2025 Taste of Hamburg-er Festival Registration

We will not accept applications from political advocacy groups or retail businesses with storefronts located outside of the Borough of Hamburg that want to sell goods/merchandise.

The Festival Committee has the sole right to reject any application.

ALL applications that are submitted and do not include the required items on the application check list below will not be considered.

All registration fees are forfeited if you choose not to participate; however, if you’re not selected to participate, your fee will be refunded.

We do not personally notify you when you are accepted; however, we will contact you if your application is not accepted.

Detail the type of stand you will have. Describe the products/works you will be displaying, distributing or selling. If you are selling burgers, please include a brief description of each burger and its toppings. Be concise as this information will be printed in the festival guide and on the website and we have limited space for each vendor’s description. If you do not provide this information when submitting your application, it will not be printed. The Festival Committee reserves the right to make changes to wording and punctuation as needed.

Canopies, tables and chairs will NOT be provided; vendors must bring their own if they wish to use them.

Returning Vendors

Vendor Category

(If you choose to incorporate multiple categories into one stand, complete all applicable sections, and pay all applicable fees and commissions.)

FOOD STAND

Anyone selling food and drinks for ON-SITE consumption. Complete SECTION 1 below.

ACTIVITY STAND

Anyone providing hands-on activities, crafts, or services to the public for a fee or for a donation. Complete SECTION 2 below.

OTHER STAND

Anyone selling merchandise, goods, art, crafts, and/or prepackaged food NOT for on-site consumption, or distributing information. Complete SECTION 3 below.

SECTION 1: FOOD STAND

Selling food and drinks for ON-SITE consumption.

Grills and fryers require appropriate fire extinguishers at each stand. See guidelines for details.

Registration fees are listed below. Check only ONE of the types below. Prior to leaving the Festival at the end of the day, all FOOD STANDS are required to pay 15% commission on GROSS SALES made at the Festival.

TYPE A: For-Profit Business

Check ONE of the space requests below. If the space requested is greater than 50 feet in length and/or 13 feet in width, please call the Our Town Foundation office at 610-562-3106 for special arrangements.

TYPE B: Certified Non-Profit Organization

Check ONE of the space requests below. If the space requested is greater than 50 feet in length and/or 13 feet in width, please call the Our Town Foundation office at 610-562-3106 for special arrangements.

SECTION 2: ACTIVITY STAND

Anyone providing hands-on activities, crafts, or services to the public for a fee or for a donation.

Registration fees are listed below. Check only ONE of the types below. Prior to leaving the Festival at the end of the day, all ACTIVITY STANDS are required to pay 15% commission on GROSS SALES made at the Festival.

SECTION 3: OTHER STAND

We will not accept applications from retail businesses with storefronts located outside of the Borough of Hamburg.

All OTHER STANDS pay per 10’ x 10’ space. Multiple 10’ x 10’ spaces may be purchased.

Your registration fee is determined by the number of 10’ x 10’ spaces requested.

Registration

• The event day is Saturday, August 30th from 10 am – 6 pm. (Beer Gardens remain open until 7 pm.)
• The event is rain or shine. There will be no refunds given for any reason.
• Spaces are reserved for past participants. New participants will be offered space on a first-come, first-serve basis by order of the date a complete registration (with all supplemental materials as required) and payment is received.
• If you are providing free handouts of any sort, they must be approved by the festival committee. Giving out free food or drink is not permitted; this takes away sales from vendors.
• Do not contact business owners requesting information or to be stationed in front of their property. The festival committee is solely responsible for providing the area in which you will be stationed.
• You will receive additional information approximately one to two weeks before the festival, including your location, a parking pass with lot locations, final guidelines, etc.
• If you owe commission from sales, a separate sheet will be included in your vendor packet which should be completed and returned with the commission owed at the end of the festival day. Location for paying the commission will be provided in your vendor packet. If we do not receive your commission payment the day of the festival, or if there is reason to believe that you are not being honest with your sales figures and commissions, you will not be invited to return in subsequent years. The festival committee reserves the right to charge a $250 penalty for late payments. In addition, for every day that you are late, a fee of $10 per day will be assessed.

Set Up & Tear Down

• The streets will be closed from 7:00am – 8:00pm or until the street sweeper has completed cleaning the festival area.
• Set up is between 7:00am – 9:30am. Due to fire code regulations, at least ½ of the street must remain open, therefore, you will be informed if your set up is on the street or sidewalk. Food and activity vendors shall be on site at 7am. To alleviate congestion and to keep the traffic lanes open, it is imperative that trailers get set up and have all vehicles removed from the streets by 8am. Crafters and other 10 x 10 space vendors shall arrive around 8am.
• Vehicles are only allowed in the festival area from 7am – 9:30am to unload. Absolutely NO vehicles are allowed in the festival area from 9:30am - 6pm. If you arrive after 9:30am for set up, you cannot participate and forfeit all deposits paid.
• Set up is in the street parallel to the curb, unless otherwise noted in your packet. Many 10 x 10 spaces are on wide sidewalks. If you are assigned a location on the sidewalk, it will be wide enough for a 10 x 10 canopy unless otherwise notified. Any vendor who does not set up as instructed will be asked to move.
• Do not block the street while setting up. As soon as you have everything unloaded, you must move your vehicle to a designated parking area. You will be mailed one parking pass which will be in the packet received prior to the festival.
• You must be ready for sales by 10am; however, no sales may begin before 10am or take place after 6pm. All participants must stay until 6pm. If you are a vendor within a beer garden, you can continue selling until 7pm. If you are selling food and run out, you may clean up your designated area, but NO vehicles may be brought in to do so.
• Due to the high number of vendors participating, it may not be possible for our staff to mark the space in which you are to set up. We work hard to accommodate all participants; however we have a limited time frame in which we can get the spaces marked. Therefore, if your space is not marked, please set up in front of the address provided.
• Vendors may set up a canopy if desired. All canopies must be secured with sand bags or another object to prevent them from lifting up from the wind; however, you cannot put holes into the macadam or sidewalks.
• All prices must be posted!
• Please remember to bring all necessary supplies. Don’t forget such items as tables and table covers, signs, cash box, extra change and small bills, etc. Most of the banks are closed, and the festival committee does not have access to change.
• Free-standing vendor signage must be placed within the vendor’s designated area and shall not protrude into the street.
• There are a large number of vendors participating. Be courteous of fellow vendors by setting up within the area designated to you.

Trash Disposal

• You are responsible for keeping your area free from trash and removing your trash at the end of the day to the designated dumpsters. Do NOT place trash or boxes in any of the street trash receptacles along the festival route. Volunteers will be monitoring trash removal and a fee of $300 will be assessed to vendors who do not clean up their location or if trash is left on their site.
• Only use the provided dumpsters. The locations of these dumpsters will be given to you with your vendor packet.
• Vendors who do not properly dispose of their trash will not be invited to participate in future festivals.

Additional Guidelines for Food Vendors

Please read and acknowledge.

Safety

• The Fire Marshall is REQUIRING all vendors using any type of heating apparatus (grills, fryers, etc.) to have the proper fire extinguishers at their stand. Officials will be inspecting stands in the morning and if you do not have the proper extinguishers at your stand, you will not be able to grill or fry. Fryers require Class K extinguishers and grills require ABC type extinguishers. The festival will not provide extinguishers.
• Grease catchers must be used if cooking on a grill. Please bring appropriate containers for storing the grease when the catchers become full. All grease must be contained and taken along at the end of the day. Do not put grease in any drains - you will be fined according to DEP regulations and you will not be invited back!
• Any vendor who does not properly clean up their location, including grease, will be required to return to rectify the situation.
• Grills and the gas for grills will not be supplied by the festival committee.
• Food vendors may not place any heating apparatus on the sidewalks. It must be in the street away from all structures.
• Absolutely no flammable liquids near open flames or grills.
• All generators must be the quiet type. If your generator is loud, you will be asked to shut it down and will not be able to use it. All generators must be placed behind your stand and out of harm’s way of the attendees.
• If using electricity, be cautious of number of cooking appliances that you plug into one outlet. If using electricity provided by the festival committee, in most cases you are tapping into older properties that cannot handle the necessary output for more than one or two cooking appliances.
• All exposed electric cords must be covered by duct tape to prevent a tripping hazard. Please do not put electric cords or any other obstacles across the street in the pedestrian walking areas.

Food Products

• Ground beef is the only type of meat that is permitted to be sold from your outdoor stand. Chicken, pizza, hot dogs and any other meat sold as a main dish is not permitted. You will be asked to stop selling everything from your stand if you are selling non-allowed foods.
• Other meats may be added to your burger as either a topping or mixed into the patty, provided the ground beef is the main ingredient (at least 51%).
• You may sell any type of side dish complementary to a burger, such as salads, fruit, French fries, soups, macaroni and cheese, dessert foods, etc. Side dishes may include meat other than ground beef as long as it is not more than 25% of the total dish. For example, a macaroni and cheese dish may have pulled pork as long as the pulled pork is 25% or less of the total dish.
• You may prepare any type of burger as long as all ingredients are legal. We recommend bringing unique toppings and creative burger names; these are the most desired burgers at the festival. Vegan burgers are allowed to be sold but will not be considered for judging.
• Please have backup food available if needed. We don’t want to run out of burgers! The average per stand was 350, with as many as 2200 sold at one stand.
• Over the years there have been several requests for sliders. Please consider this when planning your menu.
• Be sure all burgers are fully cooked as per Serv-Safe regulations. Expect food inspectors to be in attendance at the festival.
• All restaurants and food vendors must follow FDA food handling requirements. Please have a copy of your valid state sales tax license and proof of insurance available during the festival. Most non-profit organizations are exempt from the above rules.
• The Hamburg-er Festival Committee respectfully reserves the right to conduct random audits of food supplies and quality (i.e. thoroughness of cooking, number of burgers on hand, refrigeration, etc.) and will shut down your stand if deemed necessary.

Courtesy to Festival Staff

• Due to long lines at stands, our staff and volunteers have difficulty finding time to eat; therefore, we are asking all vendors to immediately serve anyone with a STAFF shirt or a bright orange VOLUNTEER vest. The staff and volunteers are directed to wait at the side of your stand, rather than entering the front of the line, in hopes of eliminating any conflicts from the others waiting in line to be served. The volunteer staff thank you for your prompt attention and understanding in this matter.

By entering my full name below I am signing this Agreement electronically and I agree my electronic signature is the legal equivalent of my manual signature on this Agreement.

Certificate of Insurance

Please read and acknowledge.

I understand that Our Town Foundation’s liability insurance does not cover vendors participating in the Taste of Hamburg-er Festival; therefore, I need to provide my own liability insurance and provide a Certificate of Insurance naming Our Town Foundation/The Taste of Hamburg-er Festival as an additional insured.

Please note that sending us a copy of your insurance policy is not satisfactory. We must be named as an additional insured. (This is a requirement of our insurance company).

Crafters and direct sales consultants selling non-food items do not need to send us a certificate; however, by signing below you are acknowledging that the items you are selling, and you personally, are not covered under the host’s insurance policy.

Note: The address for Our Town Foundation is now 320 State Street. If you participated in the past, please be sure to inform your insurance company of the address change since the post office is no longer forwarding our mail to the new location. Certificates of Insurance may also be emailed to tasteofhamburger@gmail.com.

If your insurance company is sending the certificates to us directly, they shall be mailed to 320 State Street, Hamburg, PA 19526.

ServSafe Certification

*All food vendors, with the exception of non-profits, are required to submit a copy of a current ServSafe certificate issued for at least one person at their stand.

Hold Harmless Agreement

By signing this agreement you and/or your business shall save, keep harmless and defend the “Taste of Hamburg-er” festival and all its officers, employees, agents and volunteers against any and all liability claims, costs of whatever kind and nature, for injury to or death of any person or persons and for loss and damage to any property occurring in connection with or in any way incident to or arising out of the occupancy, use, service, operation or performance of work in connection with this contract and acts or omissions of the Our Town Foundation and the “Taste of Hamburg-er” employees, agents, representatives, or volunteers.

I agree that Our Town Foundation and the Taste of Hamburg-er committee may use my name, photograph and any likeness of me for purposes of promoting a Taste of Hamburg-er or any other downtown events.

I have read the preliminary rules and regulations and agree to abide by such.

I hereby acknowledge and agree to the terms of this correspondence.

By signing this Agreement you agree that you have read the entire application packet including the Festival Guidelines and Public Health Guidelines and by signing you are agreeing to abide by the information provided.

By entering my full name below I am signing this Agreement electronically and I agree my electronic signature is the legal equivalent of my manual signature on this Agreement.

This section only applies to businesses or organizations selling burgers.

Best Burger Contest: 2025

Participating burger vendors will be randomly placed in one of three burger judging groups.

Winners will be chosen in each group by a panel of three or four judges in the following categories:

• Appearance
• Originality
• Taste

In addition, one Grand Champion winner will be selected in each group, based on the highest combined points, with an emphasis on the Taste category.

Please note that these contests will be judged by a panel of judges. Only one burger per vendor may be entered into the Best Burger Award competition. Vendors selling multiple burgers may choose which burger they would like to enter; however, it must be one which is being sold during the event.