The Acton Children's Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The largest entrepreneurship event for children in North America, this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses. The Redding Children's Business Fair is designed for 6 to 14 year olds and priority is given to applicants residing in Shasta County.

Yes. It costs $20 to register a booth. Your booth will not be confirmed until payment is received.

Application must be submitted online. Please submit one application for each business. Children working as a group should submit one application that includes each child's information. No more than 3 participants per business.

Two jewelry businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out, though we will let later entries know if another applicant has a similar idea so the later entrant can decide what to do.

The Redding Children’s Business Fair will be held at Redding Public Market and the surrounding Whistle Stop Park area in downtown Redding. Businesses may be located indoors or outdoors depending on the final event layout and weather.

Each participating business will be assigned a designated booth space. Specific details regarding tables, chairs, tents/canopies, and other setup requirements will be provided to participants prior to the fair once the final layout has been determined.

Participants should plan to create their own unique booth display, signage, and decorations to showcase their business. We encourage our young entrepreneurs to get creative and make their space their own!

This event is designed to give children the experience of selling a product or service.

Parents of younger children may sit in the booth, but the children should be responsible for set up, customer interaction, and sales.

Parents may help their child fill out the application, but we expect the children to do as much as possible by themselves.

Can I sell food or drinks?
Yes, Food and beverage businesses are welcome at the Redding Children’s Business Fair; however, California and Shasta County food-safety requirements vary depending on what is being sold and how and where it is prepared.

Submitting a food or beverage business application does not automatically approve the food items listed. The Business Fair team will review food and beverage applications and will contact families if additional information, permits, food-safety measures, or other requirements apply.

Please do not change or add food or beverage items after approval without contacting the Business Fair team first.

Jeff and Laura Sandefer and a few other families wanted to spark a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children so they created the first Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin, Texas, in 2007. That year, there were seven entrepreneurs and around 25 attendees. Now, there are over 115 entrepreneurs and 1,500 attendees at the Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin.