Celtic music, food, beverages, jousting tournaments, more than 80 shows and 100 craft vendors are what attendees can experience at the third annual New Mexico Renaissance Celtic Festival April 5 through 7 at the Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood.
Eric Vigil, CEO and director of the festival said his team’s main goal is to make the event a captivating experience for visitors while introducing them to Renaissance Celtic history and culture.
“It’s based in the Renaissance era from the 13th to the 16th century and the Celtics were family-orientated people, and they came together a lot,” Vigil said. “The queen would organize a joust for the knights within the realm and invite merchants to set up tents and have songs, dances and competitions, and that’s what we want to try to accomplish. We want to make it more than just going around looking at food trucks, looking at goods, buying beer, buying drinks and listening to music. We want it to be completely immersive.”
Vendors from around the world and locally will showcase art, leather and wood crafts, jewelry, clothing, pottery and more. Performances will include comedian Jim Mackenzie with Mad Skills, GA Greine Celtic Band, belly dancing from Mahatma Tribal, Evan Danforth the Hammered Dulcimer Player and Wildfire Tina.
All events and stage shows begin at 10:15 a.m. every day. There will be shows at the Shipwreck Cove Stage, Viking Skull Stage, Fantasy Stage, Time Travelers Amphitheater, Medieval Stage and VIP Barn Stage. There will be jousting at the Jousting Arena on Saturday and Sunday and a Sword & Fighter event near the Fantasy Stage daily. On Friday, there will be a Kids Education Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Each day visitors can participate in the Live Action Role Play Festival Quest and other games like archery and a tomato toss designed by graduate students from the University of New Mexico. Throughout the weekend, there will be a Royal Parade at 12:30 p.m. and tea with Mary Queen of Scots at 1:30 p.m. at the VIP Barn Stage.
Vigil said the festival is self-funded and is sponsored by their brewers. The brewers include Quarter Celtic Brew Pub; Lizard Tail Brewing; Mystic Ambrosia Mead; Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery; Pixie Mea and Dark Stranger Meadery.
“All of our vendors are requested to decorate their booths so they’re not just a table and a pop-up tent because people can get that anywhere and I don’t want to do something that’s already done,” Vigil said. “I want to do something different, have crafts that they can’t find anywhere else and bring awareness to our nonprofits like the Wildlife West Nature Park and Maslena Rescue Foundation.”
The festival is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 7. Tickets are $30 a person and can be purchased online or at the gate and children 17 and under are free if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Tickets have already sold out for the new Medieval King and Queen Ball from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday.
Vigil also directs the Wild West Frontier Festival and the Pirate Viking Summer Bash at the Wildlife West Nature Park. The past four festivals have raised $29,000 for the Wildlife West Nature Park. This year, the Wild West Frontier Festival will be held June 1 and 2, and the Pirate Viking Summer Bash will be held August 24 and 25.