Tyler Redway
MOUNT Gambier will take a step back in time this weekend for its first ever Fantasy Medieval Fair.
Event organiser Talie Teakle said there is a large community of medieval fairs across Australia but one has never been held in Mount Gambier.
“We got together and reached out to the community and within 48 hours of announcing the date we could have booked the whole weekend,” Ms Teakle said.
“This is our first year having this event in the local area and the community is just so into supporting Mount Gambier’s first fair.”
The event will include many historic activities such as full body armour combat, longbow archery, re-enactments and horse jousting.
Ms Teakle said the organisers did not think they would be able to set up an event such as horse jousting in the first year and said they were “incredibly lucky” to have Australian champion jousters on the program of events.
“There were some things we weren’t expecting to have which fell into our laps,” she said.
“The horse jousting could be one of the highlights because no one in Mount Gambier has ever seen a spectacle like this.”
Ms Teakle added there are two professional combat arenas available for spectators to either watch competitions between South Australian and Victorian competitors or one with a variety of unique spectacles.
Some events held in the second arena include gladiator fights, Viking battles and maypole dancing.
“One arena has the SA Scorpions who are full bodied armour fighters and will face off in some competitions against Victorian teams,” she said.
There will be a marketplace in the centre of the grounds which will sell medieval themed wares, as well as a number of local demonstrations and products.
“There are about 20 different stalls from all across Australia with some very medieval themed wares including a lot of local stalls,” Ms Teakle said.
There will also be some demonstrations for activities such as hand weaving and clay pottery.
Local cosplayer (costumed performer) Stella Harfield said she was excited for the upcoming event and was looking forward to the various activities on offer she had never tried before.
“It’s something so different from other events that we have in the area,” Ms Harfield said.
“The fairs I’ve attended in Adelaide have been so much fun and it will be great to spend time with my friends from out of town that are travelling down specifically for the fair.”
Ms Harfield added the various crafts and re-enactment groups would be more than enough to keep her entertained for the entire weekend.
She said she was particularly keen for the come-and-try archery event as well as the open Dungeons and Dragons sessions having never participated in either.
“Hopefully there will be lots of people in fantasy and medieval dress that will make the showgrounds come alive and give the event a wonderful atmosphere,” Ms Harfield said.
Mount Gambier’s first Fantasy Medieval Fair will begin tomorrow at 10am at the Mount Gambier Showgrounds.
The event will also be held on Sunday with both days concluding at 4pm.
Tickets can only be purchased online on the Medieval Fair’s website and will not be available at the gate during the event.
