The Rotary Club of Stratford is once again hosting their Christmas Craft Festival.
The festival takes place on Remembrance Day weekend Nov. 11-13, one of the first holiday season experiences in the city. On Friday, it runs in the evening from 5-9 p.m., Saturday from 9-5 p.m., and on Sunday 10-4 p.m..
Paul Roulston took over as the Craft Festival committee chair in 2019. Due to the pandemic this is Roulston’s first time at the helm of the festival. He told StratfordToday that it was more difficult to organize than other years, due in part to the lockdown.
“I think vendors may have found different ways to sell their products over the past two years,” Roulston said. “My feeling is there's not as many vendors who aren't doing shows as there were at one time … It has been a little bit of a struggle to get started.”
Despite that struggle, Roulston said over 60 local artisans have signed up to fill the Stratford Rotary Complex, where everything from jewellery to homemade food will be available for purchase. Proceeds support community needs such as the Rotary Hospice, COMMIT, Aquabox.
The Rotary Club of Stratford is open to interested vendors joining the festival.
The Rotary Club of Stratford is encouraging ‘go green’ by taking transit, using reusable shopping bags, and avoiding single use containers. Food service will be provided by local caterer Black Angus.
The cost to attend this year’s festival is $6, with children under 12 free. For more information, visit the Rotary Club of Stratford website here: https://rotarystratford.com/.
