This article has been updated since it first appeared in print.
In August 2025, attendees dressed in period costume to raise funds for the Richmond Ren Faire, happening this month at Dorey Park.
Dorey Park in eastern Henrico County gets a 14th-century makeover this month as the site of the Richmond Ren Faire, complete with stage performances, combat sports, costumed storytellers and more historical happenings.
The first of its size in Richmond, the 2026 faire is modeled after other Renaissance events throughout the state. Unlike those, however, the local event’s organizers center the design and narrative not on nobility but instead on the underrepresented people who shaped the Renaissance period. Ash Moore, the faire’s managing director, says this spin is a “fantastical approach to a historical retelling.”
“We’re taking an intentional approach with our story-building, our collaborations,” says Amanda Robinson, artistic director of Gallery5 and the founder of Virago Alley, the nonprofit organization behind the Richmond Ren Faire.
The event came after a year of grassroots organizing and fundraising. In March 2025, Virago Alley held a kickoff event at Gallery5 during the Arts District’s First Fridays. “Over 5,000 people showed up trying to cram in those three blocks throughout the night,” Robinson says of the launch event. “At that point, I knew Richmond was absolutely hungry for this event.”
The April 18-19 gathering will showcase traditional Renaissance faire activities with modern updates, including bike jousting, Celtic punk music and combat sports from across cultures. More than 100 artisans and food merchants will sell their wares during the faire, organized into 12 guilds representing historical trades including herbalists, stage performers, blacksmiths and hunters.
A scene from the August Warriors in Bloom event at Agecroft Hall & Gardens, a festival and fundraiser for the 2026 Richmond Ren Faire
“The energy that we’re seeing in the collaborative nature of this event, to us, that’s the real Renaissance,” Robinson says. “It’s really magical, and it’s been kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be a part of.”
Faire volunteer Aube Myrr spent the winter constructing era-appropriate sets to be featured around the park, contributing to an immersive experience. He’s most interested in expanding the definition of the Renaissance “to represent cultures from anywhere that there’s people who are interested and excited to bring their crafts, or their dance, or their process,” he says.
Robinson, also an artist specializing in medieval art and architecture, started Virago Alley to build a community focused on preserving historical disciplines. Since its launch in 2022, the organization has worked to educate Richmonders on trades and skills such as those seen at the Ren Faire. In the future, the team hopes to establish a local combat training facility to teach archery, sword fighting and other martial arts of yesteryear.
Robinson chose the word “virago” to represent the organization’s mission; while it once referred negatively to a female warrior, she found it fitting for a female-fronted organization. “We’re encouraging people of all walks of life, ages and genders to be a part of this event, to not feel like you need to go the path of what society deems is appropriate,” she says.
While tickets for the Richmond Ren Faire have sold out, admission is still available for Gallery5’s Ren Faire After Party, held from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on April 18 and 19. Advance tickets are $15 for individual days.
