Vendor Information

For the Boston Local Food Festival

Welcome to the Boston Local Food Festival! Every year, we host nearly 100 local-only food vendors across four parks (about a half mile) of the Greenway in downtown Boston for one Sunday in September. An estimated 40,000 festival goers come through the festival, exploring the food, cooking demos, family activities, and more.

This page is to give as much of the nitty-gritty specifics for food vendors as possible. Registration is complicated because the City of Boston’s Health Department has us submit applications for every vendor, and we need those documents from you to make it happen. Despite best efforts to keep this up-to-date, things may change faster than we can update them. The information here is specifically for the Boston Local Food Festival, September 20th, 2026, (extreme weather date 9/27).

After reading this through, if you still have questions or concerns, please reach out to us directly.

To register, you will need to fill out the form at the link below. The form will require you to have certain documents for your permits from the City of Boston, and to pay your deposit ($125). Here what you will need for the registration form:

  • Your Business, Product, and Contact information

  • Which kind of vendor booth you qualify for (see below for Booth Types)

  • Your URL and/or social media account, logo and photos for promotional purposes

  • Willingness to commit to the festival’s priorities:

    • Compostable Disposables (we will require proof of certified compostables after you register) — All disposables (plates, bowls, cutlery, cups, etc.) are required to be certified compostable. If your food involves small wood or bamboo (popsicle sticks, skewers), those are compostable. If you have questions or concerns about this requirement, please contact us.

    • Local ingredients (grown, caught, raised, and/or produced in New England) when possible (we can provide support finding sources)

    • Economic accessibility (at least one item $8 or less, menu/list of prices easily visible from a distance)

  • Temporary Food Service Permit application-related documents (see below for Health Permit information)

    • You will upload these during registration. You will want to compile them as PDFs before you start the form.

  • Decisions on whether you will need a Fire Permit, electricity, and/or a generator (see below for Fire Permits and Electricity information)

    • You will need to provide the Fire Permit related information and upload the images during registration. You will want to compile them as PDFs before you start the form.

  • Decisions on whether you will need ice and how much, parking and how many, and your own tent (vs using one of ours)

    • Parking choices: If you want to arrange parking through us, we get discounted parking at the Rowes Wharf Garage for vehicles 6ft and shorter. (Many vans do not fit.) In the form, you will indicate how many of those spots you want so we can give you the discount cards. You do not pay us for the parking; you will pay the discounted parking at the garage when you leave.

    • If you have a larger vehicle (not including Food Trucks), we can arrange for oversize vehicle parking. There is an added cost.

    • You can also make your own parking arrangements, as long as it is a legal parking spot.

    • Ice also costs extra — we charge you what we pay for it.

  • Decision on whether you want to place a Program Ad (for a cost), and if you can and would like to do a Cooking Demo (free)

Booth Types & Base Prices:

Please note, there are Membership and Early Bird discounts ($50 each, yes, they can be combined) on all booth types:

  • Ready to Eat/Drink: Booths that sell immediately consumable products (from smoothies to meat on a stick) typically do very well at the food festival. Unlike a farmers market, where ready-to-eat is an after thought, at the festival, these are the booths people are looking for first and foremost. We prioritize local ingredients, and culinary diversity. These booths come with a 10ft x 10ft tent and two 6ft tables and chairs. (You can opt to use your own tent, tables, etc.) These vendors definitely require Health Permits, and many will need Fire and/or Electricity. (See below.) Base Price: $700

  • Food Truck/Food Cart: Food Trucks/Carts also do very well, for all the reasons above. We prioritize local ingredients, and culinary diversity. These require a Boston Food Truck permit through the Fire Department, which includes an inspection. (See below.) Base Price: $710 They will also need to supply a Certificate of Insurance (for driving on the Greenway) with the following Certificate Holders listed:

    • Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Inc.; 185 Kneeland St.; Boston, MA 02111

    • City of Boston; One City Hall Square; Boston, MA 02201

    • Massachusetts Department of Transportation; 10 Park Plaza, Suite 3170; Boston, MA 02116

  • Packaged Foods: Booths that sell packaged goods (from fancy chocolates to spice blends) typically sell less at the festival. They do best when their product a) is light weight and easy to transport for someone walking around and taking public transit, and b) makes a good gift or souvenir of their visit. Think festival when deciding what to bring. This is also a great venue for massive amounts of product testing and feedback, and/or getting your brand in front of thousands of potential future customers. If your plan is to connect for longer-term sales, make sure every visitor can leave with something that will help them circle back to your website to order from you later. We prioritize local ingredients, and culinary diversity. These booths come with a 10ft x 10ft tent and two 6ft tables and chairs. (You can opt to use your own tent, tables, etc.) Packaged food vendors will require Health Permits, and Fire and/or Electricity only if they need to keep samples hot. Base Price: $400

  • Farms: Farms that sell a product that can either be eaten immediately or that makes a good gift or souvenir do reasonably well. For example, apple cider, caramel covered apples, maple candy, or small decorative (gifty) bottles of maple syrup do well, while large bags of potatoes (while very successful at a farmers market) won’t sell. These booths come with a 10ft x 10ft tent and two 6ft tables and chairs. (You can opt to use your own tent, tables, etc.) You will need a Health Permit (although, if you are only selling unprocessed farm produce, the application requires less than usual. See below.) Base Price: $200

  • Nonprofits, FFZ Activities and Sponsors: We accept a limited number of food-adjacent nonprofits, activities for the Family Fun Zone, and sponsors. We will need to discuss to confirm if this event is a good match for you, as well as what you are bringing and whether you will need permits. These booths come with a 10ft x 10ft tent and two 6ft tables and chairs. (You can opt to use your own tent, tables, etc.) Nonprofits Base Price: $375; Activities and Sponsors vary

  • Shared Tent Booths: We have a limited number of booths under a super-sized, 20ft x 40ft tent. Each Shared Tent Booth includes one 6ft table and chair. These are lined up side-by-side facing out to encourage traffic flow to all of the vendors. The exact dimensions vary a little; they range from 6ft wide to 8ft wide, and are 10ft deep. The smallest ones are placed on the corners, because they have the most visibility. Electricity (very limited) can be accommodated in the Shared Tent, but no open flame cooking is allowed. Base Price: $300

Health Permit Documentation:

  • If you are a Food Truck or Food Cart and have a Boston Food Truck permit, you will need to upload a copy of that document (PDF is preferred).

  • If you are a Food Truck and do not have a Boston Food Truck permit, you will need to apply to Boston Fire Department for a Boston Food Truck permit. You will find FT application information here, if you scroll to page 5. If you have questions, you can contact Derek Melendy at BFD, derek.melendy@boston.gov, (617) 343-2338.

  • All other food vendors (Ready to Eat/Drink, Packaged, Farms, etc.) and nonprofits/sponsors that will be serving food (whether as samples or to sell), will need to upload the following:

    • Boston’s Temporary Food Service Permit application, fully filled out

    • Your ServSafe Certification (any brand is fine, we’ve linked here a common one)

    • Your Allergen Awareness Training Certification (any brand is fine, we’ve linked here a common one)

    • Your Health Permit for the facility where you make your product: This is where a health department has certified that the kitchen/facility where your food is made is food safe. If your product is produced by a co-packer/co-manufacturer, their Health Permit is needed along with a letter (which can be a simple email) indicating that they do your product. If your product is a meat product and utilizes as USDA-certified facility, we will need proof of the certification on your product. If your facility is certified/permitted in some other way, we will need to discuss how best to demonstrate the food safety of the facility for the Health Department.

    • Farms only selling unprocessed farm produce will need the application and ServSafe Certification or other similar training certification. They should not need either Allergen or Health Permit. Farms selling value-added products, etc., will need the same documentation as Packaged Foods vendors.

Fire Permits and Documentation:

  • If you plan to cook food and/or keep it warm at the festival we might need to file a Fire Permit (Open Burning/Cooking) for you. Fire Permits cost $50. If you use propane, butane, sterno, charcoal, or a wood fire, we will need to file for such a permit. Also, if you plan to use a generator (even a small rechargeable or solar one), we will need to file for a Fire Permit (Generator). These permits also cost $50. For Fire Permits we will need:

    • Open Burning/Cooking: Type of fuel, Quantity of fuel (be conservative, as they are very strict about limits, and no one vendor can have more than 40lbs), Storage of Fuel, Photos of fire extinguishers that meet requirements (Must be a 2A:20BC fire extinguisher, in addition to a class K extinguisher if frying with oils and fats)

    • Generators: Type of generator, with photos of it; Type of fuel, Quantity of fuel (same 40lb limit), Storage of Fuel; Photos of fire extinguishers

Electricity:

  • We have limited electricity-accessible spots. Most of them are for a typical household outlet (two plugs of 120v). These cost $165. A couple of spots can accommodate more electrical connection, and cost $250. (The electrical surcharge covers part of the expense of having an electrician connect you. We subsidize this expense.)

    • We will need to know which kind of electricity you require, and what you need the electricity for. (This is for the electrician so they can connect you without, hopefully, overloading a circuit.)

Registration Process

On-Boarding Process

After you submit your registration application in Formstack:

  • You will be taken to a Paypal window for your deposit.

  • After the application is submitted, you should receive a confirmation email.

  • Within a few business days, you will also receive an email from our team to set up a one-on-one meeting to go through your registration, follow up on any uncertainties, and make sure you know what you need to do. This is the main opportunity to ask your questions and record the answers you get.

    • If there are any missing permit documents, we will need to collect those at this time.

  • After this meeting, you will receive an email that will outline:

    • What you still need to submit

    • What you have signed up for, the total cost and balance due

    • What promotional materials we need from you

  • We will reach back out in the eventuality that permitting requires more, or if you delay in getting us the documents, etc.

  • Assuming all else goes smoothly, the next time you will hear from us will be a few weeks before the festival with logistical information, your specific location at the festival, etc.

  • You can reach out at any time with questions. Changes will be accepted if we can accommodate them.

Festival Day

You will get detailed logistics a week or two before the festival. Here is a general outline so you know what to expect:

  • Load-In: You will arrived to set up between 7am and 9am. Vendors cooking on site should arrive at 7am; food vendors not cooking should arrive at 8am; vendors/activities/sponsors not working with food, or Food Trucks (if set up for your food truck is essentially, pull up and park) should arrive at 9am.

    • Make sure you check in with the Zone leader/team. They will have paperwork for you, and will need to know that you have arrived.

  • When you arrive, you will come to a specific, designated load-in location. Please do not load-in some place else. It causes problems for traffic, our team trying to check every vendor in, and often for others. You will unload your equipment, etc., and then relocate your vehicle to where you will be parking for the day. We will have a volunteer watch your things until you return.

    • If you choose to arrange parking through us, you will either be parking in a nearby garage (for cars 6ft or shorter), or in designated on-street spots. You can also make your own arrangements, as long as they are legal parking spots.

    • If you have a Food Truck, you will simply drive to your location and park, and then any additional set up you need to do.

  • You will return to your load-in location and take your things with your team to your booth. (Please assume we won’t have enough hands to do this with or for you. We try to have a few extra volunteers during load-in, but there are so many things happening that we can’t guarantee you will have extra support.) Then, you will set up your booth.

    • All booths that have a potentially messy product set up (this includes pretty much all ready-to-eat/drink vendors, anything that might have oil or sauce spills), must put down flat cardboard under the whole booth before getting started.

    • For Shared Tent Booths, we ask (and will be enforcing) that you are mindful of the other booths around you. Please do not encroach on their space or block their access. We work hard to make the festival as successful as possible for every vendor. All of the vendors do better in the Shared Tents when the vendors approach it as a community, not as every-seller-for-themself.

  • Health and Fire Inspections should start at (or by) 10am. Most of the time, the inspector will only make themselves known to you if they have a question or concern. Due to the number of vendors they are inspecting, they may not say anything if your set up is fine.

  • Festval Opens: 11:00am!

    • The first Cooking Demo will start at 11am, followed by demos at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm

    • The Family Fun Zone activities will open at 11am

    • The Opening Remarks will happen at 12noon

    • The Seafood Throwdown will start at 12:30pm

  • Festival Closes: 5:00pm

    • You must stop selling and start cleaning up at this time.

  • You must clean up your booth space — No staining, trash, or debris can be left behind.

    • We will be charged a cleaning fee, and will have to pass that fee to you.

  • Loading out starts as soon as your booth area is cleaned up and your equipment, etc., is packed. You will bring your stuff back to the load-in location, then bring your vehicle to pick it up there. Do not drive on the Greenway, unless you are Food Truck and have provided your COIs.

    • Please know, we will be there until 8pm, and the longer vendors take to load out the later we will be there. We arrive before the first vendors do, making a very long day. Please be considerate and load out efficiently.

A Few Other Notes

  • Volunteer Meal Vouchers: We engage around 100 volunteers to make this entire event happen. They do everything from help with check-in to walk the parks with us as dark falls to make sure we clean up the Greenway. They staff the Zero Waste Stations, assist festival goers, provide programming support, help set up signage and take it down again at the end, and more. They make your day successful in countless ways. To thank them, we provide them with a fashionable food festival T-shirt, and a $15 meal voucher for each shift they work. They are permitted to spend each voucher with any one vendor. If you receive these vouchers, you will document how many (we provide a sheet for this), and return the sheet and vouchers to your Zone Leader before leaving. We will mail you a check to reimburse you for your vouchers.

    • If you leave and realize you forgot to return the voucher sheet to us, you can send it by email after the event.

    • If you do not want to honor the vouchers, please tell us that during your On-Boarding Call. We will inform all volunteers about any vendors not participating so they know in advance.

  • Data Collection: We collect data from all vendors and as many festival goers as we can. This event is subsidized by grants, which makes data collection and reporting necessary. We also aim to improve the festival every year. Your feedback is crucial to the festival’s success and continued presence.

    • You will receive a printed feedback form with your paperwork at check in. You can fill it out and return it to your Zone Leader or the Team at the Headquarters, in Zone D.

    • We will also have a digital survey that you will be able to access by a QR code and/or a link. Either survey would be gratefully accepted — There is no reason to fill out both.

  • Extreme Weather: We have an extreme weather date, one week later than the planned date. If we invoke it, it is because we could not have the festival at all on the planned date. Chances are good we will not have our rented tents if we have to change the date. (Everything else can do a back-up date.) Therefore, short of a hurricane or a similar situation, the festival is rain-or-shine. We will make the weather decision carefully, in communication with our tent vendor and others, and on the Friday before the planned date. If the weather is iffy, we will send out a notification.