SANDPOINT — Huzzah!

It's time to make merry and travel back to a time when chivalrous knights ruled the land and ferocious pirates traveled the high seas — a time when fairies and Vikings mixed with royalty and villagers alike.

You would be forgiven if you thought you'd stumbled through a portal in time, transporting you back to the Renaissance. But that's half the fun of the Sandpoint Renaissance Faire, which kicks off two days of fun as the Bonner County Fairground transforms into a small medieval village and faire.

And, while maybe not historically accurate on every detail, there is no doubt that this weekend's faire offers plenty of fun and entertainment for revelers of all ages.

The faire features everything from music, magic, dancing and comedy to combat, feasting, and aerial arts. Held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the  annual event is being held at the Bonner County Fairgrounds, 4203 N. Boyer Road.

"I think it brings so many different people from our community together," faire board member Cassandra Robinson said. "Every time I walk through the faire, I can't believe how many people I recognize from town who are they enjoying it."

This year's event promises to be no different, with the merriest of times on tap as the faire takes participants — and attendees — back to approximately 1583, a time when England was ruled by Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of King Henry XII and Anne Boleyn. 

A time of cultural, artistic, and economic renewal, the period saw Elizabeth transform the country into a major power in Europe and the world. Faire organizers said there is something magical about the period — and about being able to share it with others.

And, organizers said, it's just plain fun.

"Everyone just has the best attitude and has the most fun," Robinson said. "We don't ever have any fighting or disputes and it's just such a fun place to be. Everyone's just happy."

While the event is designed to be fun, it's also designed to give a taste of what life might have been like in the 1500s, Sandpoint Renaissance Association officials said. It allows the community to visit a simpler time, have fun, and learn a little bit about the era in the process.

"We want you to feel like you're being immersed into a different place," Robinson said.

Care has been taken to create an immersive world where faire-goers have a chance to feel that they have been transported to another time and place. Backdrops, tapestries and rugs and a host of other options are used to create sets to bring each aspect of the world to life.

Dozens of volunteers — Robinson estimates the faire averages close to 100 people volunteering at least a few hours or more each year — are integral to bringing the medieval world to life.

The skills and dedication of the faire's volunteers are key to making the Sandpoint Renaissance Faire the special event that it is. 

"We couldn't do it without them," Robinson said. "We only have three board members so there's no way we could do it. It's a scary thought to not have volunteers. We might not have a faire and we appreciate them."

Also key to the event is the setting at the Bonner County Fairgrounds, which offers a variety of diverse settings and locations. Each area helps create a different part of the world: the arena is used for the Seattle Knights performances and jousting displays; the open area nearby is perfect for the vendors making up the medieval village; and the wooded area becomes home to the fairy realm.

"We're so lucky to be here in North Idaho with all of the trees … we want it to feel like you're in a medieval forest," Robinson said. "When people come that's one of the things they comment on the most, that it feels different from other renaissance faires, it feels special."

Robinson said she loves that many attendees delight in dressing up, with many creating their own cosplay outfits for the event. Among the most memorable was a 2025 attendee who created his own suit of armor to wear to the faire.

She loves the moments leading up to the gates opening up at 9 a.m. and seeing the crowd lined up waiting to join in the fun.

"It's truly amazing," Robinson said. "Every year it shocks me to see so many people waiting to come in and I'll think, 'You guys love this as much as we do.'"

The faire has its origins in a conversation following Sandemonium — a celebration of all fandoms of genres ranging from comics, sci-fi and fantasy to video games and cinema.

There was something about the event that immediately connected with faire co-founder Anita Pew, who felt that something similar should be held to celebrate the Renaissance period. She broached the idea to co-founder Tanya Anderson and the rest is ren faire history.

That shared love of history and a desire to offer the community a chance to experience another time and place saw the first Sandpoint Renaissance Faire during Labor Day weekend in 2017.

Held at the Woods Ranch rock quarry field, the group wasn't sure what the reaction would be or whether anyone would show up. By the end of the weekend, more than 1,500 people turned out to revel in the fun.

The faire has only grown in the years since with organizers expecting more than 8,000 people during the course of the weekend. 

And it's the reaction of those visiting their creation of the medieval world, which has to be created from scratch in less than a week and torn down in a few days, that makes the hard work worthwhile.

"It takes so much work throughout the whole year, but when you see the joy on people's faces and you know they've been looking forward to it, it makes it all worth it," Robinson said. "At the end of the fair, there's nothing like that feeling that we get when we've pulled off a successful event that brought so many people in Sandpoint joy."

A full suite of entertainment and activities are again planned for the faire, including the return of the Seattle Knights, one of the premiere theatrical jousting troupes in the Pacific Northwest, will be held at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day. In addition, faire organizers said there will be performances by magicians, comedy and more.

New this year are a dozen or so demonstration booths, featuring everything from a printing press, blacksmiths, spinners and weavers and other industries that were a part of every day life during the medieval period, Robinson said.

More than a dozen entertainers will be on hand during the weekend, some roaming the fairgrounds and others performing on dedicated stages. Among the entertainers are magicians, musicians, jesters and comedians as well as the Wild Hearts Equestrian team.

Also on hand will be members of the Lake Pend Oreille Repertory Theater who will be part of the entertainment this year.

What might surprise some is the organization's status of a nonprofit and its commitment to the community's other nonprofits. Once expenses are paid off and funds set aside for future faires, a portion of funds are set aside to help nonprofits in the community.

Daily tickets at the gate are $20 for adults; $15 for seniors and youth ages 6-17; and free for children 5 and under. A weekend pass, for both Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14, is $35 for adults; $25 for seniors and youth ages 6-17; and there is no charge for youth 5 years and under.

While service dogs are allowed, pets who are not working animals are not allowed as there will be animal performers.

Information: sandpointrenfaire.com

    An aerialist performs at the 2025 Sandpoint Renaissance Faire.
  

    Members of the Seattle Knights, a medieval theatrical and jousting troupe, perform at the 2025 at Sandpoint Renaissance Faire.
  

    (Courtesy photo/Sandpoint Renaissance Faire)Weezil Sampter runs one of his maker courses in medieval metalwork for kids.