From fairies to folklore, all things fantasy return to Luxilin Drive this weekend for the Festival of the Fae’s biggest event yet.
Nearly a year after founder Wesley Stewart started hosting events on his creek-side property in Columbus, the Renaissance festival has grown into a two-day event packed with activities and entertainment.
“We’ve expanded into two days, but we didn’t spread ourselves too thin to do that,” Stewart told The Dispatch on Thursday. “We’ve got two full days of entertainment.”
Kicking off at 11 a.m. Saturday at 43 Luxilin Drive, festivities run through 9 p.m. before picking back up Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Costumes, whether it be your favorite fantasy character or medieval hero, are highly encouraged but not required. Admission to enter is $10, but revelers 12 and under get in free.
Despite dreary weather conditions during the first Festival of the Fae event in May 2025, Stewart estimated at least 3,000 people attended, and the festival has only grown since. Two more festivals – a Harvest Market in October and a Yule Market in December – followed the initial success last year, growing more and more each time.
“After the May event last year, I took it off my driveway, and I put it in my front field. So it went from being (held on) a half-mile-long driveway to a dedicated three-and-a-half-acre site, and that was (in) October and December,” Stewart said. “Then this time, we had to expand beyond that, and I had to add another two acres. We maxed that out as well.”
That extra space will make up the festival’s food court, a new addition to the event, Festival Director Autumn Mason told The Dispatch. There will also be beer and mead served this year as well, she said.
“The two acres … that we had to add basically became a food court,” Mason said. “So we’ve got an actual food court section now with a stage (for) entertainment all day, both days, (along with) two rings of entertainment, one for (live action roleplaying), one for wrestling.”
The festival’s vendor list also greatly expanded in the last year, Stewart said, with more than 110 vendors lining the specially-named streets – like Stardust Crossing, Faelight Grove and Phoenix Hollow – this weekend, selling everything from handmade jewelry and knick knacks to more medieval-themed products.
“We actually have some vendors that are traveling from out of state that are on Ren fair circuits throughout the year, and we are one of their stops,” Mason said. “So we’re actually on the Ren fair map, if you will.”
Additionally, Mason said online ticket sales indicate festivalgoers are traveling from as far as Arkansas, Georgia and Louisiana to attend this weekend.
“The thing I’m excited most for is seeing the community that we’re in grow and become more successful and that our event gets to be a part of that,” she said. “Especially (given) the state of the economy and all that, I love to see people doing well. And so far at our events, our vendors have done really well, and I love seeing that every time.”
For Stewart, who started hosting the festivals in hopes of creating a family-friendly event where anyone attending can embrace their inner “nerd,” he’s most looking forward to seeing “happy families and smiling kids” walking the festival grounds.
“I’m kind of a big sap,” he said. “The whole reason that I got into this is Halloween is a dying art form, and people don’t have enough chances to dress up and have fun and make memories with their kids. … I’m doing this to give families an opportunity to do something that I feel like is missing in the world.”
As for expanding the festival in the future, Stewart said he’s already “plotting and scheming,” including plans to host a single-day event in Sturgis in September.
“As far as the in-house progress, right now, we’ve got a designated area for the festival, and I’m starting to build up some infrastructure and things like that, and I’m going to keep going,” he said. “There’s going to end up being a full Renaissance fairy village built out there.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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