My First Time Reading at a Psychic Fair
A few months ago, I went to my first metaphysical fair, the Body Mind Spirit Celebration in Tampa, Florida. I tried to go in with an open mind and didn’t quite know what to expect. Maybe some older and wisened sages who could lead me down a path to enlightenment. Maybe a bleach blonde Karen selling essential oils as a miracle tonic. Maybe even a fear-mongering fanatic or two, preaching outside with a sign telling me to repent or go to hell.
Aside from that last one, I found the former two every once in a while, but I also found so much more. I’ve met incredible, like-minded people who aren’t afraid to be their authentic selves. I’ve met talented psychics who could tell me the world was ending tomorrow and I’d believe them wholeheartedly. I’ve met people of all races, creeds, sexualities, genders, and walks of life who were so passionate about making beautiful art as a way of capturing their lives in a small moment. And yes, I even met a scammer or two.
I left that festival with new wisdom, an appreciation for the community I’ve found and cultivated, an amazing tarot reading that I think about nearly every day, and rocks. A lot of rocks. As I got back in my car and drove home to my apartment, I was filled with a new determination. “Someday,” I thought to myself. “Someday, I’ll be reading at an expo like that.”
Shortly after, I was laid off from my day job and my bank account was rapidly dwindling, so “someday” came much sooner than expected. I was strapped for cash and I wanted to get my tarot reading business fully off of the ground now that I had nothing but time, so I threw myself into the deep end. I saw that this same festival was happening in Austin, Texas, nearly 1200 miles away from me. Some may call it intuition and others may call it impulsive decision making, but I put my deposit down, booked a hotel room, and signed up to be a reader for the fair that same day.
I had no idea what I was getting into.
Am I Ready to Read at a Psychic Fair?
If you’re a reader and you’re reading this, this is probably a question going through your mind. It was certainly going through mine even as I was actively reading at the fair. Having been in your shoes so recently, allow me to offer you some insight on this: if you’re still shaky on what the cards mean, you’re not ready. If you still have to reference your guidebook, you’re definitely not ready. Some may protest, but this is my opinion and many readers at the fair would agree. This is simply because reading at the fair involves time limits that you have to enforce. No one is going to make you stick to the strict 15 or 30 minutes for each reading, but those who are waiting to get a reading from you might feel slighted if they signed up with you and you’re still halfway through a different client. The people who purchase readings from you might also feel cheated out of their time and money if you’re spending a significant portion of the reading flipping through your guidebook. There’s nothing wrong with using a guidebook for home readings or even to reference a specific type of wording the author may have used, but your intuition won’t be able to flow as naturally if you genuinely can’t read without the guidebook.
Are you someone who needs to take extensive breaks between readings? If so, festivals may not be your cup of tea. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t take breaks at all. I purposely blocked off a half hour each day for me to take a break and actively turned people away if they wanted a reading during my break time. I’m not a robot and can’t do endless readings back to back all day. At the end of the day, I’m a human being who needs a sandwich and a bathroom break. That being said, a lot of my readings for the day were one right after the other. Between each reading, I had time to take a breath to re-center myself, re-shuffle my cards, and drink some water before I was right back into it. If you need a longer break between readings, that’s totally understandable. You need to do what’s best for your readings and your body. Due to the quick turnaround and fast-paced nature of the festival, it just might not be the environment that you’ll thrive in.
So how can you tell if you are ready? Honestly, you can’t. You truly won’t know if you’re ready until you do it. I’ve been reading professionally for 5 years, but I still felt entirely out of my depth for parts of the day. I was surrounded by talented, brilliant readers who have been doing this for decades, some of them even before I was born. It was hard not to compare myself to them. But I brought my own experiences, style, and charm to the table - no one else can replicate that. Not a single other reader out there can read like you. Nor can you read like them. If you feel confident in your readings and your intuition, you’re more ready than you think.
What Should I Bring?
This depends on a few things - how far you’re traveling, what you usually use for your readings, and what will fit in your space. I brought a tablecloth, 5 tarot and oracle decks, a few crystals, my easel and sign with my name on it, a clipboard with my prices and a sign up sheet, my business cards, my water bottle, and some candy for when I needed a quick snack. I opted to pay extra for a table and chairs, but those may also be necessary for you to bring as well. Depending on the type of festival and the setting, you may also need to bring an 8x8 canopy for outdoors, which will need leg weights. You might want more or fewer decks than I brought. Or you could be flying in for the festival and might need to swap a larger sign for a collapsible, light alternative that can fit in your luggage. Overall, I’d say the necessities would be:
Something eye-catching with your name on it
Your tarot/oracle cards
Your business cards
A sign up sheet
Something that displays your services and prices
There may be more that you need, such as bringing your own table and chairs. Always be sure to double check with the festival to see if those are provided at an extra cost or if you’re responsible for bringing your own.
Looking around at the other readers and their professional, costly setups, I was worried that my modest setup with a painted sign and little flair would be lost amongst the crowd, but I found that people were drawn to me nonetheless. Several people stopped to listen as I read for other people and were drawn to my dry humor and lack of sugarcoating. Others told me they actually appreciated the simple setup and said it felt more personal than a professional banner. Make your setup as “you” as possible. People will be drawn to it, even if it’s not as flashy as another reader’s.
How Much Will I Make?
That’s the real question, isn’t it? While reading for anyone is a beautiful spiritual journey that you take with another person for a moment in time, at the end of the day, it’s still a business. It wouldn’t surprise me if several readers scroll right down to this section. While the experience can be fun and insightful, it might not be worth it for some people if there isn’t a significant monetary payoff. Reserving a booth at any festival can be expensive and it’s important for you to get your money’s worth.
Whenever I do in person readings, it’s usually at a local flea market. While I don’t live in a particularly struggling neighborhood, there’s a certain expectation for goods and services to be cheap, especially if the customer doesn’t receive something they can physically hold and take with them. As such, I’ve adjusted my prices to be on the lower end with several money-saving deals throughout. At those events, my goal is to get butts in the seat across from me so that I can get more clients who would be willing to pay my full rate the next time they get a reading from me. The good news about psychic and metaphysical festivals is that nearly every attendee knows what to expect and values your job as a psychic. Don’t worry about being the cheapest reader at the fair or offering deals that leave you at a loss. As long as your prices are fair, charge what you’re worth. My usual rate is 2 dollars a minute and everyone was more than happy to get at least a 15 minute reading with me.
When I signed up for the expo, I payed approximately $420 for my booth with the additional table and chairs. Over the weekend, I spend Saturday making that money back and Sunday was for turning a profit. In total, with my current prices, I made a little over $900. This was a huge accomplishment for me and honestly the most I’ve ever made in a single weekend as a reader. That being said, I did also pay for a hotel room for the weekend. I was also on a road trip during that week and spent more than I would like to think about on hotels, activities, and gas. Overall, I likely net a loss because of all of the extra things I was doing that week, but that $900 in my bank account let me pay my rent without having to dip too heavily into my savings. When you’re unemployed, that’s a huge sigh of relief.
Final Thoughts
Overall, reading at a festival like this was a very enlightening experience. It felt amazing to be surrounded by people who not only understood what I do, but appreciated and valued it. I learned so much from my fellow readers and vendors. Everyone was happy to give each other tips, hold space for each other, and of course, gush over whomever had the prettiest cards. I’ve read for some amazing, beautiful people that weekend. I’ve read for the truest believers and the most skeptical minds. I was able to draw in the people who needed my voice and my insight and they were able to draw me in as a curious, empathetic mind. If you have the opportunity to do a festival like this, I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read for the next one.
