RICHMOND — The Richmond Renaissance Faire is ready to grow its grassroots with its first fundraising event on March 7 to help support its debut event in 2026.
This initiative was founded and created by Virago Alley, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide an accessible and inclusive platform for the exploration, education and preservation of historical martial arts and artisan trades.
The idea originated with Amanda Robinson, who was also the founding director of Gallery 5 and is now the president of Virago Alley. In 2008 she received the Theresa Pollak Award for “Art Innovator of the Year,” and in 2006, was the youngest recipient of Style Weekly’s “Top 40 under 40” awards.
Robinson said there will be at least 40 or more artisan vendors in attendance for people to experience, as well as live demonstrations and entertainment.
“I know the talent we have in Richmond and I know the potential and I really want to nurture that and make this event more Richmond-centric than a typical Ren Faire,” said Robinson, going on to explain the event may not include traditional jousting, but might include a bike gang that does jousting, or metal bands that specializes in music inspired by the medieval period.
She also said it’s important to her to make the event as accessible as possible to all communities, and, as such, it is a multicultural celebration, especially as the event grows in coming years.
“We don’t just want to have this as a eurocentric Ren Faire showcasing history and crafts of the 13th to 17th [century] European artisans. We want to dedicate this to artisans from 13th to 17th period from all across the world,” Robinson added.
The event is partnering with several civic and cultural organizations to represent artisans from different cultures. While the initial event might not be able to represent all of the cultures the organizers hope to due to the limitations of being held in a three-block radius, it aims to grow with the larger multi-day festival in the future to provide guests a “Silk Road” experience.
The event will be part of the first Friday’s Art Walk in Richmond, starting at 5 p.m. and will go till 11 p.m. at Gallery 5 and the surrounding blocks. It is also free to the public. As the event is part of downtown Richmond, ride-sharing or walking from parking decks for the event is recommended.
To learn more about the event or the upcoming Renaissance Faire, visit the official website.
