By Anna Skinner
Fishers residents will once again get a taste of Billericay, England, with the return of the Fishers Renaissance Faire, a festival to recognize Fishers’ sister city, which sits 40 minutes outside of London.
“It became very popular very quickly,” said Chairman Adam Fivush , who also is a member of the Sister Cities Board of Directors. “We thought we might have 1,000 or 1,500 people the first year, but we had 6,000. At this point, we have our annual attendance around 10,000. It’s one of the largest, one-weekend renaissance faires in the country. We have won numerous awards over the years, including an award from the Sister City Association. We have also been mentioned as one of the top 10 family favorite renaissance faires of the country. This is our third year of being on that top 10 list.”
There are more than 20 events taking place at various times over the weekend, including musical acts and other events. But perhaps the most popular is jousting.
“The single biggest draw for any renaissance faire is usually the joust,” Fivush said. “We have one of the best jousting teams in the country, the Knights of Valour. They do what is known as full contact jousting. It’s not choreographed. That means when the two knights face each other, they are attempting to knock each other off the horse.”
Other acts including walking across broken glass or laying on a bed of swords. There will be a beer tent for those 21 and older and traditional English food will be served.
The festival will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2 at Klipsch Music Center, 12880 E. 146th St., Noblesville. Tickets are $11 in advance or $14 at the gate. For more, visit indianarenfaire.com.
