Stall or food stand at an A&P show
- Outdoor: weather matters
Book a food or trade site at your local A&P show and sell food, drinks or goods to a big rural and family crowd over one to three days.
Typically raises
$1,500
$300–5,000 per eventest.
About $67 per organiser hour
Based on one food stall at a local A&P show
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $500–2,000
- Work
- Weeks, part-time
- Helpers
- 7–15 people
- Lead time
- 2–4 months
- Red tape
- Some
Fairly common: A&P shows rely on local group stalls
- People
- 6-15 per day in shifts (cooks, servers, cashier) (estimate)
- Organiser time
- 15-30 hours incl. site application, food plan, roster and shopping (estimate)
- Lead time
- 2-6 months; applications open early, e.g. Lake Hayes (January show) closed expressions of interest on 30 September, and Northern A&P food sites were already full
- Up-front cost
- $700. Site fees: Lake Hayes $250 for a 4x4 m food site plus $50 for power; Northern A&P from $80+GST for a 6x6 m site (show websites). Plus stock, gas and gazebo (estimate).
- Risk
- Medium: site fee and stock are paid upfront; heat, rain or a quiet day leaves food unsold.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Take about $2,200, pay about $700 of costs, and you keep about $1,500 per event: the typical result for one food stall at a local A&P show.
From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
No NZ benchmark found for a fundraising stall at an A&P show. Crowd sizes for context: Lake Hayes A&P Show expects over 6,000 people (Lake Hayes); the Canterbury A&P Show draws over 70,000 over three days (theshow.co.nz). Figures are estimates for a food stall after site fees, from small one-day shows to a two- or three-day regional show.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- List A&P shows within reach and their dates; check each show's trade or stallholder page for application windows.
- Pick a menu the show lacks: ask the secretary which food types are already full.
- Apply early with photos and a menu; pay fees by the deadline.
- Confirm site size, power and water, and whether reusable dishware is included (Lake Hayes includes it).
- Check with your council whether a food stall permit is needed for the event.
- Plan quantities from the expected crowd and source donated or wholesale stock.
- Roster shifts over the full show hours, including set-up the evening before.
- Bring a float, a tap-to-pay device and a chiller; keep raw and cooked food separate.
- Bank takings daily and note what sold out for next year.
Getting the word out
Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.
- Ask for help
- Families to bake, give stock or take a shift on the stall.
- Ask people to buy
- People to come and buy on the day.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 6–8 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
- PostersPosters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.
- Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
- Billboards and roadside signsYour school’s or club’s own sign by the road, a banner on the fence, or a sandwich board on the day for passers-by.
The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.
What you’ll need
- Place
- NeededA hired venue
- Landowner’s permission
- NeededYes, in writing
- Council permit
- CheckCheck with your council
- Food rules
- CheckNo registration if you sell food to fundraise for a good cause up to 20 times a calendar year. It must still be safe and suitable, and your council may need a stall permit
- Alcohol
- Not neededNo alcohol sold
- Gambling rules
- Not neededNot gambling
- Health and safety
- CheckA simple risk check and briefing
- Insurance
- CheckCheck your cover
Book through the A&P society; some shows or councils (e.g. Nelson's Richmond Park) require a council food stall permit even for fundraisers.
Make more from it
Also staff the show's gates or parking
often $1,000-4,000 (Wānaka example about $4,000)
same weekend, same people, paid by the hour
often $200-500 (estimate)
adds sales with no extra cooking on site
Stack it: on its own, about $1,500. With the 2 priced add-ons above, roughly
$4,400est.
What you can get donated
Meat, bread or produce from local farmers, butchers and bakeries who support the show; a gazebo or chiller from a member.
Tips
- Rural shows reward hearty, quick food (pies, steak sandwiches, coffee) and early opening for exhibitors (estimate).
- Ask about community rates; some shows price community sites below commercial ones (estimate; ask the show).
- Pair a stall with the show's paid gate or parking roster to double your income from one weekend (see ‘Event parking, gate or marshalling crew’).
Watch out for
- Applying late: popular shows fill food sites months ahead (Northern A&P food sites were full).
- Under-staffing a long show day burns out volunteers.
- Overbuying perishables for an uncertain weather day.
Stall or food stand at an A&P show: checklist
0 of 18 done
Before
On the day
After
Book through the A&P society; some shows or councils (e.g. Nelson's Richmond Park) require a council food stall permit even for fundraisers.
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide