Your first market day checklist
For your first market day, bring your insurance certificate and booking confirmation, a gazebo with weights, a table, stock, price signs, a way to take payment and a cash float. Arrive within the organiser's set up window and be ready before the doors open.
The day before
- Re-read the organiser's trader information for the arrival time, pitch size, vehicle access and rules.
- Print or save your booking confirmation and insurance certificate.
- Charge your card reader, phone and power bank.
- Check the weather forecast and pack for rain, wind or sun.
- Load the vehicle in the order you will unpack it.
Paperwork to carry
- Booking confirmation and your pitch number.
- Public liability insurance certificate, which many organisers ask to see.
- Any food registration or other permission your product needs.
- Your business details, in case a steward or council officer asks.
Kit to pack
- Gazebo, with weights for every leg.
- Table and a cloth that reaches the ground, if you want to hide storage underneath.
- Chair, tape, cable ties and scissors.
- Price signs and a sign for the payments you accept.
- Bags, wrapping and a bin bag.
- A first aid kit and water.
The outdoor event checklist goes into more detail, and the guide to choosing a gazebo for a market stall helps if you are still buying kit.
Payments and change
Test your card reader before you open, and bring a cash float in small notes and coins. Our guide to taking card payments at events covers readers and QR payments.
Arrival and set up
- Arrive within the set up window the organiser gave you.
- Find your pitch number and check the size before you unload.
- Put up the gazebo and fix the weights before anything else.
- Set out the table, stock and signs, keeping best sellers at eye level.
- Move your vehicle if the organiser asks you to.
During and after the day
Keep a note of takings, footfall and which lines sold. Take photos of the stall and write down what customers asked for. When the event ends, pack down safely, take all your rubbish with you and follow the organiser's instructions for leaving the site.
Frequently asked questions
What time should I arrive for my first market?
Follow the organiser's trader information, which usually gives a set up window. Arriving at the start of that window leaves time to deal with problems before the doors open.
What do I need to bring to a market stall?
Bring your booking confirmation, insurance certificate, gazebo with weights, table, stock, price signs, a card reader and a cash float. Add any permission your product needs.
Do I need weights for my gazebo?
Many organisers ask for weights on every leg, and they are a sensible safety measure at any outdoor event. Check the organiser's rules.
What should I record on my first day?
Record takings, costs, footfall and which items sold. This helps you decide whether to book the event again.
Gazebos built for regular pitches
Once a pitch is confirmed, the stall needs to fit it. Gala Tent makes market stall gazebos for traders who set up week after week.
Useful pages on our sister sites
Event Industry Trader is published by Gala Tent. These pages from Gala Tent and the wider Gala group go further on the kit, branding and payments covered here.
Where to check the rules
Rules vary by council and by event. Confirm requirements with the organiser and the relevant authority before you act.