Each January, people in the Gainesville community put on their capes and sheath their swords as they transport back in time to the 16th century.
The Hoggetowne Medieval Faire has brought magic and whimsy to Gainesville since 1986. It annually brings the city back to the olden days with stage acts, a royal procession and snacks to feast on.
Its longstanding location was the Alachua County Fairgrounds, but it was uprooted when the property transferred to the U.S. Army Reserves. It has since moved to different locations, from the old YMCA complex on Archer Road to Depot Park in recent years, with some locations causing the event to become smaller due to location size. In 2027, it will return to its roots as a large-scale event, this time at the Gainesville Raceway.
At its meeting June 8, the city commission voted unanimously for the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department to move forward with a contract that will allow the faire to be held at the Gainesville Raceway, located northeast of the city.
It will look very similar to previous years, transitioning back to a ticketed event spanning two weekends. Ticket price hasn’t been decided yet, but it can be expected to be between $20 and $25.
The venue change will increase the cost to host the event by nearly $500,000. The department said it expects 92% of its funding to come from ticket sales.
“The event works better at a large outdoor space,” Mayor Harvey Ward said. “Where there is plenty of room for parking, plenty of room for vendors, plenty of room for all the things that ought to happen at the medieval faire.”
The Hoggetowne Medieval Faire was held at Depot Park for the last three years. The venue change forced the event to be run on a smaller scale than usual due to the limited acreage, which left the event joustless among other cuts.
This year, the joust will return to the faire along with other familiar acts.
Prior to its time at the YMCA and Depot Park, the faire was located at the Alachua County Fair Grounds for 30 years. It ran for three weekends and had room for 120 vendors and 10 entertainment stages. It moved down to 80 vendors and six stages at Depot Park.
Now, at the raceway, the faire will be reminiscent of its earlier years, with room for over 100 vendors and 10 stages.
Two recurring issues with the downtown location were parking and traffic.
Laurie Morgan owns Fun Time Foods, known as Faire Foods in the 16th century. She’s been a vendor with the event since 2011, and she said she’s happy to have a better parking situation because it's been difficult the last few years.
“The parking and the traffic flow will be 100 times better than what it has been at Depot or out there at Archer Road,” Morgan said. “I would get there [Depot Park] at six, just so even in the vendor parking area, I would have a place to park.”
Depot Park boasted limited parking spots, and traffic backed up during the event. At the raceway, the event is expected to have a solid traffic operation. The raceway annually hosts the NRA Gatornationals, a four-day drag racing event that attracts over 100,000 guests. Traffic is directed by staff into the venue parking and the exit.
“They knew how to control the traffic on that little two-lane road,” Morgan said.
The event’s move to the raceway has been a conversation since 2023. Insurance issues that deterred the agreement, but they were resolved this year, said Sunny Andrei, the faire’s director.
“We did a site tour,” Andrei said. “We looked at the property to make sure that it would fit what we needed as far as space and parking and all the logistics side of things. And it was great. It’s a wonderful site.”
Even though it took some time, Andrei said the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department was happy to get access to the location. It is wheelchair accessible and offers plenty of paved open space for everyone to stroll through, she added.
Miranda West has performed in the faire since 2003. It is where she met her husband and where her kids now perform. She performs the living chess board every year.
“I’m excited for there being more opportunities for people to come and experience all of the magic,” West said.
Since it will be extended to two weekends, she said they will be able to perform more and hone in on their craft throughout that time. And now that there is more time, she said she has the chance to see some of the other acts.
Having two weekends gives everyone time to enjoy it, including everyone working the faire.
“We have a lot of friends who travel the circuit, and we get to see those people at that time,” West said. “It’s kind of a big family reunion in some ways.”
The faire will host a school day Jan. 22, where K-12 students can attend the faire with their school. Homeschooled students will also have the option to attend. Jan. 22 will also feature half-off prices as a Family Friday Promotion.
Next year, the faire will run from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24 and Jan. 30 to Jan. 31.
Contact Teia Williams at twilliams@alligator.org. Follow her on X @teia_williams.
Teia Williams is a journalism student and in her second semester at The Alligator. She is a lifestyle and general assignment for The Avenue. In her free time she is constantly reading, going to concerts, or talking about her favorite celebrities.
