On a hot Sunday in July, I set up my painting pop-up tent at the Avalon Maker’s Market in Alpharetta, Georgia. Despite the heat, it was a fantastic experience connecting with art enthusiasts in a new setting. This was my first time doing a painting pop-up outdoors so I tried to spend as little money as possible on my tent and supplies.

If you are planning your first outdoor pop-up, here's a look at my pop-up gear. This post may contain affiliate links. I️ only link to products that I tested and love.

Investing in the Right Tent

This is where I spent most of my budget. After doing a lot of research, I settled on the Euromax USA 10’x10’ Pop-up Canopy Tent with removeable sidewalls.

I will say this tent is heavy, but it is sturdy and a quality tent. The Euromax was easily one of the tallest tents at the maker’s market. It is a fairly easy tent to pop-up, but I recommend asking someone for help, unless you can stake the tent into the ground. Taking the tent down is even easier and I was able to do it by myself.

The Euromax comes with four removable side walls and a reusable bag to store the walls as well as four weight bags to prevent your tent from taking flight. I have seen people use sand or rocks but I used twelve pound dumbbells, which easily fit in the weight bags.

The tent structure is sturdy enough to hang paintings from the rafters and comes with a wheeling storage bag. I was able to stash the tent into the bag myself and wheel it to the parking lot, where it fit in the back of my SUV.

Interior of the Euromax 10 by 10 Pop-up Canopy Tent — Interior of the Euromax 10’ by 10’ Pop-up Canopy Tent

Don’t Forget the Rug

After looking at several tent designs, I found the tents with rugs much more inviting and eye-catching. Since my paintings are pretty colorful, I searched for a neutral outdoor rug for my space. In the end, I purchased a 5’ by 8’ reversible outdoor rug from Amazon. The rug filled the space perfectly and is light-weight and super easy to fold up. The rug fit in a duffel bag along with my table linens, allowing for easy packing.

Tables

Folding tables are not glamorus but they are a necessity. I bought two 6’ folding tables on Amazon to display the bulk of my artwork and placed a smaller table with business cards by the entrance of the tent. I purchased the PayLessHere Camping Table since it was sturdy and simple to set up. The table has a handle which makes it easy to carry. The tables fold in half and fit in the trunk of my SUV.

I liked having the flexiblity of three display tables. I placed a stack of business cards on each table along with a clipboard to collect email addresses.

To top off the tables, I bought two types of tablecloths. I particularly liked the quality of the ABCCANOPY 6 FT Rectangle Tablecloth. It is a washable polyester and it actually feels thick. It’s not like one of those flimsy throwaways. I never ironed mine and it still managed to look ok. However, the back of the tablecloth is short, it will not completely hide your boxes and anything stowed under your table.

I was concerned about my table legs showing, so I also bought a two pack of tablecloths made from fitted stretch spandex. The spandex tablecloths were a little difficult to put on but they looked great and created a sleek table profile. Another bonus was they were strong enough to lean paintings against the them and the paintings would stay put.

The spandex tablecloth was able to support the weight of my paintings.

Hanging Paintings

I spent a good week researching the best ways to cheaply hang paintings in a tent. Since this was my first outdoor show, I did not want to shell out a lot of money on expensive display boards. I also needed something fast, like one day fast, and portable so my options were limited. I ended up purchasing a white mesh shade cloth from Amazon and it was great. Not only did it block the sun, but it was a light-weight and inexpensive solution that was easy to install and pack up in my car. Another artist even complimented me on the mesh cloth.

I used a white mesh shade cloth to hang paintings

The shade cloth came with zip ties but I wanted something stronger and reusable so I purchased a 50 pack of 6 inch ball bungee cords. The great thing about the bungee cords is you can double them up to fix any drooping along the mesh.

To hang the paintings on the shade cloth, I used a pack of stainless steel curtain hooks. For larger paintings, I would use two or more hooks for added support.

Odds and Ends

Another item I researched heavily was battery-powered fans. I ended up purchasing a Geek-Aire 12” portable battery fan from Amazon. On the day of the Makers Market temperatures were topping out at 98 degrees and my little yellow fan did not disappoint. The Geek-Aire was blowing at maximum capacity the entire afternoon and never ran out of battery. It’s also light-weight and cute. Of all of my pop-up purchases, this was definitely my favorite.

I also recommend buying a pack of 8” metal plate holders. These tabletop holders are sturdy enough to support 18” by 18” canvas paintings. I bought nine holders but wished I had more. They are a great way to display artwork.

These 8” plate holders were a convenient way to display small pieces of art

Wrapping Up

I was able to pack all of this stuff and about 20 paintings into a mid-size SUV. At the end of the day, it took me about an hour to pack up all of my stuff to cart it back home. I hope this post was helpful. Please reach out if you have any questions.

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Meg Link is an awarding-winning graphic designer and oil painter. If you would like to receive more helpful tips like these sign up for her newsletter and receive the free e-book Create a Mood Board for your Brand.

Outdoor Art Pop-Ups: a Guide to the Gear