This article has been up to date because it first appeared in print.
Dorey Park in japanese Henrico County will get a 14th-century makeover this month as the location of the Richmond Ren Faire, full with stage performances, fight sports activities, costumed storytellers and extra historic happenings.
The first of its dimension in Richmond, the 2026 faire is modeled after different Renaissance occasions all through the state. Unlike these, nonetheless, the native occasion’s organizers middle the design and narrative not on the Aristocracy however as a substitute on the underrepresented individuals who formed the Renaissance interval. Ash Moore, the faire’s managing director, says this spin is a “fantastical approach to a historical retelling.”
“We’re taking an intentional approach with our story-building, our collaborations,” says Amanda Robinson, creative director of Gallery5 and the founding father of Virago Alley, the nonprofit group behind the Richmond Ren Faire.
The occasion got here after a yr of grassroots organizing and fundraising. In March 2025, Virago Alley held a kickoff occasion at Gallery5 throughout the Arts District’s First Fridays. “Over 5,000 people showed up trying to cram in those three blocks throughout the night,” Robinson says of the launch occasion. “At that point, I knew Richmond was absolutely hungry for this event.”
The April 18-19 gathering will showcase conventional Renaissance faire actions with trendy updates, together with bike jousting, Celtic punk music and fight sports activities from throughout cultures. More than 100 artisans and meals retailers will promote their wares throughout the faire, organized into 12 guilds representing historic trades together with herbalists, stage performers, blacksmiths and hunters.
“The energy that we’re seeing in the collaborative nature of this event, to us, that’s the real Renaissance,” Robinson says. “It’s really magical, and it’s been kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be a part of.”
Faire volunteer Aube Myrr spent the winter setting up era-appropriate units to be featured across the park, contributing to an immersive expertise. He’s most fascinated by increasing the definition of the Renaissance “to represent cultures from anywhere that there’s people who are interested and excited to bring their crafts, or their dance, or their process,” he says.
Robinson, additionally an artist specializing in medieval artwork and structure, began Virago Alley to construct a neighborhood targeted on preserving historic disciplines. Since its launch in 2022, the group has labored to teach Richmonders on trades and abilities reminiscent of these seen on the Ren Faire. In the long run, the group hopes to determine a neighborhood fight coaching facility to show archery, sword combating and different martial arts of yesteryear.
Robinson selected the phrase “virago” to signify the group’s mission; whereas it as soon as referred negatively to a feminine warrior, she discovered it becoming for a female-fronted group. “We’re encouraging people of all walks of life, ages and genders to be a part of this event, to not feel like you need to go the path of what society deems is appropriate,” she says.
While tickets for the Richmond Ren Faire have bought out, admission continues to be obtainable for Gallery5’s Ren Faire After Party, held from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on April 18 and 19. Advance tickets are $15 for particular person days.