Urban Craft Uprising is a biannual show–held at either the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, or Magnuson Park Hangar 30–with 150+ of the best indie designers, crafters and food vendors, UCU is a favorite event for craft-lovers in the Pacific Northwest!

We also organize dozens of smaller markets throughout the year in various locations around Seattle. To find out what shows are on deck for the next few months, see the events that are listed above this FAQ. You can click through any of them to find out more details, and/or to RSVP to the Facebook event.

You can click on any of the events you see listed above to find each show’s info page, where you’ll find the date, time, and location for each show.

The Exhibition Hall is located at 301 Mercer Street in Seattle, right next to McCaw Hall.

For all other shows, the individual event page will show the address and location of the event.

If you are able, we highly encourage you take public transit to the show.

Urban Craft Uprising is FREE to the public!  We encourage a $2 donation, but this is not mandatory.

Often the lineup for our swag bags starts as early as 8:00 a.m. each morning of the show (the earliest we’ve heard for the winter show was 5:00 a.m.!)  We can’t say for sure when to get there to be guaranteed a spot as one of the first 100 in line, but sometime between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. is probably a safe bet.

Please see each show’s event page for show-specific parking information.

If you lose (or find) something while the show is going on, come check in at the UCU info booth and we can make a note of what is missing, or hang on to what you’ve found, and hopefully connect the item with its owner. After the show, all lost and found items stay at the Seattle Center, so please call them and ask for their central lost and found if the show has already ended.

Seattle LOVES UCU!  If you absolutely hate crowds, we suggest attending UCU later in the day, as the largest swarms come during the first couple hours of our doors being open (10am-1pm).  OR, register to attend our Friday Night Preview Show!  Offered in the winter only, the first 1500 fans who purchase a ticket to this event will gain exclusive access to our vendors the day before the show opens to the public.  You’ll be able to shop in a relaxed, uncrowded environment, while enjoying tons of goodies from our sponsors, free raffle prizes from our favorite businesses around town, and the first shot at shopping with our vendors while their booths are fresh and fully stocked.

No, in fact we guarantee that at least 30% of our vendors at each show will be brand new, so you’ll always see fresh faces and products, no matter how many of our shows you come to. In fact, if you grab a booth map on the way in, you’ll even see the new vendors highlighted so you’ll know who to look for. At the same time, we have many vendors who do return so we hope you’ll be happy to see some of your old favorites as well! And, keep an eye out for this badge at the new vendors’ booths!

While vending with us at one show never guarantees acceptance at the next, there are also many other reasons you might not see your favorite vendor this time around. People close their businesses, move away, have babies, have conflicting obligations during our show dates, weddings to attend–there are myriad reasons why vendors choose not to apply to any given show. Please don’t assume a vendor has been rejected just because you don’t see them.

That being said, in an effort to stick to our 30% new vendor promise, we unfortunately do sometimes have to say no to our favorite vendors. It’s not that we don’t love them, it’s just that perhaps they did not submit any new work/photos, or that we need to mix it up, or that a new vendor we were really excited about beat them out of that category.

We love dogs. We do! But we really can’t allow dogs (outside of service animals) at our shows.

Why? Well there are a few reasons:

• While we may love dogs, not everyone does. Many of your fellow shoppers have allergies, fears, and even trauma related to dogs, and they should not be made to feel uncomfortable while they shop.
• Animals in general are not appropriate at shows where there is open food consumption, or valuable works of art that can be easily damaged. While you may know your dog is well-behaved, we don’t want our vendors to feel anxious that their fragile work might be knocked over or dirtied by a dog they don’t know.
• When dogs are greeting one another, it can cause a holdup in the aisles, tripping hazards for our other guests, and potential mayhem at an already-crowded show.

We will be strictly enforcing our no-dog policy at our shows from hereon out.We really hate to have to turn people away at the doors, after they’ve taken time out of their day to come to our show, so please respect these rules and leave your pets at home!

No firearms or weapons of any kind are allowed at Urban Craft Uprising shows.

Applications are open to the public.  We look at various components when we jury, including quality, diversity, fans’ demands, price range, etc.

As UCU has grown, our show has become more and more competitive.  We suggest reading over the Vendor FAQ fully before sending in your application. We suggest getting on our mailing list so you’ll know when applications open and close; we also suggest following us on Instagram where we always announce applications opening, and where you can also see who’s been with us before to get a better idea of the show if you have never attended in person.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new friends and see the ins and outs of craft show vending and managing. We are looking for volunteers to help with everything from set-up to vendor support, hosting the raffle booth, the UCU info booth, head counting at the door, and so much more. In exchange for volunteering your time, we give you a gift of thanks, we feed ya’ and give you our undying gratitude! It is also a great way to connect with the creative community if you have just moved to the area and want to meet likeminded friends OR just want to meet some new crafty friends! You can volunteer for one shift or the whole weekend. If you are interested in volunteering, check out our volunteering page for more information.

You will need to fill out an application like any other vendor to be considered.  If you are accepted, your swag will be due the morning of the show, rather than beforehand like the non-food vendors, to avoid the $50 non-contribution fee.

We hosted our first food-specific, show, Gobble Up, in November of 2017. It has grown immensely in Seattle (and now in Portland, too!), held two weekends before the Thanksgiving holiday in Portland, and the weekend before Thanksgiving in Seattle. In 2021 we saw over 6,500 registrations from eager shoppers in Seattle (and over 4,000 in Portland), and have found what will hopefully be our permanent home at Magnuson Park. Find more information at gobbleupnorthwest.com, and if you’re interested in vending with us, sign up for the mailing list and check “I’m also a food vendor” when prompted.

We have many tiers of sponsorship and can help you find the one that will most benefit your business or organization. Please check out our Sponsorship page for more information.