Top tips for organising a great street food event
- Jing Wei Lau
- Jun 25
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 30
An insight from the Indi Local community on how we can improve local community events
Food trucks are often the highlight of any local event—bringing life, flavour, and personality to parks, streets, and markets. However, behind every successful event lies a complex interplay of decisions, investments, and efforts from both dedicated organisers and hardworking vendors.
Recently, we opened up a conversation on social media about vendor experiences at local community events (the ones that you may find in a neighbourhood park, rather than the Glastonbury type), and the response was overwhelming. We heard stories of brilliant events and frustrating ones, of organisers doing their best, and of vendors feeling burnt out or unheard.
To dig even deeper, we’ve launched a Community Research Questionnaire to collect honest, anonymous feedback from vendors and organisers alike.
This article is shaped by the early responses we’ve received—real insights from vendors trying to make a living and organisers working hard to create meaningful experiences.
(👉 If you'd like to contribute your thoughts too, our survey is still open!)
The good news? Most vendors actually rate their relationship with organisers positively — 75% gave it a 4 or 5 out of 5. But there are still recurring frustrations that can be fixed with better communication, transparency and trust.
Here are some practical tips to help organisers create events vendors will love to be a part of:
Curate a unique lineup
When building your food lineup, it's tempting to say yes to every application—especially if you’re filling pitches last-minute. But thoughtful curation is about creating a balanced, diverse offering that makes the event exciting for attendees and sustainable for traders.
The feedback shows that organisers typically prioritise:
Vendors who are easy to work with
Menus that serve quickly and appeal to families
Good presentation and hygiene standards
Unique offerings and local reputation
But many also flagged a growing issue: a lack of variety in vendor applications, with many offering the same core items—loaded fries, burgers, pizza. This makes it difficult to create a unique lineup and leading to organisers feeling like they're "picking the same vendors sometimes".
From the vendor side, duplication is one of the most frequently mentioned issues in our Community Research Questionnaire. It was rated 6.48 out of 10 in terms of how often it happens—meaning it's a regular problem. Too much competition in a small space not only reduces profits, but also leads to a sense of distrust and unfairness.
But, it’s not all bad news. Many vendors also highlighted examples of events where duplication was carefully avoided.
“At some council events, you can tell there’s been real thought put into spacing and variety—makes a big difference.”
“Street food markets that rotate traders or mix up stalls week-to-week really stand out.”
💡 Organiser Tips:
Be mindful when curating your lineup. Ask yourself: Does each trader bring something unique to the table?
Try to limit similar categories (e.g. don’t book three coffee stalls for a 300-person event).
Partner with Indi Local to connect with a broader, quality-vetted pool of diverse vendors.
What's in it for you?
Curation gives your event its signature. It improves the overall atmosphere and makes your lineup more shareable and distinctive for visiting foodies. When vendors feel like their offerings have been thoughtfully selected, they’re far more likely to return and recommend your event to others, and
Keep pitch fees fair
Pitch fees come up every single time we speak to vendors. While many understand that fees are necessary to cover event costs, they’re also one of the biggest deciding factors when traders choose whether or not to apply.
When evaluating a pitch fee, vendors primarily consider:
% of expected earnings – Is the pitch fee a fair cut of what they might earn?
Set fee threshold – Some vendors simply won’t consider anything over a set amount.
Footfall & competition – Will there be enough customers to go around?
Event details – Time, type, location, and how easy it is to get there.
Word of mouth – Have other traders had a good experience?
We also asked vendors: What makes an event financially worthwhile? This is what they told us:
Street food vendors have a higher average transaction value (around £10–£15) but they often serve hot meals, meaning higher overheads (e.g. staffing, stock, power, transport) and so they typically expect £1,500–£2,000 in takings (or 150-200 customers) for an event to be worthwhile.
Artisan traders like those selling baked goods, handmade products, or small-batch condiments—usually expect around £500–£800.
When planning your event, it’s important to understand that different types of traders have different goals, costs, and expectations.
Footfall expectations ≠ potential customers
We asked respondents if they had a formula when calculating viability of events, and the responses were pretty similar:
“If 1000 people are attending and there are 10 vendors, that’s 100 people per trader—on paper. Not everyone’s going to buy, maybe only half.”
On this basis, here's a quick formula to calculate potential customers per vendor:
Potential Customers = (Estimated Footfall / Number of Food Vendors) / 2
If this number is below 150-200 for a street food vendor, you may have too many traders for your expected attendance.
💡Organiser Tips:
Share honest footfall estimates, past data, or ticket sales, to help vendors plan realistically.
Be upfront about what your pitch fees cover and potential risks. If you’ve invested in ads, infrastructure, or paid staff – let your vendors know. Fairness isn’t just about numbers; it’s about transparency.
If it’s a new event, consider offering pitch fees based on a percentage of sales instead of a fixed fee. It builds trust and spreads the risk fairly for everyone.
What's in it for you?
Transparent pitch fees help you build a reputation as a fair and professional organiser—attracting high-quality vendors who will return, tell others, and reduce your recruitment workload.
Promotion is half the job for street food events
Even the most exciting food truck lineup can fall flat if people don’t know the event is happening. Promotion plays a vital role—not just for organisers trying to build a buzz, but for vendors who rely on a strong turnout to make trading worthwhile.
The good news? Some organisers are already taking collaborative approaches to marketing—and vendors really notice:
“The organiser shared their social media plan with us beforehand. We felt like part of the team and helped promote it too.”
“The event organiser listed our event on the Indi Local app and some people told us they found us through the app!”
💡Organiser Tips:
Use local press, social media, community groups—and don’t forget to list your event on relevant platforms like the Indi Local app, where vendors and food lovers actively check what’s on.
Letting vendors know how the event is being promoted—and inviting them to take part in that outreach.
What's in it for you?
When organisers share their promotional strategy early, vendors can plan ahead and amplify the message through their own channels, creating a snowball effect.
Vendors become brand ambassadors. More attendees show up. The event feels full and lively. And your event becomes one people want to come back to.
Communicate like you’re on the same team (because you are)
One of the easiest ways to lose a vendor’s trust is through silence. Good communication makes vendors feel like partners, not just service providers.
When we asked vendors “Can you tell us about a time where you were really pleased with the organisation of an event?”, many shared examples of organisers that stood out — and they all had something in common: clarity and care.
“Clear emails with location details, wristbands distributed beforehand—it makes all the difference.”
“Organisers checked in during the event and were open to feedback after.”
“The organiser was on-site and present throughout the day, making sure everything ran smoothly. They even brought water round to vendors in the heat.”
💡Organiser Tips:
Send an event pack in advance with all the details — arrival times, parking, facilities, point of contact.
Be available on the day, and ask for feedback after. If there’s bad weather expected, delays, or updates, let vendors know as early as possible. It shows professionalism and respect.
What's in it for you?
Strong communication reduces last-minute stress, avoids no-shows, and encourages vendors to bring their A-game.
Avoid last-minute changes if possible
Last-minute changes like adding more traders after the lineup is supposedly full, or sharing key info only days before the event — make life harder for vendors. It affects stock prep, staffing decisions, and ultimately trust in the organiser.
“There were a lot of similar vendors added closer to the event.”
When we asked vendors for suggestions on how event organisers could be more transparent with them, many suggested organisers should:
Announce final lineups publicly, and directly, not just on social media stories
Avoid last-minute additions without informing existing vendors
Share who else is attending so traders can plan their stock and staffing
💡 Organiser Tips:
Set a clear deadline for final vendor confirmation. Take pitch fees only after that point.
Share your finalised vendor list ahead of time—it builds trust and helps traders plan effectively.
A great example of this in action?
Solstice Festival, a new summer event held at Duston Mill in Northampton, managed this really well.
Although it was their first time running the event, organisers attracted a strong, diverse crowd. Being ticketed (with door sales available), they had a rough idea of expected footfall — but like many outdoor events, weather was a big factor.
In the final week, organiser James started to worry he might need more food vendors. Instead of jumping to add more, he got in touch with us. We reviewed the numbers together and looked at how many traders were already booked. Rather than overloading the event, he chose to stick with the existing lineup and instead gave those traders a heads-up to be ready for a potential last-minute surge.
It was a smart, respectful move — one that vendors really appreciated.
About Us
We’re Indi Local, and our mission is to help independent food vendors and event organisers thrive together through our app and event support services.
In summer 2024, we launched the Indi Local app to give street food vendors more visibility and help them get discovered by more foodies. Since then, we’ve been growing a trusted community built on transparency and support.
Here’s how we help:
Organisers can easily connect with quality vendors who are the right fit for their audience
Vendors can discover better trading opportunities, understand what to expect, and avoid the events that don’t work for them
Everyone benefits from more transparency, less guesswork, and a stronger, more sustainable street food scene
Want to attract quality food trucks to your next event?
Indi Local can support your event.
Whether you’d like help booking vendors or want us to add your event to the Indi Local app so vendors and customers can find it, we’re here to help.
Fill out the short forms below to get started.
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