Inaugural Festival of the Fae kicks off in Columbus
The renaissance fair style festival is a unique addition to the region, making it welcome for creatives and fantasy fans.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The inaugural Festival of the Fae brought dozens out despite the rain.
Wesley Stewart, an organizer with Festival of the Fae said they saw a void and filled it.
“Everyone loves an excuse to dress up and have fun and play make-believe, and we couldn’t find anything like that in the area,” Stewart said. “And we’ve always loved to do it. We couldn’t find it, so we made it.”
Ren-fairs are an uncommon sight for the area.
Making it novel for vendors like Haily Crawford with Hot Off Haily’s Hook.
“It’s nice to see everyone dressed up so pretty,” Crawford said. “And, you know, the fancy makeup and the sparkly dresses.”
Stewart said events like this are everything for kids.
“Everyone remembers being a little kid playing sticks and knights,” Stewart said. “And getting to see it, getting to see that fantasy in real life, it was more than you could have imagined as a kid.”
Hayleigh Slack said this group of like-minded people feels welcoming.
“It feels like a homey environment because it’s a whole lot of folks that are basically like we are in different ways,” Slack said. “A lot of people struggle with feeling alone in the world. And like situations like this where you can come together. It really makes you feel like there are other people out there who like these random weird things that I do.”
Stewart said he hoped people took away a sense of whimsy from the day.
“That it’s okay to be silly as a grown up,” Stewart said. “That it’s still okay to get out there and play make believe and dress up. And you know, you don’t have to wait for Halloween to bust out the fun clothes and to give your kids memories. We want this to grow into a full-blown Renaissance fair.”
The next ren-fair will be the Crow Market on October 11.
