Vendor space available for Iris Festival
Annual event is April 27
The Porterville Chamber of Commerce is seeking food and craft vendors to participate in the 15th annual Iris Festival on April 27.
“This one-day event is on Saturday, April 27, in beautiful, historic downtown Porterville. If you’re looking for a vendor or business promotional venue, the Porterville Iris Festival is the place to have a booth as the organizing committee estimates the crowd will again exceed 30,000 people,” noted Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Donnette Carter.
“Attendees annually enjoy the booths, children’s activity area, amusements, Cool Rides exhibition and free entertainment on two stage areas,” she added.
The Porterville Chili Cook-off will be back for the fourth year. Complimentary shuttle service will be provided to and from Sutton’s Iris Gardens, where individuals can take self-guided tours, viewing the thousands of varieties grown by the Sutton family.
Crafter, commercial and food vendor space is offered for $95 to $140 per booth, with prices varying according to vendor booth type. Nonprofit, information-only booths are available in the Community Corner, and local businesses are invited to set up promotion booths as well on Business Lane. In all, there were 240 booths in 2012 and the chamber looks forward to surpassing that in 2013.
The Porterville Iris Festival has grown and expanded in impact through the years and is viewed as a premier event for the community and the Valley. Vendors and visitors travel from across California to participate.
The festival began in 1999 to celebrate the city’s flower — the purple iris — and to showcase the beauty of the iris at Sutton’s Iris Garden, the world’s largest distributor of re-blooming iris.
Business sponsorships and marketing opportunities are available as well. For more information on the Iris Festival or for an application, contact the Porterville Chamber of Commerce at 784-7502. Applications may be found on the chamber and event websites at www.portervillechamber.org or www.irisfestival.porterville.com.
