Please consult the current guidelines regarding applicable restrictions. However, if you are allowed to travel for work, then yes, you can attend one of the markets to trade. Note hwoever, that this does not apply for car booters and visitors to the market.

We are looking forward to welcoming all sponsors, stallholders and visitors to the Market! Remember, we are here for you every step of the way in the run up, during and after the Market. So if you every have any questions, please refer to the FAQ section of our website, but also feel free to get in touch with us. It's best to get in touch with us by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. However, if it urgent, you should always be able to get in touch with us on Aberdeen (01224) 507222.

We all want to have a safe and fun Market, so to help guide us along the way, here is some guidance:-

Address for the Market:

The address is Crathes Castle (Guides Field), Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 5QJ. Here is a weblink for directions. You enter the main driveway heading up towards the Castle. You will be met by our Stewards on the driveway, who will direct you further.

Preparation:

• If you are feeling unwell or have any symptoms associated with COVID, please do not travel to the Market; or if you start to have symptoms during the Market, please let the Organiser know so that precautions can be made;
• Please ensure that you have submitted all documentation to the Organisers in advance, to ensure that there are no problems when you arrive at the Market;
• Please print out your emailed confirmation and make sure the QR code is clearly visible. Your confirmation should be visible in your vehicle window above your steering wheel on top of your dashboard. If you have a QR confirmation from a previous cancelled market, this one is valid, until it is redeemed at the next market;
• Check the weather before you leave and make sure you are dressed for the weather! Remember the Market is hosted on grass, so we strongly recommend that you wear thick, thick socks and sturdy shoes. We also recommend that you put a sheet of cardboard down behind your stand as this will take a fair bit of chill away from the grass, whether wet or otherwise. You may also think about taking 4 small sheets of plywood to place under the wheels of your vehicle (this is ultra-preparation!);
• Have a think about who will staff your stand whilst you are away on any comfort breaks. We have made a portable toilet made available for exhibitor use, which will be located at the entrance next to the Organiser's Tent. Please use the disinfectant and wipes before and after use;
• Ensure you have a copy of all required certification and have available at your stand (Minimum, public liability insurance and all food alcohol licenses);
• Please take weights to secure gazebo legs. If any structures are deemed inappropriate, flimsy or not appropriate for the weather conditions, the Organiser may request that the structure is modified, taken down or removed. We really don't like the "stick-build" gazebos, please avoid using these;
• Please ensure you have sufficient fire fighting and first aid equipment on your stand;
• We encourage all stallholders to take with them hand sanitiser and disinfectant to have on their stand;
• Any promotion of the Market in advance by all participants is really appreciated. Although we appreciate that we are responsible for promoting the Market, if this is supplemented by all participants, everyone wins!;
• We will have a photographer at the Market taking photographs for promotion of future Markets. If you are not comfortable with this, please let the photographer know at the time. His name is Michal. He is very nice!;
• Looking for info on registered visitors so that you can prepare for stock levels? Check out this FAQ!;
• And remember, we can control a lot of things, but we can't control the weather. Please be aware of forecasted weather conditions!

On Arrival at the Market (between 8am and 930am):

• Gates open from 8am and will close at 930am. If you turn up after 930am, you will not be able to enter the Market area;
• Please be patient if there is a queue. There is likely to be a bit of congestion if cars arrive at the same time. Please work with us by being prepared with your confirmation on show;
• With respect, please remember that this is a grass field and, although it may look sturdy, it is very susceptible for damage, particularly after or during rain. So please, be careful when entering and exiting the site. Any damage to the grass may need to be back-charged but we hope not to have to be having those discussions :)
• If you are not registered when you arrive at the Gates, you may not be allowed in, and you may be asked to register and come back to the Gate;
• Please respect our Staff and be kind. We will of course always be respectable of you and yours;
• You will be guided onto the Market space and you will be allocated the next space available. We are unable to pick and choose spaces;
• Once you are parked up, you will not be allowed to leave until the Market closes at 3pm, and at this point, you will need to be guided off the Market by our stewards;
• Any food preparation stalls or units within the market or associated with the market shall comply in full with the provisions of the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 which includes all food standards compliance certification;
• No alcohol can be consumed at the Market, with the exception of samples, which should be carefully controlled by stalholders that are licensed to do so, and whom also have in their possession an occasional license, available for inspection;
• For any food stands selling fruit and/or veg, please display a sign that states that all fresh food should be washed before consumed;
• For anyone using gazebos or temporary structures, please ensure that it is weighted down adequately in case of any wind gusts. NOTE, stick-build gazebos are not permitted. If you do turn up with one of these, you will not be able to erect it;
• Once you are set up, a representative of the Organiser may inspect your stand, particularly if your stand build is non-standard, you are selling food and/or drink, and/or you are using power, gas,water.
• Any gazebos that have at least 3 sides attached are classified as an "inside" space and traders should be wearing a mask. We encourage all stallholders to wear masks irrespective;
• Please respect social distancing guidance at all times during set up, during the Market and during breakdown. Please let the Organisers know if you witness consistent breaching of this by any other participants and/or visitors;
• The Market will be operating a one-way system. Please make yourself aware of this;
• If you have customers coming to attend the Market, if appropriate, please encourage them to take public transport; and if they need to drive, that they park responsibly and legally.

During the Market (between 10am and 3pm):

• Please share images of your stand and the Market to your social media so that we can give you extra promotion during the Market;
• Please keep your stand and/or car boot area neat, tidy and hygenic;
• If possible, please have all items labelled and priced;
• Please take care of your own rubbish and remove from site;
• Please also take care not to damage your surroundings or grass area. Any scorch marks or tyre skid damage, may be backcharged to you at a later date;
• We encourage all stallholders to have disinfectant on hand, and to encourage all visitors to their pitch to sanitise before and ask touching any merchandise, and/or handling cash;
• Please, no more than 2 visitors at your pitch at any one time. We would request that you ask anyone else to move along and come back to your stand. Whilst this is counter-intuitive, we ask that you discourage crowds, whether at your pitch or elsewhere;
• We encourage all stallholders to take cashless payment if at all possible.
• Always be kind, no matter how stressful any situation may be at the time. We have a zero tolerance policy on verbal and/or physical abuse.

After the Market (from 3pm):

• Please do not start breaking down your pitch until all public has left the Market;
• Please do a check of your area once you are packed up and ensure that you have packed up any rubbish and taken it with you;
• Please do your very best to not damage the ground area at your stand area or whilst leaving the Market area. Any damage may have to be back-charged and we really hope not to be having any of those discussions;
• Please be patient whilst our stewards guide you off the Market area. All moving vehicles should be by guidance from our stewards;
• Please also respect our landlords and their property as you leave the Market surrounding area.

Important Information:

• Organiser Tent: The Organiser Tent is a green 6mx3m structure located at the Entrance Gates. The Organisers are Etiom Limited, and this is managed by Gavin, Adam or Alex. Telephone number is 01224 507222 if you need to speak to us at any time (phoneline is directed to all our mobiles);
• Fire Fighting: If you have a fire emergency, please make this known to the Organiser and/or the nearest Steward to you. Please also make this known to the nearest stands to you so that they can be vacated if necessary. If you decided to tackle the fire in the first instance, please take every precaution. You should have localised fire fighting equipment on your stand and you should be trained to use this. If there is a requirement to vacate the Market, please take the guidance from the Organiser and the Stewards, who will lead any Market evacuation;
• First Aid: If you have a first aid and/or medical emergency, please let the nearest steward to you aware. The Organiser has two first aid trained stewards onsite. You should also be in possession of your own First Aid kit to address to any minor ailments;
• Lost Person: The Lost Person point is the Organiser's Tent. If you see anyone looking lost, or this is reported to you, please follow this through to the Organiser Tent.

Let's stay safe and have a thoroughly enjoyable Market!

Best wishes, The Team at AFFA Fine Open Air Market

Sure! We will update this post in the week run-up to each Market. So here is the first update ... and remember, visitors must all pre-register before they attend, and a lot of people may register in the last couple of days (and even on the day of the Market!), so this information may go out of date very quickly. And also, just because someone is registered, doesn't mean that they will turn up either! And the weather can affect things also. So please just take this info as a guide only!

Crathes, 1 November 2020: Visitors registered as at 31/10/2020: 1,498

Aberdeen Beach Links, 15 November 2020: Visitors registered as at 14/11/2020: 1,466

Crathes, 6 December  2020: Visitors registered as at 05/12/2020: 1767

We'd love to promote any special offers that you may have in the run up or during a Market. Just email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the details and we will add it to our website and share it across our social media channels!

We want to be all inclusive whilst not diluting the visitor experience by having too many of the same brands. If we offer exclusivity for one brand, it means we have to do this across the whole Market, and it may be that some businesses are selling additional sale lines. We would look at this on a case by case basis, but on the whole, no, we do not offer exclusivity to one brand/category. What we would do on the day of the Market, is move similar brands/categories away from each other. However, we would expect those businesses to highlight this to us when they turn up to set up, since our parking stewards would not be aware.

SPACE TO BE SAFE

Having space to be safe, whilst supporting local businesses, was at the heart of our thought process when designing the AFFA Fine Open Air Market. Although indoor events are likely to be off the cards for the next few months, it doesn't mean that there is still an opportunity to celebrate the very best of local makers and market traders. Key to all this is doing it safely.

To ensure we get this right, we’ve been working very closely over the past number of months with both Aberdeenshire Council to ensure that our Market space is as COVID-compliant as possible.

We have also enlisted the support of Granite Elite to provide a number of friendly stewards to keep us all right. They will be parading the Market to ensure that everyone is social distancing and complying with government guidelines.

We would really appreciate your help too, so here are some early thoughts for you to consider before travelling to AFFA Fine Open Air Market:-

1. Please make sure you are pre-registered and you bring with you, either a print or on your phone, the QR code you were issued. This will be scanned when you arrive and when you leave so that we have an accurate account of who has been to the Market and for how long;

2. Ensure that your use the disinfectant positioned at stations within the Market.

3. Although not mandatory, we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask whilst at the Market, whether you are in the open air or within a stall area;

4. If you have developed any COVID symptoms or you should be quarantining having returned from holiday, please do not travel to the Market;

5. We encourage everyone to use public transport, but if travelling by car, please park responsibly and courteously to our neighbours;

6. Remember the 2m rule. We have created huge spaces inbetween each stall and also wide aisles, so this should be relatively easy. But please just be aware of your surroundings, and if there are already people at a stall or car boot, please move on and come back!

7. We are operating a One-Way system which will be signposted and enforced by our stewards. Please adhere to it, and do not take short cuts inbetween stalls!

8. And lastly, although we are open from 10am, we hope that not everyone will turn up at once! If so, you might experience a bit of a queue at times, which we hope to avoid. So please have a think about when you might want to come. We are open 10am until 3pm, so plenty time to browse the stalls.

AND finally! If you are interested in a market stall, our cut off for new bookings is 7 days prior to the next Market. This is so that you have time to submit to us all your documentation in good time to be checked and queried if necessary. So remember this if you are interested in taking a stall at the next Market.

With your support, we can host an exceptional outdoor retail event, where everyone feels safe, and we can be proud that everyone cooperated and we can continue these events into 2021.

Thank you so much for your support!

Much love, AFFA Fine.

Under usual circumstances, we would have a number of seating areas available throughout the Market. However, in light of current circumstances regarding COVID, we have removed all seating areas, public areas and minimised as many "touch points" as possible. If you may require to take a rest whilst you are at the Market, may be respectively ask that you bring with you a portable resting device with you. There are various devices that are available for hillwalkers and such like that would come very useful.

Our cancellation policy is as follows:-

You can cancel your pitch up to 30 days prior to the event you are intending to sell at, at no charge, no questions asked :) Wthin 30 days and 14 days to the event you are intending to sell at, we are not able to refund you but we can move your booking to another event. WIthin 14 days to the event, we are not able to refund you or move your booking.

All vehicles are parked up according to arrival logistics. If you want to be with your friends please arrive together and we will try our best to look after your needs.

We will be parking vehicles depending on size and weight. Those that are heavier will be parked closest to the entrance/exit to mitigate damage to the site and also potential issues getting stuck!

Always check our website, Facebook, Instagram and email early morning before setting off. 

Absolutely not! We care for the environment, so please do not add to the pollution. This is obviously unsafe and discourteous to fellow traders too, so if any instances of this is witnessed by our stewards, you will be asked to turn your engine off. If repeat, you may be asked to stop trading.

Set up can start from 7am. Please do not turn up before this time as you will likely be refused entry and this could cause congestion in public areas and cause disturbance to our Market neighbours. Any vehicles arriving after 830am will not be able to gain access to the Market to set up.

We have to work within the confines of the rules set out to us by our landlord and also the market operator license conditions. Unfortunately, there is no parking available on site for less-abled  / disabled individuals or people with pushchairs. However, at both Crathes and Aberdeen Beach Links, we do allow temporary drop off and pick up near the Entrance, so long as any temporary stopping does not impede other traffic flowing around the Market entrance area or causing a safety issue for pedestrians.

The drop off / pick up points are as indicated below.

For those that have dropped off visitors, they must remove their vehicle as quickly as possible and park in an appropriate parking area. Pick up is also available, but with the same restrictions. 

Note also that both sites are events fields, and may ne difficult to traverse due to potential trip hazards (longer turfs, divits in ground level, wet underfoot, etc). We therefore urge all visitors to maintain awareness of the ground conditions at all times. The grass has been cut to a reasonable level. However, it is not a manicured lawn :) We therefore advise to take care when browsing stands.

Aberdeen Beach Links

Crathes Castle and Grounds (Guides Field)

Space only, 3m x 3m. You also get a trader profile page on our website, and you are welcome to upload any offers you may run from time to time.

You are welcome to bring your own gazebo table chairs and such like. You just need to let us know in advance what you are bringing and complete this in the Vendor Questionnaire upload.

Maximum of 2 sellers per trading position I'm afraid.However, if absolutely necessary, children (maximum 2) can accompany the sellers, so long as they are from the same household and, for food and drink stallholders, any produce is shielded from any prying hands!

We actively encourage you to have more than just yourself on your stand, so that you are sufficiently covered should you wish to take a comfort break during the day of the Market.

Yes. You need to provide a valid Portable Appliance Test (PAT) certification in advance on our Vendor Document Upload System, and also have any certification available for inspection on site. Also, all appliances need to be safe and not posing any risk to the public at large. Any appliance deemed to be unsafe after inspection may not be allowed to be used. If there are any greater concerns about your stall set up and condition of equipment, we may ask you to stop trading.

Yes. You need to provide a valid (within 12 months) gas safety certificate, signed by a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. This should be provided in advance on our Vendor Document Upload System for inspection and also have this available for inspection on site. Also, all appliances need to be safe and not posing any risk to the public at large. Any appliance deemed to be unsafe after inspection may not be allowed to be used. If there are any greater concerns about your stall set up and condition of equipment, we may ask you to stop trading.

This is the responsibility of each of the food/drink vendors.

We will be stationing rubbish pickers who will be patrolling the Market. Bins will be provided at the entrance of the Market, Stallholders will be required to bring their own rubbish receptibles and they are also responsible for taking off site their own waste also.

Unfortunately not. Once the event is open to the public, noone is able to move their space or leave the Market. This is for safety reasons and to ensure that we mitigate any risks of people getting hurt by moving vehicles.