Does anyone have any cool ideas about organizing a bazaar?

Sounds like a great idea! Along with the usual donated items, perhaps you could organize a silent auction of donated items or services from local businesses and also have a raffle to generate money to purchase needed supplies as well.

Good luck with your efforts!

Here is an article with tips on organizing a bazaar.

Excerpt:

“1. Define your target market. Determine the object of the bazaar, the audience you want to attract from the very beginning. All succeeding decisions should be consistent with this target market. Choose a venue that is accessible to this market. Invite concessionaires that sell products this market will be interested in buying.

2. Choose the date of your bazaar carefully. Bazaar enthusiasts, customers and concessionaires alike, will flock to the more known, more established bazaars. So be sure to choose your date properly. As much as possible, choose a weekend with no competition from other bazaars.

3. Get the full support of the venue administration. The administration can help promote the bazaar by giving out fliers, posting tarps and streamers, etc. Getting the support of the administration can also spell the difference between a big and a small down payment for the venue.

4. Have other activities during the bazaar to entertain the attendees. Entertain the customers to make the bazaar a more fun experience for all. Try renting inflatable playground equipment or having a fashion show for your guests. Other bazaars have cooking demos, arts and crafts, car shows, etc.

5. Screen the merchandise of possible concessionaires. Offering a wide variety of merchandise that all appeal to your target market at the bazaar is ideal. Have something for everybody. Also, concessionaires don’t want other booths selling products similar to their own merchandise.

6. Keep a concessionaires database. Stay organized by maintaining an up-to-date list of concessionaires already contacted about participating in your bazaar, and of concessionaires that have already agreed to participate. This is especially important if more than one person is assigned to approaching concessionaires. Indicate the name of the team member who contacted the concessionaire.”

If you have plenty volunteers how about lots of little stalls with games to keep the chidlren amused whilst the parents look at all the bric a brac 2nd hand clothes etc… stalls

lucky dip – small inexpensive items buries in sawdust 50p a go child wins what ever they find

bat the rat – a peice of pipe set on an angle, a toy car covered to look like a rat, send down tube, child/adult has to hit it with a bat when it appears at the bottom of the tube 10/20p a go!

Tombola – chocolate or bottle – put a raffle ticket that ends in 0 or 5 on each item then place all other tickets in a box, person has to choose say 10p a ticket or 6 for 50p if they draw a ticket that ends in 5 or 0 they win the prize

Craft stall – children can make a small craft item for a nominal fee (painted t shirts/pot/make a necklace)

Face painting always goes down well if you have an artistic person!

Nail painting for the girlies! 50p to £1 to have your nails painted!

Keep it cheap and cheerfull, people are more likely to have a few turns on each stall if they are low priced rather than 1 go on a more expensive stall.

Thats amazing…Thank you so much for your help and advise, There are some amazing ideas here, Love the Ideas for keeping kiddies entertained as most of my friends have small kids,a raffle is great. Me and my friends are all set now….....Thanks alot

There is a really simple money raiser that I’ve done before for nonprofits. We called it “Trunk of Trash to Treasure” sale, but you could revamp it for your purpose and give it a catchier name. Instead worrying about tables, stalls and a building, you use a parking lot. You get permission to use a parking lot. Sell parking spaces to people who want to sell items (ours has always been people selling yard sale type items, thus the ‘trash’). They fill their car trunk with what they want to sell (they can also bring their own table to set items out). Usually you have some people who donate all or part of what they make to your cause on top of what you make selling spaces. It usually draws a crowd because it is something out of the ordinary. Good Luck!