Assembly Rooms Christmas Fair

We have been working very hard to reduce the cost of this event to you, our Exhibitors, and are delighted to be able to do so this year.

Please now support us and help make this event a huge success.

6th - 7th December 2025. Opening hours 10:30 - 5pm.

The booking form button is at the bottom of this page. Please ensure you read the full Info Pack and the Terms & Conditions before booking.

Introduction

The Assembly Rooms is a magnificent city centre venue owned by Edinburgh Council. 3D2D has now organised fifteen events using the whole top floor of the building since the 2011 refurbishment, the events so far have all run like clockwork, they looked fantastic and they were roundly applauded by the public.

The Assembly Rooms consists of two large halls - the Ball Room and the Music Hall. We now mix the different Exhibitor categories across these two rooms, which means there’s a better mix of Arts & Crafts across the venue. There will be in the region of 120 exhibitors in total.

As part of being able to offer you lower prices, access for us to the venue is now later on the Friday, so. set up times are not likely to be as early as in previous years. Set up times will start from 5pm on the Friday, but unloading will be from 3pm. Setting up and dismantling at this city centre venue is really quite easy due to the new goods lift and dedicated drop-off area at the back of the building. The unloading schedule and Friday setting up day makes everyone's lives much easier, and the new trolley system makes getting in very quick. You will be able to leave everything on your stall in position overnight (at your own risk.)

Opening times: 10.30am to 5.00pm each day.

New for 2025 - Demonstration Spaces

To keep things fresh, and to find new ways to attract customers, we are going to introduce a very limited number of demonstration stalls. This will be an area dedicated to demonstrations from exhibiting crafters and could include a demonstration of a skill or technique or a short “taster” workshop. If you were to host a workshop onsite you may charge a small fee to cover costs.

We hope this addition may attract more visitors and will encourage people to stay longer within the event. It will also help reinforce the fact that all exhibitors create the work which they sell.

Details have not been finalised but we envisage perhaps two short sessions throughout the day of up to an hour each which should relate directly to the work you are selling and should help highlight and direct people to your selling stall (which will be situated alongside the demonstration space.)

If you do not have someone with you on the day, we hope to be able to offer a member of staff to cover your stall while your demonstration or workshop is in progress.

You will be able to indicate if this would be of interest on the application form, and we will then invite people to apply for these spaces at a later date. (Please book your normal space in the meantime.)

Stall Options

3D2D makes use of a modular screening system which includes stalls in the islands in the middle of the halls. The framework is 25mm chrome tube and the panels are 6mm plywood, 2.1m high. You have the choice of whether or not to book this screening system to form part of your display backdrop.

FRONTAGE: this is the width - in 1ft increments.

DEPTH: 5ft depth or 2.5ft depth (1.5m or 0.75m).

POSITION: mid-row or corner site.

STALL TYPE: 'open space' stall or 'screened' stall.

Access - in the case of 5ft depth stalls, if you intend to place, for example, a 6ft trestle table along the front of your space, you must book up enough frontage to allow you to get behind it. 1ft of extra frontage will be enough - you, therefore, need to be prepared to pay for 7ft of frontage (width) in this case.

In the case of 2.5ft depth stalls, as there is no room behind your table, you will have to position your chair/stool (i.e. yourself) to the side of it. Allow 2ft of extra frontage (width) for this purpose: if you want to use a 6ft table, you'll need to book up 8ft of frontage (width) in total. Our license requires us to maintain certain widths in the aisles, so encroaching on them is not acceptable. Therefore you must book enough space to fit everything you need and yourself inside your stall. How you arrange your space is up to you. No part of your display, including yourself, should be outwith your allotted space (this includes browsers, display stands and seating), so when planning your stall please ensure you book enough space to suit your needs.

Tables and chairs are free of charge to all exhibitors. Please let us know quantities by filling in the relevant boxes in the Application Form. Table need covered, and the cover should reach to the floor to hide all the things you hide under your table.

One socket per exhibitor is supplied free of charge with a power allowance of 25w per foot of frontage.

Please remember that our stalls are provided bare and you are required to dress them. Fabric or wall paper work best for this. You may not use nails on any of our stalls. If you use staples to attach anything to your stand, you must remove them all. Staples can cause significant injuries. One staple injury inflicted on a staff member at the West End Fair took over 6 months to heal. Screws should be avoided as they would stick through the stand system (it’s only 6mm thick) and protrude out the other side.

OPEN SPACE STALLS

Open space stalls. This type of stall may be back to back with other open stalls in a central island, or may have a wall or a window as a backdrop. If so, no items or signs can be fixed to the walls. Your space will be marked out by tape on the floor. You have the choice of 5ft and 2.5ft depth.

Open space is good for those who have their own stand system and for those who want to spend less and primarily base their display on trestle tables. Don't forget you are booking a 'space' - you should imagine the possibility that your neighbours on either side might well both have their own display systems.

SCREENED STALLS

Screened stalls cost more and will be primarily available only in the central 'islands' of both halls. These islands are always double-sided - they have stalls on both sides of a central back wall which runs the length of the island. This is known as the 'spine' wall. Your stall will also have its own side walls, once again shared with neighbours. Side walls are called 'rib' walls - and equal the depth of your stall. You have the choice of 5ft and 2.5ft depth.

You also have the choice of a mid-row or a corner position:

Mid-row Positions - you'll have neighbours on both sides, therefore you'll have a rib wall on both sides of your stall.

Corner site Positions - you'll have a neighbour on only one side, therefore you'll have the rib wall on only one side of your stall. Corner sites can be useful for accessing the space behind a trestle table, from the side, when it is placed along the front dimension of your stall.

Half Corner sites - you can opt to have a full rib wall on one side of your stall and a half rib wall on the other. Half corners are only possible with the screened stall option. Why does 3D2D offer this half-corner site option? Mainly to improve the structural stability of the spine wall at each end of the island - but half-corners are also good for display and security reasons. This option gives you most of the benefits of being on a corner while retaining a wrap-around wall at the back and more display space.

Cost per Foot of Frontage

Your stall fee is based on a rate per foot of frontage (width) booked; and there are different rates depending on (a) whether you want open space or screens and (b) which of the two depths you prefer. There is an extra charge for corner positions: they do add to your useable frontage by quite a significant amount. Costs per foot are quoted on the Application Form.

Minimum Frontage

Screened Stall Mid-Row 2.5ft depth 5ft min frontage

Screened Stall Mid-Row 5ft depth 4ft min frontage

Screened Stall Corner 2.5ft depth 5ft min frontage

Screened Stall Corner 5ft depth 3ft min frontage

Open Space Mid-Row 2.5ft depth 5ft min frontage

Open Space Mid-Row 5ft depth 4ft min frontage

There is a maximum frontage of 13ft for all of the above.

Payment, Confirmations and Cancellations

Once you have been allocated a space you will receive confirmation in the form of an invoice(s). There are two payment options, which you choose from when booking: Either one invoice for paying in full, or two invoices with 50% deposit and the remaining 50% to be paid by 22nd October. Please note all prices include access to electricity and are inclusive of VAT at 20%. Please note the date for the future payment and ensure payment is made promptly.

When you complete your application form online you will see a note at the end saying you have submitted the application. You will also receive a copy to the email address you provided on the application form.

Full refund if you cancel your booking up to six weeks before the event - less a £50 cancellation fee.

See the cancellation of your booking section in the T&Cs for more details about cancellations and refunds.

NOTES

1. No dogs/pets are permitted.

2. You must be fully set up and ready to sell 15 minutes prior to the event opening. You may not close up early.