Glossary

Agricultural fair — The classic county or state fair: livestock, agricultural exhibits and competitions, a midway, food, and entertainment, usually running multiple days. Many New England agricultural fairs are over a century old.

Artisan market — A recurring or one-off market focused on handmade goods, often curated. Sometimes used interchangeably with craft fair, though markets tend to be smaller and more frequent.

Booth fee — What a vendor pays the organizer for their space at an event. Varies with event size, location within the grounds, and booth size; some community events waive fees for nonprofits.

Craft fair — An event where artisans sell handmade goods — from a church-hall holiday sale to a multi-day juried show.

Exhibitor — A vendor at a specific event. An event's exhibitor list tells you who'll be (or was) there that year.

Expo / trade show — An exhibition where businesses show products and services to the public or to other businesses — home shows, bridal expos, boat shows. For vendors, expos are booth opportunities just like fairs.

Grange fair — A community fair hosted by a local Grange (an agricultural fraternal organization). Typically small, deeply local, and heavy on tradition — exhibits, suppers, and hall displays.

Juried show — An event where vendors apply with photos of their work and a jury selects who gets in. Juried shows keep quality and variety high; expect an application deadline well before the event.

Load-in / load-out — The scheduled window when vendors move their setup into (and out of) the event grounds. Organizers publish times and logistics — read them before you commit to a show.

Midway — The stretch of an agricultural fair with the rides, games, and classic fair food.

Occurrence — One year's (or one date's) running of a recurring event: "Topsfield Fair 2026" is one occurrence of the Topsfield Fair. Each occurrence has its own dates and its own exhibitor list.

Premium book — At agricultural fairs, the published catalog of competitions (baking, quilts, livestock, produce) and their prizes ("premiums"). If you want to enter your pie or your pumpkin, the premium book has the rules.

Promoter — The organization that runs an event — an agricultural society, a chamber of commerce, a professional show producer, a volunteer committee. On Meet Me at the Fair, each promoter has a page listing all its events.

Vendor — Any business or organization that sets up at events: crafters, food vendors, service companies, breweries, nonprofits, community groups. The Vendors directory covers them all.

Venue — Where events happen: fairgrounds, town commons, exhibition halls, farms. Venue pages show what's coming up at each location.