HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — The sold-out inaugural Richmond Renaissance Faire brought "fantasy and freedom" to Dorey Park in Henrico on Saturday, drawing an expected 20,000 people who braved the heat for the grand opening.
Organized by the nonprofit Virago Alley, the two-day event featured performances, live jousting and combat, interactive activities, and more than 100 local vendors. Attendees included knights in shining armor and beer maids.
Meredith Johnson traveled from Mississippi to enjoy the experience. She said she was surprised by the size of the event and praised the spacious layout compared to other festivals.
"The bigger ones, they tend to be very close together and all the booths almost like sit on top of each other, Johnson said. "But here you kind of have time to just mellow out. You can stand, you can take in the atmosphere, um, really appreciating everyone's costumes, which is nice."
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Richmond Ren Faire organizers warn of ticket scams
Richmonder Mac McWilliams echoed those sentiments, noting that the open space allowed his kilt to flow freely as he walked around. He said he was proud of Richmond for hosting its own Renaissance faire.
"I came from the Maryland Ren Fair, so being the fact that it's pretty spacious, a lot of vendors and a lot of people who came, I'm kind of proud of Richmond doing its own thing for Renaissance fairs," McWilliams said.
Both attendees highlighted the freedom and escapism the event provides for guests.
"The word escapism comes to mind," McWilliams said. "People who have 9-to-5s, office jobs, corporate jobs, whatever, seem to come through here and become something completely different," McWilliams said.
"It's the fantasy and the freedom," Johnson said. "It's a place you can go and people aren't gonna think too deep about what you're doing, what you look like, how you're dressed. It's for fun."
Organizers said the mix of local Richmond engagement and imagination made the faire both a reimagined historic moment and a living celebration for the community.
WATCH: Inside preparations for the first-ever Richmond Ren Faire
The high demand for the sold-out event did lead to some issues leading up to the faire. Last weekend, organizers warned the public about widespread ticket scams.
In an Instagram post on Sunday afternoon, organizers said bots and a Facebook group with nearly 1,000 members were targeting people looking for resale tickets.
"Our tickets are not set up for resale," organizers said.
They noted that an overwhelming number of people had reached out to verify tickets purchased online, and nearly all were scams.
"Please do not buy tickets from strangers online. In addition to us not wanting you guys to get screwed over, we are concerned about the issues that this may cause at the gate with people showing up anticipating entry and being denied with invalid tickets," organizers said.
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