There I was, standing at the gates of a world I didn’t quite understand—yet.
We were at a Renaissance festival. My best friend’s idea, not mine—one that he’d been pushing on me for years. (His love for history, fantasy and all things mystical runs deep.) Finally, in October 2022, I gave in. I thought, sure, sounds like the perfect excuse to eat oversized turkey legs and see people playing dress-up.
Age of Chivalry 2023
So, on an 85-degree fall evening in Las Vegas, I walked through the metal detectors at the festival gate. The next moment, I was entirely immersed in another time and place. A winding path led through stalls of merchants peddling their wares—leather-bound journals, hand-forged blades, glassware, battle axes. My head was on a swivel, looking at each eclectic vendor and the ornate garb of the knights, hobbits, elves, lords and ladies. And there were camel rides. There’s nothing like watching the joy on a pirate’s face as he climbs atop a camel’s hump and goes for a ride.
“How is no one talking about this?” I half-joked to my friend, who’d literally been talking about it for years. He gave me a look of “duh” and shook his head as we walked on in search of the nearest ale and jousting match.
Clark County’s annual Age of Chivalry Renaissance Festival was foundedby Fred Macklehaney in 1993. (It was originally called Pirate Fest, but the opening of Treasure Island compelled a rebranding.) Since that inaugural year, when it drew only 250 attendees, it has transported thousands of visitors to ye olden times, providing a unique experience for both newcomers who aren’t necessarily part of the live action role playing scene and the festival faithful who return every year.
“The cool thing about the way we built this event is there’s something for everybody,” says Brian Saliba, program supervisor for special events with Clark County Parks and Recreation, “whether it’s history, thespians, combat, art, fantasy, fairies or pirates. There’s so many different things that just captivate you.”
Saliba has been involved with the fair for 23 years, and has seen the event grow from 6,000 attendees to more than 60,000 in 2023. Given its expansion, the festival naturally calls for more hands on deck. “We went from a three-person crew when I first came on board, and now we’re running this fair with about 60 or 70 people. Not counting all the volunteers and the guilds … it takes about 3,000 people to put this event on.”
The fairgoer demographic is a well-rounded mix. Fridays are school days, Saliba says, when the festival comps the entire school district, resulting in about 3,000 to 6,000 students through the doors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As afternoon turns to early evening, the team notices a spike in service industry workers visiting before their weekend shifts begin. Throughout the weekend, daytime brings lots of children attending with their parents, while evening patrons range from 18 to 35 years old.
Keith Cunningham, the Master of Guilds who has been involved with Age of Chivalry since its inception, emphasizes the level of commitment these groups bring to the table. More than 30 guilds set up camp at Age of Chivalry, and although not all of them are rooted in historical happenings, they’re individually unique and offer photo ops, demonstrations, performances and more. Want to see a cannon firing? Look to Clan Darksail in the Pirates Port. Are you partial to the whimsy of the shire? Visit the Hobbits of Thorngrove in Hawick Village. Do you find comfort with creatures of myth? Check out the interactive canopies of color and light at the Enchanted Forest, where the Greenwood Revelers invite you to frolic.
“The barber surgeon is just amazing. He talks about medical procedures in the 14th century from the perspective of a village person,” says Cunningham. “He pulls people in without them realizing he’s pulled them into our world.”
For performers, it’s not just about dressing up and putting on a show—the historical accuracy and audience engagement is critical to the experience. The barber surgeon’s portrayal of a 14th century Scot character is just one example of how a person can help a guild create a living, breathing historical landscape.
From the outside in, it might appear as though the performer’s characterization comes naturally. But years of funding and rehearsal go into their portrayals. Take Rick Bindhamer, the guild master of the Hanging Jesters Guild, who oversees a team of 20 actors who entertain fairgoers with musical sketch comedies, traditional rustic plays and a crowd-pleasing wet sponge catapult routine—a staple since 1998.
The guild also includes the Atistan Vala belly dancing group, which is managed by Bindhamer’s co-guild master Sherry Bransley. Their direction has given professional structure to their guild’s performances and keeps fairgoers coming back to visit year after year. It’s a lot of work, Bindhamer says, but it’s worth the effort: “We’re all volunteers, but we perform for the love of performing.”
When surrounded by like-minded people, it’s natural to make lasting connections and sometimes even find a fairytale love. The King and Queen of the fair, Michelle and Tony Mortimer, met at the fair in 2007. Michelle, with her degree in fashion, was initially drawn to Age of Chivalry when she was asked to design gowns for the then-queen of the event. Tony, on the other hand, is a history buff with a degree in medieval Norwegian history and theology.
The two crossed paths in the most theatrical of ways—while appearing in a play. Michelle, playing the queen, was kidnapped during an action scene, and Tony, along with a band of men, rode valiantly to save her. They’ve been partners in both love and ruling ever since.
The Aragon Empire, a 9th through 15th century Russian Byzantine-inspired guild, poses at Sunset Park.
Now, as heads of the Aragon guild, they are responsible for helping create a world that blends historical accuracy with fantasy. The guild portrays 15th to 16th century Russia, commanding a fairytale that requires a U-Haul and a mega-trailer transport. For the duration of the fair, they quite literally move out of their house and into a 600-square-foot medieval apartment within the festival grounds for the weekend.
“It’s really a chance to just be a second personality,” says Michelle. The dual life she and Tony lead, between their modern existence and this theatrical world, is something they plan for and look forward to each year.
And overnight fun isn’t exclusive to the hundreds of actors on the fairgrounds.
“The camping aspect of it is really unique. They started doing it not too long ago, in 2017,” says Shelly Lawless, one of the fair’s first campers. “And it has grown so much that this year they sold out in record time.”
Cindy Ellis (left) and Shelly Lawless
Lawless and her wife Cindy Ellis have been coming to Age of Chivalry since the early days of their relationship. Ellis’s son had been part of a high school Shakespearean troupe that would perform at the fair. “I would drop them off but it just kind of evolved from there,” Ellis says.
The campgrounds are home to a familial spirit, garnering close connections between campers who are known to dress up and participate in afterhours dinners and entertainment. “We consider this our family vacation,” says Lawless. “All of our family and friends get together, about 40 of us and we all camp together.”
Age of Chivalry fosters a community held together by this love of time travel. Skeptics, take heed—there’s magic in the unknown. Every corner reveals new wonders of history and folklore. You’re invited to be a part of it.
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