IMPORTANT DATES AND FAQ 2025

PAF’s jurors welcome individual artists and artisans working in all mediums; painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, glass, wood creations, textiles, jewellery and more, with formal or informal training to apply. Artists are encouraged to submit original artworks created within the last three years. Established and emerging artists are welcome. 

The Pelham Art Festival provides a welcoming place for all artists and art enthusiasts, and we are committed to equity and inclusion.

You can choose to join us for Pelham Art Festivals from anywhere in Canada and beyond. Sell artworks, tap into the exponentially expanding Southern Ontario and Niagara Region art market, and participate in our Online Festivals safely from the comfort of your home.

If you are applying from outside of Canada, you must get the appropriate paperwork to enter Canada to sell your work. We do not provide invitations to artists for visa applications. All travel, accommodations, shipping and customs expenses are your responsibility. We recommend working with a licensed customs broker to import your work into Canada.

Our recommendation for International artists is to apply for Pelham Art Festival Online.

All submissions will be juried. All artwork submitted for jurying must be for sale, and all artwork submitted for the In-person Festival must be for sale. The application handling fee is non-refundable.

PAF accepts 80% original artworks and 20% may be reproductions such as giclée or limited-edition prints. Please see our Guidelines for more information. Artwork in the photography category must be of signed, numbered limited edition prints, with a series of each image limited to a total of twenty-five or fewer. Once you have declared the limited-edition status of an image, you are expected to follow through anywhere you show that work.

Reproductions are welcome provided they do not exceed 20% of the total artwork on display.

All works must be hand-made by the artist. Machine-made or mass-produced works are not permitted and will result in an automatic disqualification.

Please read our Reproduction Policy information carefully before an application is submitted.

The Festival Committee reserves the right to jury all artist applications to provide opportunities for a wide variety of new and returning artists to display and sell their work and sales are encouraged. Typically there are more talented artists than booths available at PAF In-person, so if your work was juried and accepted, you will be placed on a waitlist and invited to join at the first opportunity if space becomes available. All juried Online Festival artist galleries are placed online.

All applications are submitted through our online e-commerce platform on PAF’s website here at pelhamartfestival.com

ALL ARTISTS: Please click on APPLY NOW for full information on how to apply for an application online BEFORE AN APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED.

Artists fill in your name, address – mailing information (very important), email contact, biography and description – no artist name included, and only skip the banner image, profile photo, and social media accounts, for now. Those are not available to the jury and during online Festivals, only become publicly visible if your application is successful. Please check your spam and junk folders if you have not received an email confirmation. When new artists are accepted by the jury payment is due. There will be a non-refundable $30 application handling fee.

• Be a part of the art community: We are committed to the artists who participate in Pelham Art Festivals and as such, want to assure you that a strong social media, digital and ad campaign will be implemented before and during the Festivals to help attract attention to both In-person and Online Festivals.
• Participate in training: We offer artists the opportunity to learn how to provide good-quality images to promote work for Online and In-person Pelham Art Festivals through extra training and support as needed. 
• Grow your network for In-person and Online Festivals: PAF is a well-respected Festival where many artists return year after year saying they love the atmosphere and feel warmly welcomed. Every effort will be made to help you promote and sell your artwork and for art lovers to see and purchase pieces through both Pelham Art Festival at Meridian Community Centre and Pelham Art Festival Online.
• Online sales experience: Showcase your artwork in our Online Festival on our user-friendly e-commerce platform where artists and artisans showcase artwork year-round until May 2026.
• In-person and Online Festivals:
  We welcome 2500+ visitors in-person, and 5,300 + visitors online.
• We offer a successful and comprehensive marketing campaign:  Benefit from our multi-platform marketing and promotions that resulted in a total of 3.247 million media impressions from 2021’s campaign. Our social media portion of the total ad campaign reached 38,159 people, resulting in 82,361 media impressions. We have experienced great online growth and expect an even more expansive 2022 and 2023 reach. Plus, the additional opportunity to be spotlighted through our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram with an engaged audience continues to grow.
• Ongoing professional development: Dedicated support and guidance from our team through application assistance, juried art, and social media (how to grow your digital outreach and social media skills) as needed.
• Free Pelham Art Festivals online resources and support: Assistance and troubleshooting for your artist and product pages, training, instructional videos, volunteers to assist you in setting up your PAF In-person booth display, Online gallery and comprehensive artist information is available.
• And so much more!

• Artists are provided with Pelham Art Festival label tags for artwork; Artist Name Badges; Assistant Name Badges; Artist Name and Booth Number Signage, and artists may choose to print PAF artwork label tags on business card sheets in advance by emailing [email protected]. A special tag to identify art entries for the featured Theme of the Year will also be enclosed.
   
• A guide to local restaurants is included with directions to the Meridian Community Centre for PAF artists, and some helpful information for artists who may travel from a distance is included. 
   
• Volunteer assistant lunch break booth-sitters for artists and when breaks are needed.

Did you know that PAF is a not-for-profit Canadian Art Festival? Your application fee goes towards the processing and administration of your application, and to artist support like application feedback and information sessions, as well as to allowing PAF to continue its work in the Canadian arts sector.

A portion of the fees goes towards the setting up of a professional website capable of showcasing your art on a secure e-commerce platform. Your fees also go towards advertising and promotion to create visibility for the Festival for you to sell your work to the public.

It is because of the careful administrative work time that PAF Committee and jurors dedicate to the Call for Artists that the $30 application/ $60 late application-handling fee is non-refundable. 

PAF is proud to have hosted many renowned Canadian artists such as Robert Amirault, Janny Fraser, Linda Kemp, George Langbroek, Doug Mays, Sonja Mortimer, Edward Spera, Josh Tiessen and Steve Wilson to name a few.

Artists agree Pelham Art Festival In-person is a successful, professional, well-organized event. Many artists come back year after year saying they enjoy the Festival, comment on the warm, friendly, unique ambience of Niagara and appreciate our volunteer assistance.

If an artist wishes to cancel their application for any reason, the Pelham Art Festival requires a written notification on or before April 15, 2025, so a refund (minus the non-refundable application fee) can be made to you.

If the request for cancellation is made less than three weeks before the show, every effort will be made to fill the booth space with an artist from the waitlist and a refund will be issued to you if the booth can be filled.

Booths with walls consisting of pegboard sheets (6’x8’) are set up in advance for the In-person Festival. You are responsible for bringing your own hooks, displays, small table and chair/s.

No. The only exceptions are stand-alone jewellery display cases and display supplies for sculptors, ceramicists and glass artists using plinth displays.

YES. 

• Professional security is arranged as needed after hours and the Accipiter Arena and the Meridian Community Centre are locked overnight.
   
• The Pelham Art Festival and the Town of Pelham are not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged items during the Festival so please insure your artwork. 
   
• Volunteers and limited carts/dollies are available to assist you in transferring your artwork to and from your vehicle at the beginning and end of each Festival.

Yes, you do need to be present.

This is not a gallery festival and clients look forward to meeting the artists. Our mandate is that the artist is present – each artist must set up and manage their booth for the duration of Festival hours. We recommend that you bring a friend, family member, or colleague, to help you over the weekend and to give you a chance to take a break. Festival volunteer booth-minders are available to assist you when you need to take a short break.

Your art is to be available for purchase in your booth from Friday at 7.00 pm to Sunday at 4:30 pm.  

The public hours of the Festival are:
Friday Opening, 7 pm - 10 pm
Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday, 10 am - 4:30 pm

You are responsible for bringing your own preferred payment processing system (Square, Stripe, Shopify, etc.).
We recommend using your own secure hotspot for payment processing and other needs. Many artists bring petty cash for cash transactions.

Credit Card Service: The art Festival offers Visa and Master Card for those who do not process credit cards for 5% service charge. This is available at the Treasurer’s Information table at the entrance. The Treasurer will reimburse you within 10 days after the Art Festival.

A 15% Commission on Total Sales (excluding taxes) in cash or by cheque is accepted at the conclusion of the show at 4:30 PM on Sunday. If an artwork is sold within two weeks after the show as a result of contact made with the buyer at the show, the Festival Committee requests that the 15% commission be forwarded to the Treasurer.

You may sell more. The images you submit in your application should be consistent with the type of work you intend to show at the Festival. They do not have to be the exact same artwork. You should only be showing works relevant to the category/medium you are selected for.

YES. Artists are allowed to sell artist cards and prints at Pelham Art Festivals In-person and Online.

Please refer to our Reproduction Policy for full details.

The Artist Code of Conduct is a section of the Liability and Code of Conduct Agreement. All artists must agree to it as part of their participation at the Pelham Art Festival.

Admin support will be available for you if you need it through [email protected]
Please state the title of your question in the heading of your email so your question will be forwarded to the person who can help you. 

with the subject line: PAF 2024 Photographing Your Art for the Online Gallery + Your Name 
with the subject line: PAF 2024 Artist Gallery Setup Support + Your Name 
with the subject line: ​PAF 2024 General Support + Your Name