Participant standards
Come prepared. Cook and conduct business responsibly.
These baseline rules protect applicants, guests, the venue, and the festival experience. Accepted participants will receive a final operational packet.
Vendor rules
Professional, safe, and festival-ready.
- Acceptance is required before payment or participation. Submission of an application does not reserve a space.
- Approved applicants must pay within five business days. Space is confirmed only after payment is received.
- Participants must provide all required permits, licenses, tax documentation, insurance, food-safety credentials, and other approvals before the stated deadline.
- Vendors must operate only within the assigned footprint and may sell or display only items approved in the application.
- Tents must be properly weighted. Stakes may not be used unless the festival gives written approval.
- Participants provide their own tent, tables, chairs, displays, lighting, extension cords, equipment, and operating supplies unless otherwise stated.
- Electricity and water are available only when requested, approved, and paid for in advance. Generators require advance approval.
- Food vendors must follow all health, sanitation, temperature-control, handwashing, fire-safety, and waste-disposal requirements.
- Booths must remain staffed, safe, clean, and open during published festival hours. Early teardown is prohibited without approval.
- Participants are responsible for collecting and reporting applicable sales taxes and for removing all trash, grease, equipment, and property at teardown.
Pitmaster rules
Respect the fire, the clock, and the craft.
- Teams must complete the official application, receive acceptance, and pay the competition fee before their space is confirmed.
- Each team must designate one responsible team captain and keep current contact information on file.
- Teams must comply with the final competition packet, category requirements, turn-in schedule, judging procedures, and meat-inspection rules.
- Cookers, fuel, fire extinguishers, propane equipment, tents, cords, and team areas must satisfy fire and venue safety requirements.
- Open fires, grease disposal, ash disposal, generators, and overnight equipment storage are allowed only as authorized in the final packet.
- Teams may cook and serve only from their assigned area and must prevent public access to hot surfaces, blades, fuel, and cooking equipment.
- Public food sampling or sales require advance approval and all applicable health permits and food-safety controls.
- Turn-ins received after the official deadline may be disqualified. Decisions of the judging officials are final.
- Teams are responsible for their personnel, guests, equipment, cleanup, waste, grease, ash, and damage to festival or venue property.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct, harassment, intoxication that creates a safety concern, rule violations, or refusal to follow staff instructions may result in removal without refund.
Applies to all participants
Festival authority and acknowledgment
Pine Tree Smoke & Soul Fest may assign locations, limit duplicate offerings, inspect participant areas, and modify operations when reasonably necessary for safety, compliance, weather, venue requirements, or event quality. Participants must follow lawful instructions from festival, venue, health, fire, security, and emergency personnel.
Rules may be supplemented by the acceptance notice and final participant packet. If documents conflict, the most recently issued written festival instruction controls. Questions may be sent to kiddcamp@stellakidd.com.