Dates 5 May – 7 May 2017 | ||
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Location Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, United States People also search for 3 Wishes Faery Fest, Faerieworlds, Green Man Festival Profiles | ||
The Fairie Festival (also known as the May Day Fairie Festival, or Pennsylvania Fairie Festival) is a music and arts festival currently held annually in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, that began in 1991. The festival's primary theme is to "celebrate the beginning of spring and all of the faerie and nature spirits' return to the warm world".
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The May Day Fairie Festival is the brainchild of Rob and Lucy Wood, owners of Spoutwood Farm, an organic farm in the Community Supported Agriculture movement. It began as a tea party for about 100 friends and their children, and attendance has grown to over 16,000 “friends” annually. Previously a one-day festival, a second day was added in 1997; a third, in 1999. The festival features artists and authors from around the world, local and international musicians and crafters whose work is connected to or inspired by folklore, specifically faerie lore.
Events
The May Day Fairie Festival, now in its 25th year, was the first festival in the United States devoted solely to faerie and nature spirits. It has been held on the grounds of Spoutwood Farm Center since 1991.
The festival expects, each year, performances by musicians and dancers, storytellers, participatory maypole dancing, fairie craft activities such as wand and garland making. It provides 70 juried arts and crafts vendors (featuring handmade art inspired by the faerie), and food vendors. The Nature Place offers a place for environmental, health, animal interest and other groups to share their vision; fairie and gnome habitat tours are to be expected, along with fairie tea parties, and guest appearances by Sweet Pea, the Mossmen, and the Green Man. Alongside the traditional May Day crowning of the May Queen may be seen the crowning of the May King, Prince, and Princess. The Fairie Chautauqua offers the opportunity for attendees to delve more deeply into the lore and arts of Fairie, in workshops led by scholars, artists, musicians, and crafters.
The 2013 festival took place on May 3–5 at Spoutwood Farm Center in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, York County on 26 acres of land.
Impact
Each year, the Fairie Festival benefits the Spoutwood Farm Center CSA, which in turn provides organically produced food to over 150 families in the community. The Fairie Festival maintains an example of ecologically sound entertainment in the fantasy genre; it utilizes recycled printed materials, compostable foodware, and features a food court of diverse food vendors, including organic and vegetarian food vendors. In 2000, the Fairie Festival instituted a "Zero Waste" policy, requiring all vendors to haul out their own trash, and all food vendors to provide compostable materials to their customers. The compostable materials are added to a special compost pile located at the entrance to the CSA, and is part of the educational programs offered to attendees. In 2010, after a three-day event attended by over 17,000 people, a total of 23 plastic bags worth of non-recyclables and non-compostables were collected and disposed of by Waste Management of York County.
Attendance is international, with vendors and attendees coming from England, Australia and Japan.
The Fairie Festival was the subject of a 2010 documentary entitled "Glen Rock Fae: The Spoutwood Fairie Festival" on the Internet Movie Database.