Participant standards
Come prepared. Cook and conduct business responsibly.
These baseline rules protect applicants, guests, the venue, and the festival experience. Accepted participants will receive a final operational packet.
Vendor rules
Professional, safe, and festival-ready.
- Acceptance is required before payment or participation. Submission of an application does not reserve a space.
- Approved applicants must complete the stated participation-fee and refundable-deposit requirements within five business days. Space is confirmed only after payment is received.
- Participants must provide all required permits, licenses, tax documentation, insurance, food-safety credentials, and other approvals before the stated deadline.
- Vendors must operate only within the assigned footprint and may sell or display only items approved in the application.
- Tents must be properly weighted. Stakes may not be used unless the festival gives written approval.
- Participants provide their own tent, tables, chairs, displays, lighting, extension cords, equipment, and operating supplies unless otherwise stated.
- Electricity and water are available only when requested, approved, and paid for in advance. Generators require advance approval.
- Food vendors must follow all health, sanitation, temperature-control, handwashing, fire-safety, and waste-disposal requirements.
- To receive return of an attendance deposit, an approved vendor must check in on time, remain open during required hours, satisfy permit and safety requirements, and leave the assigned area clean.
- Booths must remain staffed, safe, clean, and open during published festival hours. Early teardown is prohibited without approval.
- Participants are responsible for collecting and reporting applicable sales taxes and for removing all trash, grease, equipment, and property at teardown.
Smoke Row & live-fire rules
Respect the fire, the guest, and the craft.
- Smoke Row participants apply through the official vendor application and must receive written acceptance before paying fees or preparing to participate.
- The inaugural 2027 festival does not include a formal championship BBQ competition, judged turn-ins, or guaranteed competition prizes.
- Approved menu items, prices, service format, footprint, hours, and utility needs must match the accepted application unless the festival approves a written change.
- Cookers, fuel, fire extinguishers, propane equipment, tents, cords, food-service areas, and barriers must satisfy fire, health, venue, and festival requirements.
- Open flames, grease disposal, ash disposal, generators, and overnight equipment storage are allowed only as authorized in the final vendor packet.
- Participants must prevent public access to hot surfaces, blades, fuel, cooking equipment, and other hazards.
- All food sales, samples, and demonstrations require advance approval and all applicable permits, food-safety controls, and sanitation systems.
- Vendors retain their approved festival sales revenue. No attendance, customer count, weather condition, or sales volume is guaranteed.
- Participants are responsible for personnel, equipment, cleanup, waste, grease, ash, and damage to festival or venue property.
- Harassment, unsafe conduct, intoxication that creates a safety concern, material rule violations, or refusal to follow staff instructions may result in removal without refund.
Applies to all participants
Festival authority and acknowledgment
East Texas Smoke & Soul Festival may assign locations, limit duplicate offerings, inspect participant areas, and modify operations when reasonably necessary for safety, compliance, weather, venue requirements, or event quality. Participants must follow lawful instructions from festival, venue, health, fire, security, and emergency personnel.
Rules may be supplemented by the acceptance notice and final participant packet. If documents conflict, the most recently issued written festival instruction controls. Questions may be sent to kiddcamp@stellakidd.com.