Central Idaho Renaissance Fair 2026

Central Idaho Renaissance Fair 2026 will take place September 11–12 at the Blaine County Fairgrounds in Carey, Idaho. The two-day family event brings together Renaissance entertainment, English and Irish folk music, fire and sword performances, storytelling, aerial artistry, Irish dance, blacksmithing demonstrations, games, artisan vendors and a Saturday evening King’s Feast.

Travelers interested in other historical events around the state can also explore Renaissance and Medieval Festivals in Idaho.

⚔️ Entertainment at the 2026 Fair

Central Idaho Renaissance Fair combines historical inspiration with fantasy entertainment and participatory activities. Its program is designed for families, while costumes are encouraged but not required.

The announced entertainment lineup includes musicians, dancers, storytellers, fantasy performers and traditional crafts.

Archer Flynn – The Shanty Man

Archer Flynn performs English and Irish folk music, adding traditional songs and maritime-influenced material to the fair’s musical program. He has been associated with the Central Idaho event for several seasons.

Court of Mermaids

The Court of Mermaids is a volunteer performance organization based in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley. Its fantasy characters focus on interactive entertainment for children and adults while promoting creativity, imagination, conservation and the arts.

Aspen the Storyteller

Aspen the Storyteller brings spoken storytelling to the festival, adding a traditional form of entertainment closely associated with fairs, taverns and traveling performers.

Queen Saraphine of Lionheart

Queen Saraphine of Lionheart joins the cast of characters appearing around the fairgrounds, adding an interactive royal element to the event.

Starchaser

Starchaser presents aerial artistry, expanding the performance program beyond music and ground-based entertainment.

Fingal Bonzi

Fingal Bonzi performs a combination of comedy, fire breathing and sword swallowing. His act is one of the more unusual live attractions announced for the weekend.

Pyles Brothers Troubadours

The Pyles Brothers Troubadours specialize in period music performed on historical-style instruments, providing a stronger connection with the musical traditions represented by the Renaissance theme.

Twin Falls Academy of Irish Dance

Dancers from the Twin Falls Academy of Irish Dance will perform twice on Saturday, combining Irish dance traditions with the fair’s broader program of Celtic and Renaissance-inspired entertainment.

🕒 Published 2026 Schedule

Friday, September 11

12:00 PM: Fair opens
Daytime and afternoon: Music, fantasy performers, games, storytelling, artisan market, demonstrations and other entertainment throughout the grounds
8:00 PM: Fair closes

Saturday, September 12

10:00 AM: Fair opens
11:00 AM: Twin Falls Academy of Irish Dance
2:00 PM: Twin Falls Academy of Irish Dance
Daytime: Archer Flynn, Court of Mermaids, Aspen the Storyteller, Queen Saraphine of Lionheart, Starchaser, Fingal Bonzi, Pyles Brothers Troubadours, blacksmithing demonstrations, games and marketplace activities
6:00 PM: Regular fair closes
6:30 PM: King’s Feast

The event takes place during a busy month for historical festivals, with more options listed in Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals in September 2026.

👑 King’s Feast

The King’s Feast returns as part of the Saturday program, beginning at 6:30 PM after the regular fair closes.

The feast extends the day’s Renaissance experience into the evening with a communal meal and themed entertainment. It has previously been one of the event’s distinctive special activities and is scheduled again as part of the 2026 weekend.

🔨 Blacksmithing and Traditional Crafts

Live blacksmithing demonstrations add an educational craft element to the festival. Visitors can watch traditional metalworking techniques while exploring a marketplace that includes other makers working with ceramics, fiber arts, wood, glass, leather, jewelry and fantasy-inspired crafts.

Felt Good Fiber Arts is also scheduled to demonstrate medieval fiber arts, providing another opportunity to see historical craft processes rather than only finished products.

These demonstrations complement the entertainment program by showing skills that played an important role in pre-industrial communities.

🎭 Games and Interactive Activities

Games are part of the family-focused program, with activities distributed throughout the fairgrounds alongside entertainment and merchants.

The event also permits trinket trading under a detailed set of rules intended to keep the activity friendly, non-commercial and safe for children.

Trinkets may be exchanged or given away but cannot be sold. They should have no significant monetary value and cannot be used for advertising or self-promotion. Children must have an adult present when participating.

Traders should not interrupt customers shopping at vendor booths, and visitors should only offer trades to merchants displaying a trinket-trading sign. Food, stickers, glitter-producing items and promotional or controversial material are excluded from the trading system.

Performers should not be tipped with trinkets.

🛍 2026 Marketplace

The current merchant lineup covers Renaissance goods, fantasy accessories, books, handmade crafts, jewelry, clothing, gaming items, ceramics, leatherwork, woodworking and food.

Announced food and drink vendors include:

Disir’s Hearth: Turkey legs, stew, burgers and hot dogs
Lucky Lemonade: Fresh-squeezed lemonade
Grandpa’s Treats
Sasser’s Sweets: Cotton candy, popcorn, beverages, water and trinket trading

Announced arts, crafts and specialty merchants include:

Gothic Ranger Designs: Chainmail jewelry and related items
LOK Publishing Presents: Fantasy books
Flight of Fancy: Knitting, weaving, beadwork, crochet and blacksmith jewelry
Infernal Crafts Dice: Handcrafted artisan resin gaming dice
Dawn Chandler: Medieval and Regency romance novels
Crafty Dragon: Handcrafted resin and metaphysical items
Felt Good Fiber Arts: Medieval fiber arts and demonstrations
Simple Treasures: Swords, knives, daggers, Renaissance clothing and accessories
DaneLaw Taxidermy: Viking-themed products and divination
D&L Country Creations: Tumblers, mugs, signs and decorative items
Arktisk Aromatherapy: Essential-oil jewelry and accessories
Sunset West Designs: Jewelry, hand-lathed pieces and forged items
West Jensen Art: Ceramics
Shaine’s Sewing: Quilts, stuffed animals and sewn goods
Village Market Designs: Fantasy headwear, jewelry, resin work and trinkets
Myth & Maker: Dice towers, miniatures, wands and fantasy accessories
Bob’s Treasure Chest: Handmade woodcraft
Intrigue and Entropy: Blown and sculpted glass, capes and costume accessories
The Rose and Fiddle: Practice swords, tents, shawls, bags, dice accessories and other goods
Fewnyx Art: Handmade art, prints and clothing
Serpent Willow: Leather goods, bags, armor, wooden accessories and fantasy maps
Folklore Woodcraft: Handmade wooden swords, shields, daggers and fairy wands
Demeter’s Garden Apothecary: Loose-leaf tea, tea accessories and herbal products
Merchants Of The Miscellaneous: Dice, wands, crochet, leather goods, costumes, jewelry and fantasy merchandise
Fables & Jests: Art, handmade jewelry, costumes, fans and parasols
Winterblade1980’s Books Treasures and More LLC: Books and book-themed merchandise
Author JM Cullen: Science-fiction and fantasy books
Brad’s Bugs: Framed insects and insect displays
Chaos Trio Studios: Fantasy jewelry and crochet items
Moonlight Meow: Crystal suncatchers, crowns, elf ears and wands

The combination of performance, crafts and historical inspiration places the event firmly within the wider calendar of Renaissance Faire Events.

🎟 Admission and Vendor Fees

Visitor Admission

Age 8 and older: $10

Vendor Booth Fees

10 x 10-foot booth: $40
10 x 20-foot booth: $60
20 x 20-foot booth: $75
Artisans actively demonstrating their craft: No booth fee

📜 Visitor Rules

Central Idaho Renaissance Fair is operated as a family-friendly event, and several rules apply throughout the weekend.

Smoking and vaping: Prohibited.

Alcohol and recreational drugs: Prohibited within the event.

Costume weapons: Permitted, but they must remain peace-tied.

Animals: Dogs and other pets are not permitted under the fairgrounds policy. Certified service animals are allowed.

Costumes: Encouraged but not mandatory.

Political campaigning: Not permitted.

Conduct: Visitors are expected to treat performers, vendors, volunteers and other guests respectfully.

🎓 A Fair with a Scholarship Mission

Central Idaho Renaissance Fair began in 2020, when Richaela Peck created the event as her high-school senior project.

What began as a student project developed into an annual community festival. After Richaela left for college, her family continued the event and maintained its educational purpose.

Proceeds are used to support scholarships for students pursuing elementary education, history, performing arts or literature education.

That charitable focus distinguishes the event from many commercially operated Renaissance fairs. Admission, vendor participation and community support contribute to a festival intended not only to entertain visitors but also to fund future educators and students in relevant academic fields.

🏰 Blaine County Fairgrounds

The Blaine County Fairgrounds is a county-owned site in Carey covering approximately two acres. The property contains several buildings and structures used for livestock events, community gatherings, youth educational activities and the annual county fair.

Its open areas and existing event infrastructure make it suitable for the Renaissance market, food concessions, demonstrations and live performances.

The site is also an established gathering place for Carey and the surrounding agricultural communities, regularly hosting county events, rodeos and community programs.

📍 About Carey

Carey is a small city in southern Blaine County in the Little Wood River Valley, surrounded by an agricultural and ranching landscape. It lies close to the Snake River Plain and serves as a gateway between the Wood River Valley and destinations farther east, including Craters of the Moon National Monument.

The region was used by Shoshone, Bannock and Northern Paiute peoples long before permanent Euro-American settlement. Fur traders passed through the area during the early nineteenth century, and farming communities began developing along local waterways during the late 1800s.

A settlement took shape around 1884, when a school was established near pioneer James Carey’s post office. Homes, roads and churches followed, while agriculture, sheep raising and cattle ranching became important parts of the local economy.

Carey was formally incorporated in 1919.

The 2020 U.S. Census recorded 685 residents, up from 604 in 2010. Despite its small population, Carey remains an important service and agricultural center for eastern Blaine County.

Nearby destinations include Carey Lake, Silver Creek, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, the Pioneer Mountains and the wider Sun Valley region.

🚗 How to Get to Carey

By Car

Driving is the most practical way to reach the festival.

Carey lies on U.S. Route 20/26/93, giving it direct road connections with Shoshone, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls and the broader south-central Idaho highway network.

Visitors traveling from Boise can follow Interstate 84 east before connecting with highways toward Mountain Home, Fairfield and Carey.

From Twin Falls, the usual route travels north through Shoshone before continuing toward Carey.

From the Wood River Valley, visitors can reach the community from Hailey and Bellevue using state and local highway connections.

By Bus

Carey does not have a conventional intercity bus terminal with frequent scheduled long-distance service. Public transportation in Blaine County is concentrated primarily around the Wood River Valley.

Travelers relying on buses or shuttles should plan their journey through larger regional communities such as Twin Falls, Hailey or Boise and arrange the final section to Carey separately.

By Train

There is no passenger railway station in Carey, and Idaho currently has very limited Amtrak coverage.

Visitors arriving by train must combine rail travel with a substantial onward road journey, making driving or flying significantly more practical for most long-distance travelers.

By Air

Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) in Hailey is the closest commercial airport serving the Wood River Valley and south-central Blaine County. Carey is roughly 25–30 miles southeast of Hailey by road.

The airport operates scheduled commercial flights to several major western U.S. hubs, although routes can vary seasonally.

Magic Valley Regional Airport (TWF) near Twin Falls is another option, approximately 70 miles from Carey.

For the widest range of domestic connections, Boise Airport (BOI) is approximately 145 miles away by road.

A rental car is the most convenient way to complete the journey from any of these airports.

📏 Approximate Road Distances from Carey

Major Idaho Cities

Twin Falls: 65 miles
Pocatello: approximately 105 miles
Idaho Falls: approximately 105 miles
Boise: 145 miles
Meridian: approximately 153 miles
Nampa: approximately 165 miles

Major U.S. Cities

Los Angeles: approximately 800 miles
Phoenix: approximately 850 miles
Chicago: approximately 1,550 miles
Houston: approximately 1,700 miles
Philadelphia: approximately 2,250 miles
New York City: approximately 2,300 miles

Road mileage varies according to the chosen highway route and starting point within each city.