The 2024 Bear Paw Festival is nearly here. Are YOU ready?

BIG DEAL – READ!

FULL describes the number of Vendor spaces in Bear Paw Vendor Court and this has again mandated that we make traffic in the Vendor Court area ONE WAY ONLY; SOUTH TO NORTH to ensure the safety of all participants. All vehicles must park only on the LEFT SIDE OF THE AISLE to load or unload and leave the right side of the aisle for continuously moving traffic. Safely and quickly unload your vehicle then move it to a parking space BEFORE you set up your tent. Move vehicles out of the aisles as safely as possible. Do not park, even temporarily, in another vendor’s space. Make sure everyone affiliated with your space is aware and follows this procedure.

The ONLY entrance to the Bear Paw Vendor Court area on Thursday and Sunday is via the SOUTH end of the lot called and marked VENDORS WHOOPEE ENTRY. The ONLY EXITS from the Vendor Court area are via CHITTY- CHITTY – BANG – BANG EXIT. The Vendor FREE parking area is Vendor Parking.

The Bear Paw Vendor Court is sold out and the aisles will be very crowded as vendors set-up on Wednesday & Thursday then again during tear down on Sunday. We need, and require your help.

KNOW YOUR BOOTH NUMBER BEFORE ENTERNING Unsure? CLICK HERE

• • Enter only at VENDORS WHOOPEE ENTRY and remember it is all one-way .. South to North.
  • The speed limit in the vendor court is 3MPH! This is for the SAFETY of everyone.
  • Park on left side of aisle; as close to the left as you can safely get. Leave room for traffic to flow continuously on the right side of the aisle.
  • Limit the number of vehicles from your booth in the Vendor Court area to no more than 1 vehicle at a time.
  • Unload FIRST; then move your car to FREE PARK FREE and return to set-up your tent and displays.
  • Exit Vendor Court area by CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG EXIT.

Vehicle entry gates close at 12pm on Thursday.

Vehicles are prohibited from being in the Vendor Court area from 12:30PM Thursday until 7:00 PM Sunday. Use carts and hand trucks to resupply.

Speed limit in the vendor court is 3MPH!

Plan Ahead

On Friday, July 12 from 9:30 AM through Sunday, July 14 at 6 PM, two blocks of Business Park Boulevard will be closed for pedestrian safety. Traffic will be rerouted through Regency Drive. Vendors may enter the Vendor Court ONLY from the Southern “Whoopee” entry to the Valley River Center parking lot.

Please have your entry pass ready for your use at the security blockade on Friday. (CLICK HERE)

Parking for Vendors is on a first-come-first-served basis to the N.E. of the vendor court behind the Valley River Center and to the South of the Vendor court near the pony wheel, as shown on the map. Do not block the Pony Wheel space!

Space Markings

Each space address has 3 parts: 3 digit space number. You will find 2 black corner markers on the ground at the front, left and right limits of your space. At the back of your space, you will find your space number on the curb. This space number is near the center of your space. Make sure you are in the correct space prior to setting up your tent and equipment. Vehicle parking stalls do not have any impact on your space location.

Tap water … Not An Issue…there is none.

Vendors must make their own arrangements to secure needed water supplies. None exists in the Vendor Court area. There is NO facility within the Vendor Court area to dump tanks. Waste water must be removed or held until your trailer can make it to an RV dump or other approved waste water dumping facility.

Coca-Cola Exclusive

Coca-Cola has an exclusive sponsorship arrangement with the Bear Paw Festival for pre-packaged beverages. Vendors selling or giving away pre-packaged beverages must sell Coca-Cola of Alaska products, ordered only from the order form found in this newsletter. Orders must be received by our office no later than 3PM Wednesday, July 3rd for delivery on Thursday, July 11th. CLICK HERE for your Coca-Cola order form, only pre-packaged beverages ordered from this form may be sold or given away inside the vendor court!

Coke will have one delivery to the Bear Paw Vendor Court area on Thursday at approximately 9 -11 AM. Vendors need to be ready to pickup their order and cart or carry it back to their space location from the N.E. corner of the vendor court, near the HQ tent.

Trash Talk

There are 3 large 40 CY dumpsters for your use. One is located at the North end behind the food vendors and two are located at the South end of the Vendor Court behind the food vendors. Vendors must dispose of all trash in these dumpsters. Our staff will make regular trash runs to empty the trash cans in the aisles. You are responsible for placing your trash inside the dumpster, we ask that you please load the dumpster from back to front(door) to make loading for all vendors easier. Once event staff determines that it is no longer safe to open the dumpster doors, the doors will be locked and vendors will be required to load from the top of the dumpster.

At the end of the festival on Sunday, vendors are responsible for cleaning and vacating their contracted area no later than 10PM to allow Vendor Court crew time to clean entire parking lot and adjacent areas. Vendors must ensure their space is left in ‘BROOM SWEPT’ condition before the vendor leaves. Failure to ensure your space is in ‘Broom Swept’ condition will result in a $150 cleaning fee per booth space.

Safety

The Bear Paw Vendor Court is a busy place with thousands of attendees each day. All vendors that provide goods and services are obligated…and must recognize their obligation…to provide a totally safe Vendor Court.

All vendor tents must be NFPA-701 certified fire resistant, this has been vendor court policy since 2018, and was covered when you registered for your space. Failure to comply with this safety requirement may result in expulsion from this years event and forfeiture of all pre-paid rental fees.

No open flame may be inside of, under or within 3’ of any tent or tent sidewalls without fire marshal approved non-combustible shielding. Food/cooking vendors operating in tents may only have 1 tent per reserved 10′ by 20′ space. This tent must be placed in the front 10’x10’ area of your space, the rear 10’x10’ area is for cooking and preparation only. Absolutely no tents are allowed in the rear 10’x10’ section of your reserved space without prior written permission from the Bear Paw Festival Vendor Court Manager.

The Bear Paw Festival is a NO SMOKING event. If you smoke, please do so outside of the Vendor Court area.

GENERATORS are not allowed in the Vendor Court for safety, noise and pollution purposes.

PROPANE — propane tanks must be held in place by some means that prevents tipping over, i.e. in a milk crate. Propane tanks must be a minimum of 10’ from any open flame…in your booth or your neighbors’. Each tank must have a 20’ or longer hose attached to make it 10’ from open flame possible without creating a tripping/falling hazard—see next paragraph. Please ensure your propane tank is current; if not, it will need to be re-certified prior to the event. Please see LPG tank inspection compliance form for more details.

Tripping — most accidents occurring in festivals are caused by tripping. Vendors of all types must make sure that all tripping hazards in your space are corrected before you open. You are liable for accidents in your space which is one reason as to why you are required to have insurance. If you are using electricity approved by BPFVC staff, in your space, you must have electrical cord covers of at least 20’ for non-food vendors and 30’ for food/cooking vendors!

Emergency — call 911 for any emergency and then notify Vendor Court Manager at (907) 272.5634. The main first aid station is directly across Business Park Boulevard from the Bear Paw Vendor Court.

Security

The Bear Paw Festival nights are manned by Anchorage Police Department officers. No other security is implied or offered. We suggest that you lower your tent, ensure that your tent is well weighted down with at least 75lbs of weight per tent leg and remove any valuable items from your space before leaving for the night. Please plan and ensure your area is secure.

Electrical Service

Only those vendors who have reserved and paid for electrical service may use the power supply. Please use only your assigned outlet. In the event of an electrical outage, do not move your cord to another outlet. Call Vendor Court Manager to make a proper and lasting correction to the problem. Don’t just create another problem by overloading someone else’s outlet. Electricity is $150 per 15amp outlet for the four days and is only available in a limited area. If you need anything other than a standard 3-prong 120v outlet, email Management at info@anchoragemarkets.com and tell them what you need, prior to June 24th. 50Amp service is available on a limited basis at a cost of $290(Currently Sold Out). Vendors must supply their own outdoor rated, 12 gauge or larger extension cords, surge protectors and REQUIRED electrical cord covers.

Vendors found using any onsite electrical outlets within 101’ of the vendor court area, without having paid for the service will be invoiced at $150 per outlet, per day of use as determined by the Bear Paw Festival Vendor Court Manager.

A complete list of vendors that have paid for electrical service can be found HERE. Don’t see that electrical service has been added to your space location on this map? Please view your itemized invoice for more details and to ensure you have paid for electrical service.

Vendors that have reserved a single 15 amp receptacle will be shown in light blue.
Vendors that have reserved a double 15 amp receptacle will be shown in dark blue.
Vendors that have reserved a single 50 amp receptacle will be shown in light pink.
Vendors that have reserved a double 50 amp receptacle will be shown in dark pink.
Vendors that have reserved a single 15 amp & single 50 amp receptacle will be shown in dark purple.
For more information please refer to your paid invoice.

Outdoor rated extension cords of no less than 12 gauge and outdoor rated surge protectors are required for all vendors using electricity.

As a reminder, if you have ordered electrical service, you must provide approved electrical cord covers in the sufficient lengths which covers the entire exposed length of the electrical cord, to protect your customers, your staff, yourself, emergency personal and our staff from the potential trip hazard that electrical cords create.

Non-food vendors must provide at least 20’ of approved electrical cord covers

Food/cooking vendors must provide at least 30’ of electrical cord covers.

Approved food/cooking vendor menu: HERE