Become a Vendor
Booths, stalls and stands have lined The Circle since the earliest Return Days. Bring yours in 2026 — the vendor application is open.
Vendor Registration
The story
Why Delaware returns
In 1791, the State Law moved the Sussex County seat inland from Lewes to a newly named town: Georgetown. Every vote in the county had to be cast there on election day — and the same voters would return two days later to hear the results read aloud. Hence the name: Return Day.
Although the date of the first Return Day is uncertain — it could have been as early as 1792 — it has been celebrated in Georgetown since about 1812. Voting districts came in 1811, but the Board of Canvassers, presided over by the Sheriff, still met in Georgetown two days after the election to announce the final tally. The crowds kept coming, and a tradition took hold.
A legal state holidayReturn Day is on Delaware's official holiday calendar — a half day in Sussex County.
More than two centuriesCelebrated in Georgetown since about 1812, with roots in the act of 1791.
One of a kind"The only event of its kind in the nation." — Delaware Public Archives
