Cool Markets To Sell Your Art In The Bay Area

March 23, 2024

Ok this is split into 3 sections; regular monthly (or monthly~ish), zine fests, and big awesome expensive once-yearly markets. Please be aware this is a living list, and times, prices, and locations are all subject to change. I try to keep this list updated but definitely check them out directly for more specific info. Also feel free to reach out via email or instagram for more information about any of the markets listed!

Regular Markets

Quartz Oakland (Oakland, lol)

Dates: Every 1st and 3rd Saturday (location rotating)
Cost: $0 - $50 sliding scale based on income
Awesome place to vend if you're just starting out and want to get a footing in the queer artist community. Vending fees are sliding scale and you can definitely come and set up to try it out!

Check out their Instagram for more deets, or shoot us an email and we'll get you more details!

Castro Art Mart (San Francisco, Castro)

Dates: 3rd Sunday of Every Month
Cost: $75.00 (for an 8x5 spot)
Super fun vibin market in San Francisco. Performances, drag shows, and a good group of people shopping and hanging out. Sales definitely tend to get better in warmer months as more folks come outside.
You need to sign up for an artyhood account in order to register, check them out here and sign up for an account, then you can pick which markets you'd like to vend at and sign up for them!

Artgasm (San Francisco, Castro)

Dates: 1st Sunday of Every Month
Cost: $75.00 – $115.00
A fun new Artyhood spin off of the original Castro Art Mart!
You need to sign up for an artyhood account in order to register, check them out here and sign up for an account, then you can pick which markets you'd like to vend at and sign up for them!

Play On The Plaza (San Francisco, SOMA)

Dates: 2nd Saturday of Every Month
Cost: Sliiiiidding scale, variable, $40 - $140
Run by the leather and LGBTQ cultural district, it's a leather + lgbtq focused market. Fun vibes, with a gear share area, and lots of options for vendors at all levels. If your work matches the vibes definitely check them out. Easy application process.

Manic Pixie Dream Market (Oakland)

Dates: Every 3rd Saturday, and 4th Saturday Evening
Cost: $55 to $95 sliding scale (also based on booth size)
Super fun, super queer, good vibes. Sales were a lil slow but I think they'll pick up once it gets nice outside. Also has LA markets for y'all folks who bounce between LA and the Bay!

Head West (SF, East Bay, Sebastopol)

Dates: Ok so head west has a bunch of markets on different dates. Pretty much every Saturday or Sunday Their dates vary by location so check out their calendar.
Cost: Differs by market! $100 - $350
Fun sweet market, live music, sorta family oriented. Free topo chico @ their events.

WCC (West Coast Craft) Market (SF, Fort Mason)

Quick note, this is for WCC's outdoor markets at Fort Mason, not their large holiday market
Dates: Generally it's once or twice a month, with dates on their website!
Cost: $300, with a $10 application fee.
We've vended at many of WCC's markets and it's really fun. Sweet vibes, fantastic vendors every time, beautiful spot in Fort Mason. It's a large market, with 80+ vendors, and booth setups want to be really beautiful and eye catching to stand out at this one!

ArtWalk SF (Allll Over SF)

Dates: April - November, first Sunday of each month
Cost: $65
ArtWalk SF is a rotating market that pops up in a different SF neighborhood each month! So sales can vary based on the neighborhood and how well your art fits into that neighborhood, but generally sales are good, and it's fun to be able to explore new neighborhoods while you're selling. Also a great way to find new customers. The folks who run it are super nice also!

Fierce Fat Flea Market (SF, Oakland)

Dates: Twice yearly? Ish? It's just getting started but seems to be happening twice a year, hopefully more often. Check their instagram for updates.
Cost: Sliding Scale: $50 - $150
An exclusively plus-size market, with tons and tons of vendors doing plus sized clothing, as well as art and accessories. There's also a giant organized donation based plus size clothing swap with sizes from XL to 6XL. Honestly, this event is incredible, one of the most beautiful welcoming environments I've ever been in. It's just wonderful.

Telegraph Holiday Fair (Berkeley)

Dates: Weekends in December
Cost: $150 per day with a discount if you do multiple days
Berkeley Holiday Fair! Lots of cheer!

SJ Made Events (San Jose)

Dates: SJ Made has several big events throughout the year, their big ones are the summer and holiday markets, but there are a few others throughout the year.
Cost: $300-$800 (varies per market and booth size)
We've only done one, Friend Fest, and we didn't do greeeeat but we did okay. The other vendors and organizers are super nice and organized, it was great to be there. We'd do more SJ Made stuff, especially if San Jose was closer! Tends to swing more into the anime/kawaii side of stuff, if that's your market then SJ Made will be a great fit!

Zine And Book Festivals

SF Zine Fest
Sunday, September 4th, 2024

Santa Rosa Zine Fest
Saturday, April 20, 2024

BAQZF (Bay Area Queer Zine Fest)
September 16th, 2023 (2024 not announced yet)

EBABZ (East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest)
December 2nd, 2023 (2024 not announced yet)

SF Art Book Fair
July 18 - July 21, 2024

Anarchist Book Fair
October 1 2023 (2024 not announced yet)

Big Ol Street Festivals

I'm putting dates on here but be aware dates change! Also prices can change year-to-year! Make sure to check the events pages for all updated dates and pricing! Also unless noted, prices are for 10x10 booths. Bigger fairs and festivals also have much earlier application dates so keep an eye out early!