Niagara Renaissance Faire

Niagara gets the ball rolling for the Central and Southern Ontario 2026 Renaissance Faire season with their Faire running Saturday to Sunday, May 16 to 17 in Fireman's Park. It is a big park and there is plenty of parking spread throughout the grounds (mostly on grass), a building with bathrooms and vendors as well as vendors through out the Faire area. Additionally there was entertainment, battle (both mounted and dismounted) and quite a few food trucks to keep everyone fed.

Many of the attending guests ($25 adult tickets at the event) also dressed up in various periods and style, such as pirates, medieval, fantasy and even a family of mice. There were also a few leashed dogs on site so it was very pet friendly.

From the Faire's Facebook site, "Welcome, good gentles all, to the Niagara Renaissance Faire!
Pray, gather with us and partake in the revels of the Renaissance, where valiant Knights and their noble Coursers clash in feats of sword and skill, where thou may’st test thy mettle in “Fight the Knight,” and behold stirring contests upon horseback! Try thy hand at Archery and the throwing of the axe; marvel at the Birds of Prey in flight; witness the forge aflame in the Blacksmith’s art; and wander the living Medieval Encampment!

Be entertained by wondrous spectacles and merry minstrels: the conjurations of Zoltan the Adequate, the lofty feats of Aerialist Kai in Wonderland, sweet airs upon the lute by MacLeod the Bard, the gentle strings of Harpist Carol Farrar, and lively bands such as Thunder Glove and Whiskey Business! Peruse the wares of merchants, crafters, readers, and skilled artisans! Feast upon roast pig, mighty turkey legs, and a bounty of victuals fit for lord and commoner alike! Come forth to eat, to drink, and to be merry!
A faire welcoming all ages and families fair and true, with a Pub Night reserved for those of nineteen years and more."

Ontario Renaissance, Pirates and Medieval Faires 2026

Time to sharpen those swords and axes, it's almost time for a battle royale on the field of honour - as long as your squire holds the horse for you and provides the little step thingy to stand on. Listen knave, here come the remaining days of your life so check out these Renaissance Faires around Central and Southwestern Ontario.

Niagara Renaissance Faire, Niagara Falls around May 16-17.
Wentworth Medieval Faire, Ancaster May 22-24.

Glengarry Renaissance Festival, Maxville May 30-31.
Robin in the Hood Medieval Festival, Elmira June 5-6. 

Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek Dundurn Historic Site, Hamilton June 6-7? 

Grey Highlands Renaissance Festival, Owen Sound June TBD. Might be pushed out to 2026?

Essa North Renaissance Faire, Barrie June ?

Black Creek Renaissance Faire, Toronto June 19-24.

Maidens of the Mist Renaissance Faire, West Niagara, July 4-5.

Great Lakes advertising at the Niagara Renaissance Festival

Great Lakes Medieval Tournament and Faire July 10-12.
The Fergus Medieval Faire July 25.

Salty Dogs Pirate Festival, Goderich TBD - hopes to be back in 2026.

Ontario Pirate Festival, Guelph August 1-3.

Rustic Renaissance Faire, September 6-7 at Andrews Scenic Acres, Milton.

Kings Town Renaissance Faire, Kingston September 11-13.
Royal Medieval Faire, Waterloo (cash only) September 19?

Oxford Renaissance Festival, near London September 25-27.

Plus you can join a pirate ship at Pirate Life Toronto and sail the high seas of Lake Ontario from May to October, or chow down while watching knights battle at Medieval Times in Exhibition Place.

Also check out the beauty and pageantry of Indigenous Pow Wows in Ontario as listed at this site.

Star Wars in Concert in Toronto

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is blasting us into space during the Star Wars Empire Strikes Back in concert at Roy Thomson Hall.

There are even Star Wars cosplayers to pose with and merchandise for sale. It really was a fantastic experience.

Ontario Renaissance, Pirates and Medieval Faires 2025

Looking for an opportunity to cosplay outside of a comicon? Renaissance or Medieval Faires are a perfect time to break out your historic costume, eat a smoked turkey leg and possibly see noble knights throw down a metal gauntlet and challenge the competition to a good joust.

Niagara Renaissance Faire, Niagara Falls May 17-18.
Wentworth Medieval Faire, Ancaster May 23-25.

Glengarry Renaissance Festival, Maxville May 30-June 1.
Robin in the Hood Medieval Festival, Elmira June 6-7.

Maidens of the Mist West Niagara June 6-8.

Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek Dundurn Historic Site, Hamilton June 7-8.

Grey Highlands Renaissance Festival, Owen Sound June TBD. Might be pushed out to 2026?

Essa North Renaissance Faire Barrie June 20-22.
The Fergus Medieval Faire July 26.

Salty Dogs Pirate Festival, Goderich TBD - hopes to be back in 2026.

Ontario Pirate Festival, Guelph August 2-4.

Royal Medieval Faire, Waterloo (cash only) September 20.

Oxford Renaissance Festival, near London September 26-28.

Plus you can join a pirate ship at Pirate Life Toronto and sail the high seas of Lake Ontario from May to October. 

Also check out the beauty and pagentry of Indigenous Pow Wows in Ontario as listed at this site.

Upcoming Toronto Cosplay events

Cosplay, or costume play, is when people dress up like characters in fiction, like science fiction, comics or television and for many the clothes are really a work of art. Going to comicons (probably the most popular) or other fan meetings or other events allow for people to meet like minded people and have fun. In 2024 the Toronto area there a number of cosplay friendly events throughout the year.

March Toronto Comicon March 15-17 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Bldg.

Some Furries at a Medieval Festival

Furnal Equinox: Under the Sea March 15-17 for furries and furry fandom at the Westin Harbour Castle.

Anime North May 24-26 at the Toronto Congress Centre.

Pretty Heroes July 27-28 at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. A Girl Power fandom event.

Fan Expo Canada August 22-25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Sometimes there is a fanexpo winter comicon so keep your eyes open for that and any new events.

Going back in time at the Oxford Renaissance Festival

History comes alive at the Oxford Renaissance Festival 2023 in the Dorchester Fairgrounds and many of the visitors dressed up in costumes from their favourite part of history, or fantasy world, that you could imagine - even many of the dogs were wearing dragon costumes although one Dalmatian was draped in a crocheted covers as a cow complete with udders.

The three day event runs from October 13 to 15, 2023 in the Dorchester Fairgrounds, close to Highway 401, and open from 9:45am to 7pm. Saturday's calendar of events was supposed to get showered on throughout the day, however the ren festival was spared the deluge and was instead kissed with cold winds and cool temps until finally the sun broke through the clouds and blue skies appeared.

Full metal contact jousting

Getting the trebuchet ready

The knights also battled with swords

Entertainment was plentiful and crowd favourites included the full metal jousting as crowds cheered for their knight to become champion in the games, the demonstrations of the pumpkin firing trebuchet and the black powder explosion when the canon was fired. Saturday and Sunday's schedule were identical and there was always something interesting going on. Attendees also enjoyed the Birds of prey by The Eryre, comedy, acrobatic performances by Starlight Aerialist and the Fire Stage with Nekrotic and Valkyrie. There were several stages in addition to the Royal Arena and Fairyland.

Vikings had a small village setup near the trebuchet and the vendor area contained a large number of tents. Nearby was the Boars Head tavern to quench your ancient thirst. Overall a great way to spend a day with family, friends and a couple thousand friendly strangers.

See more photos of the festival after the jump.

Fergus Medieval Faire

Downtown Fergus, Ontario is the perfect place to go back in time for the Fergus Medieval Festival, it looks like you are in a castle with all the stonework and those traffic signals, because I am sure that old castles had traffic signals. On Saturday, July 22, 2023 the core of the small town was closed to vehicles so the festival could take over and wander the street, alleys and parking lots visiting the vendors, displays and friendly armed combat could take place.

The Fergus Medieval Faire event schedule and map

I was very impressed in how many of the visitors got into character or costume to add enjoyment to the day. The medieval faire ran from 11am to 5pm and the crowds were large and enthusiastic. From the festival's website "Join us for a free, family-oriented day of medieval fun & merriment. Featuring knights and ladies, vikings, battles, magicians and wizards, monks, birds of prey, musicians, archery practice, fight the knight (for kids) and more!"

The range of cosplay at the event included the traditional knights, royalty, vikings and other, more eclectic trappings - like furries, Lord of the Rings characters and other some cartoon characters.

If you like to dress up or go see these medieval events you can find more information on Medieval Festivals in Ontario on the faires website. The upcoming 2023 faires include the Oxford Renaissance Festival and the Salty Dog Pirate Festival.

See more photos after the jump.

Comicon 2023

Winter Comicon is finishing today and the eager crowds of fans looking for stars, comics and costumes are still huge. Thousands are squeezed into the north building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the March 17 to 19, 1023 show.