East Idaho Renaissance Faire is bigger, better and back for 2019
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RIGBY — If you visit the field next to Yellowstone Bear World right now, you’ll see a bare wooden scaffolding. But on Friday this same scaffolding will become a passage back in time, as the third annual East Idaho Renaissance Faire opens.
The fair has steadily grown throughout its existence and will feature new attractions this year to go along with its new location. On top of that, the fair will run for three weekends this year, giving people who want to get their medieval festivities on an extra weekend to experience it.
“It was just time to grow,” fair founder Mathew Jensen told East Idaho News.com. “The last two years gave us enough of a presence to allow us to get more sponsors and put more time, effort and capital into making the fair grow so more people will be able to see it.”
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Jensen said the involvement of Yellowstone Bear World has really helped them stage this year’s fair the way they want to.
“We talked to them about the piece of property we’re on now,” Jensen said. “It gives us more visibility. Less shade than last year, but that’s OK. We can build our own shade. Less shade, but more to do. More good things happening.”
Jensen said the “more to do” at this year’s fair will include more food, more entertainment, more things to see and more vendors.
New this year, the fair will feature picture board photo ops, a husband and wife knife-throwing performance, and an escape artist. Mermaids will be back this year to enchant the little ones, but this time, they’re getting their own lagoon to swim around in.
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But not to worry. Your favorite elements of past fairs will be coming back. Magician Ainsley Furgason is back to wow crowds with his sleight of hand and fiery juggling skills. The Knight’s Tournament, a display of athleticism and skill, returns as the crowning event.
Along with more activities at the fair, it seems there’s more buzz about the event this year, too. More people are excited about spending an afternoon in the time of knights, fair maidens and swordplay.
“We’ve already sold out of our King’s Feast tickets,” Jensen said of the special meal fans can share with members of the Faire’s cast of knights and royalty. “We had trouble selling them out last year because it was a new event. But this year, they sold out really fast.”
Jensen also said the fair has sold about three times as many tickets as it had sold by this same point in time last year. He’s even being recognized when he’s out in public.
“I was in Idaho Falls the other day,” Jensen said, “and some random woman was like, ‘I know you.’ I was like, ‘Yeah?’ And she said, ‘Yeah! You’re with the Renaissance Faire. You threw a sword at somebody last year!’”
You can visit the fair starting this Friday, June 21.
For more details, you can visit the fair’s Facebook page or drop by the website.