30th Annual Hills Garlic FestivalSeptember 2025
Due to health and safety regulations no dogs except service dogs are allowed at the Festival. Please leave your dogs at home.
Vendors are reminded that the organizers of the Hills Garlic Festival are not responsible for the weather conditions on the day of the event. Vendors may wish to inquire about purchasing insurance to protect them against damage or loss.
We highly recommend including a large sign identifying your business name along with a supply of business cards. Visitors often want to purchase items after the event and will need to know who you are.
Our goal is to have the Hills Garlic Festival be a zero net waste event. Please bring products to the Festival in reusable boxes/containers and sell products in packaging that can be recycled or composted. For detailed information please view/print our Waste Separation Guidelines.
The Village of New Denver controls overnight camping at the site and have agreed to accommodate extended vendor camping on-site Saturday night. This is not included in vendor fees. All campers are required to pay the Village campsite attendant for using this facility.
For more information about local accommodations, please visit the Slocan Lake District Chamber of Commerce website.
Vendors may set up on Saturday after 3:00 pm, although the site is not secure, or from 6:30 am on Sunday with vehicles off the site in Vendor Parking by 9:00 am. Please check in with the Coordinator on arrival.
Food vendors with mobile units are asked to arrive for Saturday set up in order to avoid congestion on Sunday morning.
Vendors may take down their booths no earlier than 5:00 pm. Vehicles will not be permitted on the grounds before the 5:00 closing time.
Vendor spaces are allocated as 10 ft x 10 ft. All tables, canopies, signage, product displays, and storage must fit in this space. If you require additional space, please contact the Coordinator.
Our theme is "Homegrown, Homemade, Organic". Your products must be grown, produced, or crafted in Canada. if you are unsure as to whether you meet these criteria please contact the Coordinator. Any vendors selling imported products will be asked to remove them immediately without refund.
If 30% or more of your sales is from prepared, consumable-on-site food, you must register as a food vendor.
Food vendors are required to send a copy of their temporary or mobile food service permit (or a letter from the Interior Health Authority indicating a permit is not required) by August 31. Please refer to the IHA Temporary Food Service Guidelines for detailed information.
Food vendors are also required to provide a copy of their liability insurance covering them for the year, season, or day.
A temporary or mobile food service permit is required. A copy must be provided to the Festival Coordinator prior to August 31. Contact the Interior Health Authority, 250.505.7220, for more information or to secure a letter indicating a permit is not required. Proof of liability insurance is also required. Food service operators and workers must have completed a Foodsafe course.
For more information, please refer to the IHA Mobile Food Vending Guidelines.
Electrical power at the Festival site is limited. Food vendors are encouraged to use alternative sources of energy such as propane, solar, or battery packs. In order to maintain the atmosphere we enjoy at the Festival, quiet generators may be allowed in specific booth spaces only.
If you are requesting electrical power, you must supply a list of the appliances you will be using and their electrical rating (in watts). Electrical power hookups will not be provided without this information. A 15 amp electrical power connection provides the ability to plug in 2 appropriately rated appliances. Using power bars and other devices to enable connection of multiple appliances to a single connection is prohibited.
Please ensure that extension cords have a rating equal to or greater than the rating for your equipment. The Festival reserves the right to limit power consumption and/or locate vendors in appropriate booth spaces to minimize conflicts in electrical power usage.
Cold running water is available from standpipes at 4 locations on the site. Water sources must be shared so please be considerate of the needs of other vendors and campers. You are required to use food grade hoses.
Water and power are only available for food vendors.
Vendors from the previous year must register by sending in the appropriate booking form and payment in advance by March 31st. After that date, any unpaid spaces will be available to new vendors.
If you would prefer a different space, please indicate the new section, and we will try to accommodate changes after March 31st. If you cannot meet this deadline, please contact the Coordinator.
The booking form includes a request for information regarding all vendors sharing a space. If you register as a single vendor and decide at a later date to share your space, you must inform the Coordinator.
Some products may not be accepted for sharing (for example, we don’t want to end up with too many people selling pottery), and we want to be fair to those who have been on the waiting list for a long time.
You are responsible for ensuring all products in your booth meet our policy for no imported goods. An additional $25 registration fee is charged for each vendor in the shared space.
The Hills Garlic Festival is operated by a non-profit organization and does not receive any sponsorship funding – we rely on admission fees to provide the best festival possible from year to year. Unless directly involved in your booth sales throughout the day, your family and friends must pay the admission fee at one of the entry gates.
Please note we cannot accept post-dated cheques. You will be charged $15 for any cheques that "bounce," to cover the bank fees we have to pay.
Yes...Interac email payments should be sent to admin@hillsgarlicfest.ca with a password of garlic.
No...we can only accept payment by cash, cheque, money order, or Interac etransfer.
You can submit a Vendor Application form to be placed on the waiting list. Please do not submit payment.
We carry over our waiting list from the previous year and have a number of potential vendors in each product category. We reserve the right to manage the waiting list so as to maintain our current product mix and limit competition in any product category. Priority is given to vendors from the East/West Kootenays and Boundary region. Vendors applying for the waiting list should not send any payment. You will be notified if space becomes available, and payment will be accepted at that time.
Our fee structure includes a $25 non-refundable registration fee. Refunds of remaining fees paid are issued when the booth space is filled with another vendor from the waiting list. No refunds are available to vendors who cancel within 1 week of the event.
ABSOLUTELY! We have several garlic themed contests that anyone is welcome to enter. Information about our contests this year can be found here. Entries should be dropped off at the Hills Recreation Society booth prior to noon.
Again this year the Hills Recreation Society will be holding a raffle of Garlic Festival produce and products. Your donations are assembled in attractive baskets and raffled during the Garlic Festival. All proceeds will go to supporting the development of recreation facilities for our local community. We are asking all vendors to contribute a product sample that is identified to help promote your business. Your samples will be collected the morning of the festival during set-up, so these beautiful baskets can be displayed throughout the day. Your help and generosity is greatly appreciated. Food vendors are requested to donate meal coupons or a boxed meal, bottled beverages, etc., that will be offered to volunteers.
Vendors are most welcome to purchase raffle tickets from the Hills Recreation Society booth.
We publish details only from vendors who have provided and agreed to have their contact info displayed as indicated on the booking form. If you would like to have your contact information included, please contact the Coordinator.