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THE TOGATHER 2025 CALL IS NOW OPEN FOR:

Art & Food Vendors

Performers & Workshops

Deadline to apply: Midnight, November 25th, 2024

From a survey by last year's guests/vendors, we’ve learned that y'all want a BIGGER festival and MORE performances! So we’re working hard to make 2025 a little more roomy and packed with diverse local arts!  So for Lunar New Year 2025, Togather is expaaaaanding! This year we’re excited to open the “Chinatown Food Court”, create more space for local artists, host a dedicated area for cultural workshops, annnnd we are expanding our festival hours!

As the year of the Snake approaches, us organizers have been feeling mysterious and determined. Expect some exciting announcements along the way. Hope y’all can join us! :)

What’s new for 2025?

ART & FOOD VENDOR GUIDELINES:

We are looking for unique LOCAL ARTISTS and FOOD VENDORS for our 2025 Lunar New Year festival! We’ve put together some vendor guidelines and tips for applicants to help y'all be as successful as possible in the application process. Please give a careful read-through of our guidelines below before filling out the application.


Although we would love to accommodate everyone, our event is fully funded through grants and sponsorships. As a result Togather is carefully curated to fit within our available space and budget. We hire an external jury of professional artists and community leaders to help consult and review our applications, to select ~45 vendors who share our values of inclusion, diversity, and top-notch local arts.

If you feel like you’re a good match for Togather, please apply by midnight, November 25th, 2024.

Togather prioritizes the following:

  • Local artists creating handmade and locally designed goods (ceramics, painting/drawing, textile, printmaking, photography, illustrators/designers, writers/local publishers, fibre arts, jewelry, sculpture, etc.).

  • Art and food vendors with ties to Chinatown/Boyle/McCauley. This could mean that you live, work, or have a meaningful connection to the area. We also welcome community-minded artists/food businesses from other communities - especially those who celebrate diversity and accessibility in the arts. 

  • Diverse cultural organizations.

  • Local and/or Chinatown and area restaurants and food businesses (including food trucks).

Togather does not accept:

  • Mass-produced goods, or MLM’s.

  • Resale goods (vintage/Chinatown businesses may be an exception - Email us if you’re unsure!) 

  • Fan art, if that is the main art focus (we love to see it, but so many other markets specifically cater to pop cultural arts, and do a lot better at bringing in a suitable audience for this).

  • Cultural appropriation: Artists should have ties to any cultural imagery used in their art. If your connection to a particular culture needs to be explained, please include it in your application.

  • Pre-ordered/print-on-demand goods. 

  • Artists who plan to share tables, unless a part of a group/collective. If cost is an issue, please remember that we have MANY community sponsored (free) tables that you can apply for. All of our tables are 6ft, and in respect to our jury/curation and fellow vendors, we have strict rules around table sharing.

PERFORMER & WORKSHOP GUIDELINES:

Are you a musician, performance artist, dancer, performer, or cultural group that wish to present on our main stage? Do you have ideas for community and cultural workshops? We are looking for PERFORMERS and WORKSHOP FACILITATORS for our 2025 Lunar New Year festival! Please give a careful read-through of our guidelines below before filling out the application.

Please apply with your performance and workshop ideas by midnight, November 25th, 2024.

Togather prioritizes the following:

  • Cultural and educational programming, for all ages.

  • Performances/activities with meaningful connections to Chinatown/Boyle/McCauley.

  • Inclusive and exciting arts programming. We want to showcase both traditional cultural arts, as well as progressive arts that may have felt excluded in the past in such cultural spaces.

  • Some examples of performances could be: youth choirs, dance groups, drag, spoken word poetry, etc. 

  • Some examples of workshops could be: children’s craft workshops, storytelling/walking tours, dance/yoga class, etc.  

Performance & Workshop Guidelines:

  • Performances will be held on the stage in the main gym (max area 20.5 ft x 13.5ft) , or in the lobby (more intimate, ground level). We ask that main stage performances are each under 30 minutes. Lobby performances can be more flexible.

  • Workshops will be by registration only (max 30 attendees), in the Chinese Library (2nd floor, elevator accessible). Tables and chairs are provided. We ask that workshops are each 60 minutes in length.

  • Togather pays performers and workshop facilitators, so the events are free/accessible to the public. 

Tips for Successful Applications:

  • Make sure your application is complete, and images on your website/social media are working. If accepted, we pull information from vendor applications to create social media promotions of our artists/businesses.

  • Please make sure your images/links represent your work respectfully. We recommend that art photos are taken under natural lighting, and are of high quality resolution. 

  • We recommend including a market photo of your table, performance, or workshop, if you have one. 

  • Tell us the “why” behind your work/group. This is a very community-minded festival, and our audience loves to learn more about the artists, your business story, and community connections. 

  • Think about your audience, and the audience we draw at Togather. Togather is a family-friendly Lunar New Year Arts festival that brings together folks who love to support handmade and limited-edition local art/craft/design and the communities of Chinatown/Boyle/McCauley. For the market, the ideal price point for our shoppers is usually between $5-150. The performances and workshops are free to the public.

  • Indoor food vendors applying for the Chinatown food court need to comply with AHS regulations. No cooking on site such as stovetops, grills, etc will be allowed (venue rules). Food is generally to be premade and kept at food safe temperatures. Heating/warming on site is OK. Please be clear in your application of what you will be bringing, and what type of equipment.