Edina Art Fair Reviews -

Medium: Photography
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2022
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $5001-$10,000
Price Range of your Work: $40-$6000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
2-3 times
Number of Years You have been doing Art Fairs overall: 5-10 years
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 3
Sales: 5 (great)
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
The demographics and population density support this show. Many thousands of people with disposable income live within walking distance.

Although my sales in 2019 were terrible, a patron contacted me later and bought a very large print. In 2022, my sales all weekend were strong and steady.

Good food is easily bought in the food section; volunteers are very helpful and roam the show.

What could this Art Fair have done better?:
Load in, can be a clown show; load out can be the same. It depends on where you are, and whether or not you can dolly a short distance off-site to your vehicle.

In addition, the booths are too close together. There's really no space outside of your booth for inventory, so you have to eat up interior space storing three days of product.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
You need to stand out somehow in a show of nearly 300 artists. Since the booth fee is high, and hotels are expensive, I think you'll have an extremely hard time getting to good profitability if all you sell is $10-$50 items.

There are many highly polished artists here whose work sells for multiple-thousands of $$, so bring your A-game, and lots of inventory; and don't be afraid to show some high-dollar work, mixed in with lower price points.

There are people here with serious money, but also a good population with a little bit of disposable income to spend.

Even then, as with all shows, there are no guarantees, and again it will be particularly hard to make good money if you have to travel far. If you're local, you can set the bar lower and you'll have a better chance at being profitable at Edina.

Additional Commentary on this Show:
Parking can be a challenge, so be ready to dolly in and out if your booth load-in time is in the evening. You can start setting up at about 6:30 p.m. if you're on 50th Street; much earlier than that if you're on France Ave.

Booth sitters are available by text, and they are reliable and responsive.

Bring a water bottle to use at the refill stations. A good variety of food is available for purchase in the food area.

This show is under new management as of 2022 and they seem truly interested in making improvements over the past methods.

The URL of your profile on ArtFairInsiders.com. https://www.artfairinsiders.com/members/LawrenceMSawyer

See my blog on ArtFairInsiders.com for additional commentary on this Show

Posted by: Lawrence Sawyer | 03/18/2025 at 11:59 PM

Show Name: Edina Art Fair
City and State: Edina, MN
Your Medium: Photography
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2013
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: Rather not say
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 3-5 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 3
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Okay
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair: It's in a high income area in an upscale shopping district. Good sales in 2012 and 2013 for me. Perfect weather in 2012 with the first two days being a little sketchy (rain off and on on both Friday and Saturday). This year I managed about the same sales as 2012, despite less than perfect weather. As in previous years, most of my sales were made on Sunday, so don't get too worried if Friday and Saturday aren't all that great.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:The Edina Police Department use this event to try and show some muscle and really just end up acting like Nazis. When I pulled up to the entry point I was designated to use (with my four way flashers on and quite clearly showing them my artist packet, meaning I had already checked in as instructed to do by the show) the officer screamed at me to get out of the intersection and stop blocking traffic. I told him I was an artist and was trying to enter the show to set-up and showed him my packet. He insisted I show my "entry pass", which was a non-existent item (I know I checked my packet for one). Long story short, he would not allow me to enter to set-up my booth! I took a back alley and found a way to my booth location from there. Other artists experienced the same sort of treatment from this testosterone-pumped entry Nazi.

One other bad thing about this show...they still don't allow awnings on your booth, which can be a real problem many of us when the inevitable June rain storms hit!

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: The Lund's Lot spaces are where many newbies end up getting placed. This year they made improvements to get more traffic into that area...the few artists I talked to didn't do too badly in these locations, though I still think that being on either 50th or France is best.

Posted by: Ryan Tischer | 07/09/2013 at 11:18 PM

Show Name: Edina Art Fair
City and State: Edina, MN
Your Medium: Photography
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2013
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 3
Location: 4
Facilities: 3
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people

Good Things about this Art Fair: The fair location is beautiful. Lots of shops and restaurants nearby to draw more people in.

The patrons were probably the nicest, most complimentary people we've met in our art festival experience! We got such a great response to our work...very authentic! We could tell that the Twin Cities has a lot of art appreciators, especially art of the unique variety.

Being newbies, we were placed in the Lund's parking lot. We had low expectations, but foot traffic was actually pretty steady when the weather was nice. (I listed "3" for attendance because Friday had two afternoon t-storms/little bit of tent flooding; Saturday it rained pretty steadily from 2:30-6 with a huge temperature drop--not Edina's fault!--Sunday was gorgeous and very busy the entire day!)

Also, having access to a grocery store just a few feet away (especially one with a Caribou Cafe inside) was one of the best perks we've experienced. Eating healthy, inexpensive salads instead of expensive, greasy festival food was awesome!

Bad Things about this Art Fair: Thursday night set up in the Lund's parking lot was pretty chaotic and late (8pm). This is understandable considering the festival area; however, more signage and/or volunteers directing us where to set up and where to register would've really helped. Being new, we punched the registration area into our phone map and still couldn't find it for a solid 10-15mins because it's tucked so far back in that little alleyway. For the rest of the weekend, however, artwork take-down/set-up was a breeze.

Storage behind the tent is minimal if not non-existent, so be sure to figure out how you're going to store everything (especially in the event of a t-storm!) before the fair.

As previously mentioned, being in the Lund's parking lot wasn't as bad as we thought it would be and we far surpassed our sales average at this show! But now we're curious to see if we'd do even better being in the main thoroughfare.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
- If you're new, being in the Lund's parking lot isn't necessarily the kiss of death. If anything, it isn't as crowded and chaotic and people can see your work as they walk by...and you have quick access to a grocery store and indoor restroom!
- Figure out your storage before coming!
- The registration is tucked in a little alley
- Bring a headlight if you're setting up at 8pm on Thursday! It gets dark quickly!

Posted by: Katie Nelson | 07/09/2013 at 09:51 PM

Show Name: Edina Art Fair
City and State: Edina, MN
Your Medium: Photography
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2012
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 5 (great)
Overall: 5 (great)
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people

Good Things about this Art Fair: The Edina Art Fair is the first major art fair in the Twin Cities metro and is heavily promoted by local and regional media outlets. The show is situated within an upscale shopping district of an affluent suburb of Minneapolis and draws large crowds of eager buyers from a wide geographic radius.

The weather in 2012 was near perfect, with sunshine and highs in the 70s all three days. This helped many artists, including myself, achieve record sales. Keep in mind however, being this is early June in Minnesota, the weather is highly variable. Artists have experienced severe thunderstorms here, including hail.

Artwork quality was broad, but high-quality overall and seemed suitable for the demographic attending this show.

The promoters seemed very well organized and helpful. Most every detail was outlined in the artist packets mailed in advance of the show.

Lastly, the U.S. Bank parking lot, long a source of frustration with some artists for its low-traffic location, was finally eliminated from the event.

Bad Things about this Art Fair: Setup is a bit of a hassle. I was located in the Lund's grocery parking lot, in which setup is not allowed until 9PM the night before. This may be unavoidable since an earlier setup time likely would unduly interfere with the store's business. Artists with street locations have the privilege of starting setup up a bit earlier, ranging from 6 to 8PM.

Spaces are 10x10, most with zero room to spare. I had to make minor adjustments to neighboring booths in order to squeeze mine in. No merchandise or storage is allowed outside of your 10x10 space, which can make your booth feel a bit cramped. Awnings are also not allowed unless they are fully contained within your allotted space.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
This was my first year participating in this show and my first "high-profile" art fair. It is consistently ranked among the top fine art fairs in Minnesota and the country.

Newbie artists, with some exceptions, can expect to be placed in the Lund's parking lot. I did well there, but the artists on the streets seemed to receive more customer traffic. Signs, however, were strategically placed to direct patrons to the parking lot section.

Posted by: David Barthel | 02/09/2013 at 09:41 PM

Show Name: Edina Spring Art Show
City and State: Edina, MN
Your Medium: Painting
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2012
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 2
Facilities: 2
Ease of Participating: 3
Sales: 3
Overall: 3
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Okay
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair: lots of people, fabulous food experiences nearby. It is a good show for high end edgy artists but it is all about your location
The people that come thru are lovely.

Bad Things about this Art Fair: This show was one day too long for me and the days should have been shorter..... 2 days would be enough. Friday and Saturday. Sunday was not necessary. The Booths are crammed in far to close together and to the sidewalk, people would walk by in crowds with no way to step out and look around.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: If three very long days is okay for you than do it! I made some great contacts.

Posted by: Joan Finnegan | 01/24/2013 at 08:33 PM

Show Name: Edina Art Fair
City and State: Edina, MN
Your Medium: Wood
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2012
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $501-$2000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 3
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 3
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Okay
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people

Good Things about this Art Fair: Great location in an upscall neighborhood. The fair has a great reputation and people come back every year. It was my very first show so my booth wasn't great and my art selection is a lot better now so my sales were weak compared to everyone around me. I sold $1600 which isn't bad for a first show but two people around me sold $7000. I would do a lot better now and will definitely do this show next year.

Bad Things about this Art Fair: It was really well run and the crowds were mostly buyers so there wasn't much bad I can think of.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: Get in if you can. It's pretty competitive because it has a good reputation.

Posted by: Marc Lamm | 11/23/2012 at 12:22 PM

Show Name: Edina Art Fair
City and State: Edina, Minnesota
Your Medium: Jewelry
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2012
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $5001-$10,000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 2nd time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5
Location: 5
Facilities: 5
Ease of Participating: 5
Sales: 5
Overall: 5
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people (they claim up to 80,000)

Good Things about this Art Fair: great pre-fair communication, clear instructions, well-established, excellent area for an art fair (wealthy area of town with lots of people who know how to discuss and handle artwork respectfully).

Bad Things about this Art Fair: The setup seems backwards - even though it is well coordinated and goes pretty smoothly, by the time the people near the middle of the fair arrive to set up, they have to squeeze through blocks of tents already under way. This isn't a problem exclusive to Edina, however.

Posted by: Meg F | 09/12/2012 at 01:22 PM

Show Name: Edina Art Fair
City and State: Edina, Minnesota
Your Medium: 2D mixed media
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2012
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $5001-$10,000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 5 (great)
Ease of Participating: 5 (great)
Sales: 5 (great)
Overall: 5 (great)
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people

Good Things about this Art Fair: Very well run show. Great sales - nice to have people buying work and not complaining about the economy. I never got the chance to leave my booth and walk the show, maybe that's why I had such good sales. The crowds were consistent and the weather was fantastic - in the 70s. Pre-show info requests were promptly answered and volunteers were attentive and visible throughout the weekend. I will apply to return next year.

Bad Things about this Art Fair: Unavoidable, but the setup didn't start until 8 pm Thurs. The street was open to traffic right up to 8 when the police put up the blockades. We had to quit with my setup at 10:15 because it was just too dark to finish. I was pleasantly surprised Fri. morn at how little I had left to do. If you're organized, I guess you can do it in the dark!

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: This is a big show - 320 booths, try to stand out from the crowd.

For more of my commentary on this show please click on my name below to visit my blog on ArtFairInsiders.com.

Posted by: Mary Staby | 07/04/2012 at 10:57 AM

Show Name: Edina Art Fair
City and State: Edina (Minneapolis), MN
Your Medium: Photography
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $501-$2000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 2-3 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 1 (poor)
Sales: 2
Overall: 3
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Poor
Estimated Attendance: 25,001-50,000 people

Good Things about this Art Fair:
Helpful and caring volunteers and promoter. Setting is in an upscale shopping area in a wealthy suburb of Minneapolis. With great weather in 2011, the show was very well attended.

After being placed next to a smoothy vendor with a noisy generator, I registered my complaint with the director and she came to my rescue, making the vendor get a quieter generator ASAP.

Bad Things about this Art Fair:
Set-up is a big hassle, though moving up the setup from 9 pm the night before to 6:30 pm seemed to help this year. Absolutely no awnings are allowed in the show due to unreasonable fire marshal. Booth spaces are 10x10, and not an inch bigger, with very few spaces having openings behind. No storage or expanding from your space is allowed at all, whichs stinks because the spaces are so small and expensive.

Sales in 2010 were solid for me, but took a sharp nose dive in 2011, grossing less than half and only netting less than a third of previous year. This was frustrating, as the weather was near perfect and attendance was superb.

Just handed out a ton of cards to people who were just looking, with few motivated buyers. The photography category was grossly oversaturated with a photo booth nearly every 5 spaces.

Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Some do great here and some don't. I think it's an expensive show and a lot of hassle, with the crowded spaces and unnecessary ban on awnings. It's the first real art show of the year in the twin city area, and weather can often be sketchy at best.

That being said, the organizers are trying very hard to be accommodating to artists and actually listen if you have a problem.

Posted by: Ryan Tischer | 06/14/2011 at 04:38 PM

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