Mountain Heritage Arts & Crafts Festival 2026

50^th Annual Fall Mountain Heritage Arts & Crafts Festival
Judged one of the top festivals in America!
2017-2025 Awarded Sunshine Artist Top 200 Best Shows in America and the 2020 Top 200 for 10 years 2010-2020

• IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE 2025 SHOW YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO APPLY FOR 2026, YOU WERE JURIED LIVE DURING THE 2025 SHOW!

*First Jury deadline: 5/30/2026 with a final deadline of 9/4/2026
*Jury will remain open until full

Approximately 160+ carefully selected and prejudged artisans
Option for Indoor or Outdoor Spaces (Subject to change based on state and local guidelines and protocols)
FREE Coffee & Donut/Danish each morning for participants, on site banking, designated parking, on site camping, paved walkways, ATM access for patrons/vendors, friendly staff and organizers.
General Admission $10 includes, Live Bands, Wine & Spirit Tastings & Craft Beer Tastings, Parking, Kids Activities & Kids Bands, including free craft workshops. Advance tickets online $5.00 (plus fee and tax).
Less than an hour from DC/Baltimore & Northern VA Metropolitan areas, we are in the Heart of Jefferson County, WV.
 

ELIGIBILITY & ACCEPTED MEDIUMS
Participation is open to all handmade fine arts and crafts.  All work represented must be of an original concept executed and designed by the artist in attendance.  No work which has been made with commercial kits, molds, patterns, plans or prefabricated pieces is allowed. No Retail Vendors allowed.
JURY INFORMATION
Jurying will be for the September 2026 festival.  There will be a $30 application fee due with application. Listed below are the requirements for jurying.

• ZAPPLICATION with four (4-5) digital images of work and one (1-2) image of booth display and an “Artist Statement”.  Booth image should be from an actual show, whenever possible. 
• All images should be high resolution and portray your best works with price included .
• A brief but thorough “Artist Statement” must accompany this application that would tell the jurors about you and the work that you do, such as how long you’ve been perfecting your work, what materials and techniques that you use, price range of products, etc.
• By submitting your photos, you authorize the Mountain Heritage Arts & Crafts Festival to use them for any marketing or advertising for the show.

*First Jury deadline: 5/30/2026 and Final deadline is 9/4/2026
*Jury will remain open until full

Please ensure you have provided us with an authentic email address for communications. Jury will continue until full.

GENERAL INFORMATION: 

• Booth Fees:  Based on size and location $400+ 
• Location: festival will be held indoors & outdoors. (Buildings, Covered Pavilions, and Tents)
• Hours of festival:  Friday-Sunday - 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Must be present all three days. Closing prior to 5pm on any given day will eliminate your return to any future shows.
• Categories include: Art Glass, Baskets, Bath & Body Products, Candles, Clothing & Accessories, Decorative Painting/Folk Art, Dolls & Doll Accessories, Dried Flowers / Herbal Products, Food Tasting & Packaged Goods, Furniture, Gourds, Graphic Fine Arts, Jewelry, Knives & Hunting Accessories, Leather, Metals (other than jewelry), Mixed Media, Musical Instruments, Other Media, Photography, Pottery, Quilts/Quilted Items, Rugs,Toys & Stuffed Animals and Wood Accessories.

POLICIES & PROCEDURES FOR EXHIBITORS MOUNTAIN HERITAGE ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL 50th ANNIVERSARY SPONSORED BY: JEFFERSON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
SEPTEMBER 25, 26, & 27, 2026

1.Contracts: for the Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival must be received by June 1st and contracts accompanied by a 50% deposit (or you may choose to pay in full) for payment of the correct Booth/Participation Fee listed on your contract. If you choose to pay in 2 payments, the final 50% payment must be received by July 1st. Booth/Participation fees will be refunded only if a cancellation is received no later than July 6. No Refunds for cancellations after July 6. Contract is online in a fillable format. Once your contract is completed you will be redirected to select your booth/space options and pay online. Checks returned will incur a $25 return check fee as well as any fees incurred by our bank. Booth assignments are made by the festival committee, returning artists will have the option to return in their same space as previous year.

2. Exhibitors: must register/check-in on Wednesday or Thursday, September 23-24, between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Administration Office located on the festival grounds. (There is NO SECURITY on Wednesday, all participants will need to exit the grounds by 5pm) Any exhibitor who is unable to register on those days must advise the Chamber office by September 11. Setting up prior to Check–In will not be allowed. Security will be provided from 12:00 noon on Thursday until 6:00 a.m. on Monday, after the show. The quantity of wristbands you request will be in the packet you receive when you register at the Administration Office during check-in, additional wristbands will be available for sale at the festival office for $5 per band. Always wear your wristbands, these allow your entrance into the festival grounds. (Food vendors will receive badges) Security will be strict. Each exhibitor will be responsible for getting bands to helpers. Each exhibitor is required to bring their own signage to post in their space to identify their business, please ensure it is the name you have used on your contract so patrons can easily find each participant in the program. Each space must post a sign with the business name, this is not optional, it is required.

3. Booths/Location: must be “Show Ready” and open promptly at 10:00 a.m. and close no earlier than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Festival hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. The admission gates will open promptly at 10:00 a.m. each day. General Admission price at the gate is $10 and patrons under 13 are free, includes parking, entertainment, children’s activities, and wine tasting for patrons 21 years of age and older. Advance tickets can be purchased online for $5.00 (+tax/fees). No exhibitor may dismantle their booth before closing time. Any exhibitor closing prior to 5 p.m. or opening after 10 a.m. will risk not being invited to return to subsequent shows. ARTIST’S STATEMENT OR DEMONSTRATION (preferred) IS REQUIRED, you may choose either option that best fits your product and available space. An artist statement displayed in your booth describing your work, your inspiration, technique, and the materials you use. Or you may choose to demonstrate your art/craft on how it is made. Demonstrations are preferred as this is one of the reasons many patrons come to our festival, it will also attract additional interest to your space. Sales personnel must man booths during all festival hours. The festival does not provide “Helpers/Sitters” for the booths. Exhibitors are solely responsible for loading and unloading exhibits and equipment. Exhibitors will be able to drive up to the entrance of their building or pavilion and unload and drop off all items and quickly return the vehicle to vendor parking area and then return to their space to set up. Vehicle parking in front of buildings and pavilions is strictly prohibited and will be enforced so all exhibitors can unload in a timely manner. Booths for exhibitors will be in buildings, outdoor pavilions, or tents. Spaces will be filled based on first pay, first serve basis and assignments will be determined by the Festival Committee. Returning participants will get priority. Spaces are 10x12 for a single, 10x24 for double in the outdoor covered pavilion or 12x12 single, 12x24 for double space in the indoor building spaces unless you are in a stand-alone tent we provide (15x15 or 20x20). Exhibitors in tents are responsible for rolling up and down their tent flaps each morning and evening, bringing bungee cords and small step stool is highly recommended. Please maintain clear walkways and aisles when displaying your items. Many spaces will have additional space behind your space for display or storage etc. Please try to leave the area as clean as you found it when dismantling Sunday evening and place any trash in the trash totes.

4. Gourmet Market Building: All food tasting spaces are required to have a health permit according to the Jefferson County Health Department if you are selling product you make on premises. The spaces available for food tasting vendors are 10x10 or 10x20. Free standing tents are also available 20x20 or 30x30.

5. Festival Grounds/Inside Booth Areas: You are prohibited from bringing alcohol or controlled substances for consumption onto the festival grounds. Only working animals are permitted on the grounds, NO PETS ALLOWED-this applies to all artisans and vendors as well as patrons, please make pet accommodations for your fur family members before arriving to event. ALL vehicles must be removed from festival grounds during festival hours. A parking area will be designated for the exhibitors and your parking permit must always be displayed on your windshield/dashboard to avoid towing. After registering (check-in), please unload as quickly as possible and remove your vehicle to the parking area provided. If you will be camping on our property, you must register your vehicle in the Administration Office. PLEASE limit smoking outside of the tent and building areas, smoking is prohibited under the tents, pavilions, or in buildings. PLEASE keep personal music inside your space low enough to not bother your neighbors. Please supervise your children always during the festival. The physical (GPS) address of the festival grounds at Jefferson County WV Fairgrounds is 1707 Old Leetown Pike, Kearneysville, WV 25430.

6. Product: The Festival Committee has the sole jurisdiction of maintaining the quality of the items offered for sale on the festival grounds. All juried artists and craftspeople are expected to be present throughout the festival and are permitted to exhibit and sell only arts/crafts that (1) they have made, (2) they have applied to sell (juried), and (3) were approved by the Festival Committee. During the festival, members of the committee will review booths daily; exhibitors displaying buy/sell items will be dismissed! No commercial arts or crafts supplies will be sold on the festival grounds. Kits or patterns may be sold provided they are the original work of the exhibitor. Artists who sell offset reproductions of their work should clearly identify them and not sell them as “prints.” In addition, artists who sell reproductions should have a reasonable selection of original work on display. All arts/crafts for sale must be clearly priced. At no time are reduced sale signs to be displayed during the festival.

7. Jury: Participants at the festival each year will be juried for the following year’s festival. You will be judged on: Booth Display, Product, Artist Interaction. Since booth appearance will be a factor in the jurors’ recommendations, each booth should be attractively decorated to display the participant’s work to its best advantage.

8. Insurance: The Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival/Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and Jefferson County Fair Association will not be responsible for any loss, theft, or damage to exhibitors’ property. Exhibitors should arrange for their own insurance coverage. Each exhibitor should have protective (i.e., wind, rain, etc.) covering for his art/craft in case of inclement weather. The festival only provides electricity for spaces. Tools, extra lumber, tables, chairs, step stool, etc. must be provided by the exhibitor. This includes bungee cords to roll up your tent flaps if you choose a tent.

9. Additional Services: For your convenience a bank will be set up in the Finance Office located in the administrative building on the festival grounds. Change will be available each day from approximately 9am until 4pm. First aid is in the Administration Office. A registered nurse is available if the need arises for our vendors or patrons. Portable restrooms and hand washing units are located throughout the festival grounds as well as an onsite restroom facility. Transportation for large customer purchases is available by calling the administrative office on 304-725-2055 and we will transport the customer and purchase to their vehicle. We will have shopping bags available to purchase at the finance office, please make the selection on your contract if you would like them at the time of check-in.

10. WV Sales Tax: All participants must have a WV Business License and are responsible for paying their own WV sales tax after the MHACF. We do not take tax payments.

Booth Spaces:  (Early bird discount applies to booth purchases made by 3/31/2026 11:59 pm.)

WV Spirits & Wineries may choose between the following free-standing tents we provide that have flaps on all four sides. 10’x10’ $700, 15’x15 $1,000 or 20’x20’ $1400. Or bring your own logo covered tent $450 (this only applies to Spirits and Wineries).
Food Concessions are in various locations throughout the grounds and are all $400 for reservation.
Sales/Demonstration spaces are available indoors or outdoors. Outdoor covered pavilion spaces have two options of 10’x12’ $400 or 10’x24’ $800. Indoor building spaces have two options of 12’x12’ $500 or 12’x24’ $1,000. We also offer tents that have flaps on all four sides that we provide in the following sizes; 15’x15’ $1,000, 20’x20’ $1,400 or 30’x30’ $1,800
Most booth spaces have access to electricity.

Refund requests are honored until July 6.