The Mystic Realms Fantasy Fair returns to Bannock County at the end of June for its third annual weekend.
Deneb Edwards, the fair’s owner, said he and his friend enjoy attending Renaissance fairs and wanted one closer to where they lived. That’s when Edwards decided to create a fair for Bannock County and open the event to the fantasy genre as well as the Renaissance era.
“So instead of tying us down to that Renaissance genre, we went fantasy fair which allows us to say, ‘Come as you are, as you want to come, whatever costume you want,’” Edwards said. “We’ve had Mandalorian show up, Trekkies, goblins and orcs and people on stilts and mermaid and all sorts of different people come up.”
With the help of vendors, interactive characters and events, attendance has increased each year. One notable event is a competition of members of Armored Combat Sports.
“It’s not a staged show,” Edwards said. “It’s competition fighting. These guys are out there holding tournaments to score points so that they can go into higher tournaments across the nation and even internationally.”
The fair will also include “trinket trading,” which Edwards says is becoming more popular at Renaissance fairs.
“You can bring basically whatever you want,” Edwards said. “We’ve had people bring in painted rocks and little ceramic ducks, all sorts of different things. … You trade them around.”
Tickets, dates and schedules can be found on Mystic Realms Fantasy Fair’s website here.
To learn more and listen to the full interview with Deneb Edwards, go to BYU-Idaho Radio’s podcast on Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.