The Festival of Courage has become a special community event to help local schools and non-profits raise money for educational programs while having fun in an old market style. From the bounty of nature we gather the fruits of the harvest and store up the light to guide us through the darkness of winter. This celebration of the autumnal equinox Michaelmas, also called the Festival of Courage, is to draw courage and strength within ourselves to face the cold and dark times to come. The story of this festival teaches us that we have the courage to face the dragon, the courage to stand alone amongst the stars, the courage to reach farther than our grasp, the courage to share with others, and the courage to make it through the darkness. We find the courage though myths and stories that create the magic to help us face the winter. This festival is a Waldorf tradition, one of three for this time of the year, that is part of our student’s curriculum.
Come and enjoy jousting knights, horseback riding archers, dancing dragons, marvelous morsels and spirits, a harvest market, games and free entertainment. We celebrate the art of agricultural traditions with vintners, brewers and farmers. Local and far away land artisans don our village with beautiful wares that lure you to take home their treasures. Fine food and drink are available from local vendors to tempt your palate. Our goal is to provide visitors with a fun and educational experience that entices you to spend your gold! There will be a Solar ATM on-site just in case you need more gold! We love our visitors to have hands on experience and interaction with the villagers. It is a family event with ages ranging from 0 to 95. You are welcome to come in costume as any character and enjoy your day.
We have special events that will happen throughout the weekend. We always feature the special Enchanted Village Tour on Saturday for the first 100 children where they will meet the characters of the village and receive special gifts from each of them. Our students will perform on Sunday morning. There will be a judged Children’s Costume Contest at 11:15 following the student performances. We feature the Knights of Valour, who perform in full contact jousting tournament style. There will be two shows per day – 12:30 and 3:30. There will be demonstrations from the local group the Blue Lake Mounted Archers that perform the ancient art of archery on horseback. They will be two shows per day – 11:30 & 2:30. The Humboldt Aerial Collective will perform twice each day. Many more special activities and entertainment will be planned throughout the festival. Please check the Schedule of Events page on this website.
This year we will be in a new location in sunny Blue Lake at the Blue Lake Horse Arena and Perigot Park. This event is in beautiful Humboldt County. Please see our ticket information page for accommodation information. You can purchase tickets on-line at Brown Paper Tickets. Camping on-site is for vendors and participants only. Many local campgrounds are near by as Humboldt County offers beautiful redwood forests which are a back drop to this event. Hotel accommodations are close by (see ticket information page for a list).
Vendors and Performers are welcome to fill out the application packet from this website (see Vendor/Performer Info page) and mail it in for the year before September 1, 2022 for review and acceptance for next year’s event. Please remember – this is a medieval themed event and we do jury all the applications. All vendors must have their booth and workers dressed and donned in the medieval theme. We do host a VIP/Hospitality Pavilion for our volunteers, sponsors, performers and entertainment only. First aid and security are also located near this area. No applications will be accepted after September 1, 2022.
Parking is limited so be sure to come early. Handicap parking is available. Please keep in mind this is a working ranch and farm so the ground is very uneven. NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED because of livestock throughout the event.
This event is a school fundraiser for Coastal Grove Charter School Parent Organization in Arcata, CA as well as other local schools and non-profits. Come support all of them within our village global market!
