FERGUS – The Medieval Faire will be back in Fergus for the first time since 2019, and there will be no shortage of things to do downtown on July 23, according to event organizer Debb Greer.
The event was created in 2018 with the goal of bringing more life to downtown Fergus.
Organizers Greer, Tala Jenkins and Nathalie McNeill, owner of The Red Door Restaurant and The Fountainhead Health Store, tried to think of what they could do to encourage tourism.
“That’s how it all started, and it just went crazy from there,” said Greer.
The first Medieval Faire ran in 2018, with a turnout of about 3,000 people, and the next year saw 7,000.
The “momentum was growing,” said Greer.
But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing the cancellation of the event in 2020 and 2021. Despite the setbacks, organizers are expecting a large turnout this year.
The idea behind spreading the faire out around downtown is to get people exploring the area, Greer added, “to see the beauty of Fergus, because Fergus is such a beautiful town.”
The bulk of the faire is running during the day, from 11am to 5pm, but there are a few evening celebrations in store as well:
- at 5:30pm there’s a free live concert (the first one ever at the faire) featuring The American Rogues in the Templin Gardens;
- the Red Door is having a medieval feast at 7:30pm (interested parties must sign up ahead of time); and
- there is the ghost walk at 8pm (tickets at The Bookery).
The faire is a free event, but there are a few attractions event-goers may want to look into prior to the event, such as the ghost walk, medieval feast and the psychic faire in gypsy alley. Walk-ins are accepted for the latter event, but appointments can also be arranged by contacting the Bookery.
“There’s a lot of moving parts,” said Greer of this year’s event.
She added the performers are a tight-knit community, so organizing may not be as daunting as it could seem when word gets out about the faire.
Planning typically begins in January, Greer explained, when she and the two other organizers meet at the Red Door and plan over dinner. She noted organizers will order food from a different Fergus restaurant each time they have a meeting.
Among the other attractions at this year’s Medieval Faire are: knights in armour battlements, Wizard’s Way, a royal welcome centre and performance area in front of the library, belly dancing, face painting, hair braiding, roaming chanting monks, medieval scribes, archery for adults and kids, axe throwing for adults, Rangers Rumble (fight the knight for kids), arms and armour display, viking encampment in Templin Gardens, live falconry show at Provost, traditional textile artist and artisan exhibit at Peddlers’ Village, live forge and iron works, puppet show and medieval crafts for kids.
Maps will be available at the faire to guide event-goers to all of the attractions in downtown Fergus.
Volunteers are needed to help run the event, said Greer. Contact the Bookery for more info.
