City of St. Louis. Vendors/exhibitors with improper tent security will be held liable in the event of an accident.
   4. Pop-up tents are now allowed under the Muny covered walkway and must be weighted.
      
   5. No tents may be set up that are branded in conflict with an event sponsor (e.g. No Toyota-branded tents in conflict with Subaru sponsorship).  For questions, email festival@earthday-365.org.
7. VENDORS/EXHIBITORS are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner:
   1. Vendors/exhibitors are responsible for their booth and all items in it.
   2. Booths must be ready to open by 10:30 a.m. The Festival runs from 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. BOTH days, and many attendees stay until the very end. We strongly encourage all vendors/exhibitors to stay for the duration of the event.
   3. Roaming solicitations and/or petitions are not allowed. earthday365 is renting the Festival grounds, making it a private space.
      
   4. ALL vendors/exhibitors are expected to pick up all trash and debris in their booth area, and deposits will be forfeited if they are not cleaned.
   5. The Festival ends promptly at 5 p.m., and vehicles will be allowed in for load out on Sunday AFTER security clears attendees from the roads. You will be notified when you are allowed to enter with your vehicle.
   6. Food items/beverages CANNOT be sold or given away for on-site consumption, unless the vendor/exhibitor has obtained permission from the earthday365 organization AND a permit from the City of St. Louis Health Department. All samples must comply with food vendor rules. See specific food vendor rules and regulations below.
   7. NO DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BAGS may be given out with purchases or giveaways even if they are reused.
   8. Vendors/exhibitors are expected to recycle their waste. Let earthday365 staff know if you will need support to haul and recycle items. You must break down and stack cardboard boxes.
   9. Single-use bottled water is prohibited.  If you choose to offer water from a cooler, you must offer #1 plastic cups, NOT paper. Paper cups are not recyclable.
   10. NO SMOKING anywhere throughout the event grounds, including behind vendor booths.
   11. Comply with rules and regulations of Forest Park and the City of St. Louis, including parking.
8. Vendors/exhibitors with liability insurance must present a certificate of insurance naming St. Louis Earth Day as an additionally insured for the St. Louis Earth Day Festival, April 26-27 2025 no later than March 31, 2025. For more information, click here.
9. Sales tax for items sold must be paid by vendors in compliance with local and state tax law.
10. Vendor setup is Friday, April 25, 2-6 p.m. (preferable) or Saturday morning from 7-8:30 a.m. Roads will close promptly at 9:00 a.m. on both event days. For further load-in instructions, please refer to vendor logistics that will be emailed and updated on our webpage.
11. Parking within the event grounds during the Festival is prohibited. Vendors/exhibitors may park vehicles in the Lower Muny lot (one parking pass per vendor), in the Upper Muny lot, or in public parking spaces throughout Forest Park. Off-site parking and free shuttle service from Washington University are also available (see here for details).
12. A vendor/exhibitor orientation meeting will be held in early April to answer questions and provide information about event logistics. Participation in orientation is required for food vendors and highly recommended for all others.  Details TBD.

IMPORTANT: A $100 refundable deposit is required from food vendors to ensure use of recyclable and/or compostable food serviceware items and cleaning of your booth area. A $50 refundable deposit is required from vendors sampling a product. Those who comply will receive a refund after the event. Those who do not comply with all items below will be asked to shut down their booth and will forfeit their deposit.

earthday365 gives preference to vendors that:

• Are Green Dining Alliance members; GDA restaurants receive a $200 discount on booth fees
• Are locally owned
• Use organic ingredients
• Use locally sourced ingredients from local farms, as opposed to those who use local distributors (e.g., “KUNA Food Service” is a local company, but it distributes meat from all over the US).
• Offer multiple vegetarian and/or vegan options.
  • Meat and seafood–particularly red meat and ocean-caught seafood have intense environmental impacts.
  • Majority plant-based menus will receive preference over majority animal-based menus, unless the meats are locally sourced from responsible farms or fisheries. (See our GDA Resources or Known & Grown STL.)
  • If using red meats, the use of grass-fed/pastured cattle is strongly encouraged
• Offer finger foods or foods that do not require cutlery
• Offer made-from-scratch foods and drinks

Food vendors or those providing food or drink samples to the public agree to the general rules and regulations outlined in the previous section and the following:

1. All vendors serving food are required to have 1 vegan food option.
2. All menu/sample items must be pre-approved by earthday365 to ensure compliance.
   1. Any menu additions or substitutions MUST  be approved by earthday365 staff by April 1.
3. Food vendors may NOT sell or provide:
   1. Bottled water
   2. Beverages containing high-fructose corn syrup (including most sodas)
   3. Lemonade (exclusive to Sierra Club)
   4. Products containing palm oil
4. If using meats, poultry, or fish, it is strongly encouraged to:
   1. use locally-sourced
   2. use grass-fed/pastured
5. Individual generators are NOT allowed, even for food trucks. The propane-fueled generators we use produce nearly 75% less emissions compared to standard diesel generators. They are also much quieter, less smelly, and located further away from the booths.
6. Food permits are required for vendors and those providing samples and will be verified on-site by the City of St. Louis Health Dept.
   1. earthday365 will submit the food vendor list to the City of St. Louis Health Dept.
   2. When the list is submitted, you will be contacted so that you may apply for your health permit.
   3. For more information, contact City of St. Louis Health Dept. at (314) 612-5100.
7. If you are using Propane, please advise in the food vendor application. You must have a permit on file with with earthday365 and the City of St. Louis the Monday prior to the festival (by April 21, 2025).
8. Reducing waste, recycling, and/or composting are expected of ALL food vendors and samplers.
   1. earthday365 will provide trash, recycling, and compost containers for every two food booths. Vendors must sort waste into the correct containers and break down cardboard boxes. We recommend having a five-gallon bucket for food scraps at your booth to dump into nearby 65-gallon yellow roll carts. (DO NOT PUT FOOD SERVICE GLOVES IN COMPOST BUCKETS.)
   2. ALL disposable products (cups, compostable utensils, plates, brown napkins, etc.) MUST be recyclable and/or compostable.
      1. No paper cups
      2. No mixed materials (e.g. paper-lined foil)
      3. No black plastic
      4. No STYROFOAM
      5. No #6 plastic products or other random plastic (e.g. colored Solo cups, straws, toothpicks, condiment cups/packets, and plastic utensils).
   3. Beverages must be served in recyclable containers. If plastic, use #1 PETE, #2 HDPE, or #5 PP (see image above).
   4. Food must be served in “certified compostable” containers with “certified compostable” utensils, which must be “certified compostable” by the Biodegradable Products Institute, Compost Manufacturing Alliance, or Cedar Grove.
      1. Do not bring products labeled as “biodegradable” without this certification (see picture). “Bio-based,” “plant-based,” or “eco-friendly” are NOT valid.
   5. earthday365 staff will inspect every food booth before the festival opens on EACH day.
   6. earthday365 will provide local resources for purchasing compostable and recyclable products upon request.
9.  All Food Vendors are required to attend a meeting in early April to review event logistics to participate in the festival.

All applicants accepted as educational activity providers (in Youth Corner or elsewhere) agree to the general rules and regulations outlined above and the following:

1. All educational activity providers must submit an application for approval.
   1. We are looking for content-rich activities to inform, entertain, and inspire Festival attendees; exhibits or activities of substance that promote bigger-picture issues beyond your agency/organization; programming that will actively engage, rather than passively inform; and, with a focus on environmental, conservation, and sustainability topics.
   2. Exhibitors must contact event organizers if booth activity plans change significantly from the approved proposal.
2. The primary focus of the booth must be the approved activity. However, exhibitors may sell or promote products or services.
3. Educational activities offered must be free; however, a tip jar is allowed.
4. Every activity booth will be required to provide a refundable $50 cleaning deposit.

This is for Farmers/Producers who grow things (plants/animals) or make a product from what they grow.  For example, growing peppers to make salsa, bees for honey, or goats for cheese.  Even if you do not have produce to sell in April, this is great way to spread the word about your farm/products.  This is NOT for crafts/art/soap/etc. vendors who sell at farmers’ markets.

All Down on the Farm vendors agree to the general rules and regulations outlined above and the following:

1. The location for this type of vendor is only in the Down on the Farm Neighborhood.
2. Those selling items (or sampling) for on-site consumption must alert event organizers, obtain appropriate permits, and use only recyclable or compostable serviceware.
   1. See FOOD VENDOR RULES & REGULATIONS above.
   2. Pre-packaged items may not require a health permit.  Email festival@earthday-365.org to confirm.
   3. Those serving food or beverage for on-site consumption must pay a $100 deposit and attend the vendor meeting in early April.
3. The discounted registration fee to participate as a Down on the Farm vendor includes one 8’ or 6’ table and one chair per 10′ x 10′ space.
4. You may bring your own tent or rent a professionally installed tent for an additional fee.
5. If needed, electricity must be arranged and an additional fee paid in advance.