Potter-themed day lowers drawbridge to other fantasists
Fans of all genres welcome as annual Kensington event rebrands
With the promise of live owls, a quidditch competition and nonalcoholic butterbeer, the streets were filled with all kinds of magical creatures and colourful dress during Kensington’s Fantasy Faire on Sunday.
This was the first summer the Kensington BRZ, a neighbourhood group, rebranded its annual Harry Potter-themed event as Fantasy Faire, encouraging fans of all genres of mythical and medieval tales to participate. Walking around, visitors ran into knights wearing full suits of armour, medieval queens and a creepy gargoyle.
Local businesses set up booths outside their stores featuring themes and activities.
“Kensington Fitness went all out, they called themselves ‘Unicorn Kingdom.’ They had carnival games, smoothies with cotton candy on top, and they were giving away a nine-foot unicorn raft,” said Jamie Campbell, a representative from the Kensington BRZ.
The University of Calgary conducted science experiments along the sidewalk, and just down the street at Orangetheory Fitness an extra-large chess board was set up for intellectual entertainment.
The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo hosted a costume contest where intricately designed homemade creations made their debuts.
Campbell estimates 25,000 people watched the sword fight re-enactments and enjoyed the booths.
“We had a Scottish storyteller who was hosting at the stage area,” Campbell said.
“There were people with real swords with jugs of water that they sliced through. Those were popular, showing how sharp the swords are. We had live owls again and they had an eagle down this year, which was cool,” Campbell said.
Kensington BRZ is planning to keep the fantasy theme for next year because of the feedback they received.