How many craft fairs per month to meet income goals?

The Narrative (Left Column)

The Empathy

You've set a real income goal, but the calendar is a mystery. One fair feels great, the next one barely covers the booth fee, and suddenly you're wondering if you should book every weekend just to be safe. Between late nights in the studio, packing the car, and recovery days, it's hard to tell what a sustainable schedule looks like or how many shows you can actually handle without burning out or running out of inventory.

The Education

Start with a realistic capacity check. Count how many weekends you can truly commit to each month once you include production time, setup, and recovery. If you can prepare for two fairs without cutting quality or sleep, that's your current capacity, even if four shows exist on the calendar. Next, calculate your average net profit per event by subtracting booth fees, travel, card fees, and supplies from sales. If your goal is $2,000 per month and your typical net per fair is $500, you need four fairs. If you can only handle two, you either need to raise the average net (better pricing, higher-traffic markets, stronger product mix) or add another channel like wholesale or online sales. Build in a buffer for slower seasons so the plan still works when a rainy Saturday cuts traffic in half.

The Solution

Use a simple tracking system that logs net profit, hours worked, and inventory prep for every event. Review the last three to six fairs to find a dependable average, then set a monthly event cap that matches your real production capacity. With that data, you can prioritize higher-earning markets, decline low-margin shows, and know exactly how many fairs you need to hit your income goal without overbooking yourself.