The Gainesville City Commission and Alachua County Board of County Commissioners discussed the future of the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire and transit options for GRACE Marketplace at a joint meeting Tuesday.
Hoggetowne Medieval Faire
The Hoggetowne Medieval Faire was previously held at the Alachua County Fairgrounds for 30 years until the venue was sold in 2019.
The event was held at the old YMCA Sports Complex off Archer Road for two years following its sale. For the past two years, it’s taken place at Depot Park.
Before the move, the event was a three-weekend event at the fairgrounds with 150 vendors and 11 stages of entertainment. It has since become a one-weekend event with 90 vendors and six stages.
The faire will be held at Depot Park in 2026, requiring $130,000 in funding for fiscal year 2026.
The commissions heard a presentation from the Gainesville Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs staff on what a future venue would need. It listed a minimum of 35 acres for parking and 50 to 60 separate acres of flat, dry land.
The venue would need to be located within four miles of Gainesville city limits for staff accessibility and available during January and some of February.
Over 40 locations have been evaluated so far, including the Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center, the Gainesville Raceway and Citizens Field. The raceway was the only venue that met all minimum space requirements, but its insurance requirements could make the choice difficult.
The raceway wanted the city to cover the event’s insurance cost. At previous venues, the city and event vendors split the cost.
Alachua County Commissioner Ken Cornell said he wanted the county and city to partner for a ticketed event.
Depot Park’s location can’t be ticketed because it’s a public park. Nearly 50,000 attended the faire in January when it was a free event. Cornell said even if 13,000 of the 50,000 people showed up, funds could be raised to save for a future venue.
Gainesville City Commissioner James Ingle said a joint Gainesville-Alachua County event might be more successful.
“It may have gotten to the point where we don’t have a place to put it in the City of Gainesville,” Ingle said.
A motion passed for staff on both boards to collaborate on next year’s faire. The motion explores a ticketed event in 2026 and long-term options like the raceway for future years.
GRACE Marketplace transportation
After a series of cuts to Gainesville’s Regional Transit System ended weekend service from downtown Gainesville to GRACE Marketplace and Gainesville Regional Airport, the commissions explored alternative public transportation options in place of Route 25.
The city’s new agreement with UF decreased RTS funding by $2.9 million and increased insurance costs by around $1 million.
While Route 26 also goes through GRACE Marketplace, it doesn’t run on weekends.
Gainesville Chief Operating Officer Andrew Persons said it would cost around $100,000 to restore the route on the weekends. Route 26 has seen an increase in ridership since Route 25 was cut.
Gainesville City Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker said she saw the cut’s impact when visiting GRACE Marketplace a few weeks ago, recalling how a person with a walker walked to GRACE because the bus wasn’t available.
“We need help so we can help those individuals, the most vulnerable among us who are depending on us,” Duncan-Walker said.
Alachua County Commissioner Anna Prizzia said she wanted to revive Route 25, and was willing to split the cost with the city.
Cornell agreed, adding that the county worked for years to install street lights to help pedestrians access the bus route and was shocked when it was cut by UF.
Mayor Harvey Ward said the city wasn’t in a position to add to its existing funding problems. Ward said the city’s investment in services will continue to add up, especially because Gainesville Regional Utilities funds aren’t available to them anymore.
“One of our levers that we’re supposed to be able to depend on is not dependable, and that’s GRU,” Ward said. “It’s not only $50,000, it’s a much more difficult situation than we ought to be in right now.”
The commission unanimously voted for county and city staff to find solutions for the lack of bus service.
GCRA contract
The commissions were scheduled to begin conversations about extending the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Area contract, which is a 10-year reinvestment plan approved by the City of Gainesville and Alachua County.
The current contract was signed in 2019 and set to expire in 2029. The city is seeking to extend the contract to improve the status of long-term projects.
The commissions voted to table the discussion.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a journalism junior and the Summer 2025 city commission reporter. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows or playing basketball at Southwest Rec. He is also a big football fan and will die for Dak Prescott.
