By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
It’s time to let out a ‘Huzzah!’ as the Price City Renaissance Festival gears up for its fourth annual rendition. To celebrate, the KOAL newsroom was joined by festival founder Megan Marshall and Melanie Archibeque for more information on the medieval tradition.
Starting in 2021, the Renaissance Fair began with an unusual dilemma: A lack of time.” Oddly enough, I was too busy to attend a Renaissance Festival and somehow thought this was a much better idea. We’ll start our own then,” said Marshall. “And it started out very small. We had about 20 vendors on Main Street. And it just blew up.”
A main draw of the event is its price point: free. “That’s the best price. It’s free to come and attend this festival. You don’t want to miss it,” exclaimed Marshall.
“We went from 20 vendors to 100 vendors to 150 vendors. Our entertainers have just gotten bigger and better over the years. So, lots of growth in a short time,” shared the Founder. “We are very meticulous about vetting our vendors. We want to make this whole experience feel immersive. So, we ensure that what they’re selling fits the theme. I’m looking forward to turkey legs.”
In addition to the themed vendors, the entertainment transports attendees back to medieval times with flashy swordplay and wizardry. “The Order of the Silver Rose is coming down this year. And they are a phenomenal group. It is amazing to see real swords, real steel, real axes. They are battling it out. This is not LARPing. This is real, serious fighting. It’s amazing.” Marshall added,” we’ve got fire performers. We’ve got falconists. We’ve got stilt walkers. We’ve got live musicians. We’ve got character actors who will be walking throughout the park and doing crowd engagement. And then a whole lot of activities as well.”
Archibeque added to this hype, sharing her favorite event at the festival,” My favorite is the costume contest. So I encourage everybody who can come out and dress up. We have fantasy and historical categories. You can win a prize, cash money.”
“We’ve got a lot of really new, exciting surprises this year,” shared Marshall. “Including the After Party. You don’t want to miss that. We have the Garden Tavern. The Beer Garden is back as well. And the King’s Feast is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Continuing on the King’s Feast, Marshall explained,” It’s very exclusive. There’s a limited amount of seats available. But if you pay $25, you get a full-course meal from Reuben’s BBQ. And you get live entertainment that’s exclusive just to this dinner. You get armored duel combat. You get souvenirs and mementos from this dinner. It’s so amazing. And the King and Queen will be there, of course.”
In closing, Archibeque shared,” It’s a great community event. And I’ve been so blessed that my sisters let me tag along and be a part of it for the last four years.” Marshall echoed this sentiment,” This is definitely put on by a lot of support in the community. Price City sponsors this. Our sponsors contribute toward this. We’ve got to love them. And so it’s great to see everyone come together. And just come out and enjoy yourself.”
The Price City Renaissance Festival will run May 2-3 in Washington Park. More information is available at pricecityutah.com.