Acton Children's Business Fair

Acton Children's Business Fair

This is one of the coolest things I've taken my kids to. Picture Dupont Circle filled with booths, but instead of adults selling things, it's kids ages 6 to 14 running their own businesses. They come up with the idea, make the product, set their prices, and handle the money themselves. We saw kids selling homemade slime, friendship bracelets, custom bookmarks, baked goods, lemonade, and even a kid who was doing caricature drawings. The creativity is unreal, and you can see how proud these kids are of what they built.

Even if your child isn't a vendor (registration usually fills up fast), it's a great event to attend as a shopper. Bring some small bills and let your kids browse the booths. My daughter came home and immediately started planning what she wanted to sell next year. It runs just two and a half hours, which is a tight window but keeps the energy high. The whole event is free to walk through, and most items the kids sell are in the $1-5 range, so you won't break the bank buying from every booth.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Bring small bills ($1s and $5s). Most kid vendors price their products between $1 and $5, and not all can make change easily.
• ✓Arrive close to 10am. Popular items sell out fast, and the best selection is early in the morning.
• ✓If your child wants to be a vendor next year, registration usually opens a few months before the event and fills up quickly. Keep an eye on the Acton website.
• ✓It's only 2.5 hours, so plan to stay the whole time. There's enough to browse and the atmosphere is great.
• ✓Talk to the kid vendors. They love explaining their products, and it's good practice for them. My kids found it inspiring to see other kids their age running businesses.
• ✓Dupont Circle has lots of restaurants nearby if you want to grab brunch after.