It's time to take a trip off the beaten path. When you think of prizes, psychics or health food probably aren't the first things to come to mind. But while people who attend holistic health and psychic fairs probably aren't in the sweepstakes mindset, the opportunities for winning are there. They might be in the form of door prizes, contests, raffles and traditional sweepstakes.

There are some wonderful prizes and giveaways possible at these events including gorgeous crystals and jewelry, health food, psychic readings and spa visits. You can also give back to your community at alternative fairs. Often, there will be charity fundraisers or donation drop-off points for local food banks and shelters.

Well-known sponsors in the natural health field that might have giveaways include Spirit of Change Magazine, Whole Foods Market and GNC. Some of the big name fairs are:

• New Living Expo


• Body Mind Spirit Expo


• Tucson Gem and Mineral Show


• The New Spirit Festival


• Conscious Life Expo

Because of the overlapping of interests in whole foods and psychic readings, Pagan and environmental festivals will host vendors from these fields as well. Industry organizations benefit from sponsorship too and are regular vendors at the fairs such as national and local astrology and tarot card associations, naturopathic, aromatherapy, chiropractic and alternative healing associations.

Health care providers and medical suppliers, both from the traditional and alternative medical fields, will be at these events to get the word out about their businesses and sometimes have freebies or drawings. Sometimes, like with traditional sweepstakes, there are hoops you have to jump through. An example of a recent contest is from the Alpha 1 Foundation at the annual health fair in Caribou, Maine. Visitors have a chance to win a cruise to Bermuda. Participants are qualified to enter the sweepstakes after they receive a free COPD test and attend a certain amount of programs.

You don't have to travel too far to find one of these events. If you don't know of any fairs in your area, some places to start looking are health food shops, New-Age stores, yoga studios and gem and mineral groups. Natural Awakenings Magazine is found at health food stores, often for free, and contains advertisements for local events. Another source for information are online directories. The Body Mind Spirit Directory (bodymindspiritdirectory.org) has listings mainly for the US and Canada but also a few internationally. Whether you win a prize or not, you may have an intriguing or health-altering experience at one of these fairs. Good luck!