Lexington, KY Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Sec. 2 governs vending inside a 'festival area,' defined as all public right-of-way, including sidewalks, within any area the office of the mayor designates as the site of a duly established festival or special event. Within that footprint, for the duration of the festival, it is unlawful for any vendor or peddler to sell or offer for sale food or goods without first securing a permit from the festival or special event organizer, the ordinance routes permitting through the event's own organizer rather than a city department, meaning the rules and fees a vendor must meet can vary by event.

The section sits alongside a companion rule, Sec. 1, which restricts sales in the 'Lexington Center area', the downtown blocks bounded by Broadway, Maxwell, Merino, High, Jefferson, and Main Streets, during the two hours before and one hour after a ticketed Rupp Arena event, and Sec. 15-1, which bars any peddler from stopping in one place on a public street, sidewalk, or alley longer than needed to serve a waiting customer. Together these sections give Lexington-Fayette tight control over ad hoc vending anywhere foot traffic spikes for a scheduled event, channeling festival-area sales through the event organizer's own permit process instead of a general peddler license.