The Sarasota Medieval Fair opens its 2026 season Nov. 7 at Mallaranny Farms in Myakka City. The event traces its roots to a late-1970s gathering at New College of Florida, though the original fair ended in 2001. It was revived in 2004, according to Sarasota Magazine: https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/news-and-profiles/2026/11/sarasota-medieval-fair-50th-anniversary-2026


From campus conference to annual fair


New College European history professor Lee Snyder organized a campus conference featuring scholarly presentations, historical reenactments, music and other entertainment, according to Sarasota Magazine. Led by students, the conference grew popular and moved to the nearby John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, where it became known as the Sarasota Medieval Fair.


The fair ended its original run in 2001. Sarasota Magazine reported that horses running across the Ringling grounds damaged the lawn and conflicted with efforts to preserve the museum’s setting.


Three years later, Jeremy Croteau, then 17, revived the event with help from his parents and volunteers. Croteau remains at the helm. The fair now has a permanent home at Mallaranny Farms. Sarasota Magazine describes it as the only fair of its kind in Florida to own and operate a permanent site.


Performers and family activities


Shannon Bowden, the fair’s spokeswoman, worked with Croteau on the revival. “Around our third year, momentum had really built up,” Bowden said. The organizers soon began hiring full-time traveling performers.


The fair has grown from a few thousand visitors on borrowed land to tens of thousands of guests each season, Sarasota Magazine reported. Local volunteers rehearse each weekend for more than three months before opening day, receiving dialect coaching and training in stage combat and stunts.


The fair’s Children’s Realm offers crafts, dress-up, storytime and a medieval manners class. Children can take part in a daily Knighting Ceremony and visit Father Christmas during the final weekend in December.


Bowden said the fair aims to be family-friendly. “If you can’t wear it to Disney, you can’t wear it here,” she said of the costume guideline.


New fantasy festival planned


Organizers are planning a new standalone fantasy festival called The Great Imaginarium, Sarasota Magazine reported. Plans include a “shire” realm inspired by “The Lord of the Rings” and an immersive storybook area featuring “Alice in Wonderland,” “Peter Pan” and other tales. Specific dates have not been announced.


2026 dates and location


The fair will run Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 7 through Dec. 6, at the Woods of Mallaranny, 29847 Florida 70 East, in Myakka City. The fair’s website lists full-contact jousting, human combat chess and more than 140 artisan shops: https://sarasotamedievalfair.com/the-festival/general-info/know-before-you-go