The Ascent Children's Business Fair aims to create a dynamic, real-world learning environment where children can experience the excitement and challenges of running a business. The Fair empowers children to discover their inner entrepreneur as they develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers to showcase their very own businesses to the public! 

The Ascent Children’s Business Fair is open to the public. Whether you want to get a little holiday shopping done, support young entrepreneurs, or enjoy some family fun, we look forward to seeing you at the fair! 

For our 2024 fair, the Ascent Children’s Business Fair is thrilled to partner with The Downtown Austin Alliance to present our event during their Sing-Along & Holiday Stroll! The Sing-Along & Holiday Stroll is a family friendly event presented by KUT,X and the Downtown Austin Alliance. It takes place on Congress Avenue between 8th and 11th streets and attracts over 10,000 visitors. Young entrepreneurs selected to participate in the Ascent Children’s Business Fair will have the opportunity to sell their products and services from 3-6 pm at this vibrant Downtown celebration.

We have only 24 spots available for child-run businesses at our 2024 fair. This event is designed to provide children with the hands-on experience of creating, marketing, and selling their own products or services. Participants will engage in a fun and educational journey, tackling many of the same questions that any business owner may face, such as:

Through this comprehensive process, children will gain valuable insights and skills that will serve them well in any future endeavors.

Businesses should be completely operated by the children. Parents should supervise their children and remain present, but the children should be responsible for all aspects, including customer interactions and sales. Parents may not run booths in their child’s absence.

Child business owners can consider partnering up with another young entrepreneur to help share the load of attending to their booth. Each business may have 1 to 3 child entrepreneurs. 

 

Applicants should carefully review our FAQ section before applying and be prepared to submit a detailed application, as we anticipate strong competition for these limited 24 spots. We highly recommend submitting your application as early as possible when applications open in September. Up to three children (aged 6-14 years old) may have a business together. 

*IMPORTANT: submitting an application is just part one of our process to obtain a spot at the fair. If your child submits an application, please monitor your email for additional information. 

Part 1: Have your child submit an application online to have their business reviewed. Please feel free to support your child in being very detailed when submitting information about their business, but we expect the children to do as much as possible on their own. 

Part 2: Additional information submission. After submitting an application online, pay attention to your email for any messages from the Ascent CBF team. They will have questions and/or send you forms to fill out in order to complete their review of the application.

Part 3: Applicants will be notified of the status of their application and next steps.

Applicants who are “Conditionally invited” will be sent instructions on how to pay their participation fee and complete required forms. IMPORTANT - Businesses must complete all required items by their due date in order to participate as a business at the Ascent Children’s Business Fair. If all items are completed by their due dates, our team will send your business an Official Acceptance email. 

 

This amazing event would not be possible without the help of our generous sponsors. If you are interested in supporting the Ascent Children’s Business Fair as a sponsor, please email us at CBF@ascentacton.org for more information.