Ohio Viking Festival to come to Lake County Fairgrounds - The News-Herald
Vikings will be taking over the Lake County Fairgrounds later this month.
Reenactors will show off their gear, battle kids with water balloons and demonstrate artisanal crafts when the Ohio Viking Festival comes to Lake County for the first time. The June 20-22 festival is also set to include live music, food, vendors and more.
“The Ohio Viking Festival is an annual event dedicated to celebrating Viking history, culture and entertainment,” said a festival news release. “Each year, it brings together enthusiasts, families and history buffs for a fun and educational experience.”
Viking reenactors will demonstrate their warrior prowess during daily combat displays.
Kids can also take on the Northeast Ohio-based Vikings of Vulksgaard group once each day in a water balloon battle, which Festival Director Jessy Harper described as a “a super big draw.” Participants are advised to bring a change of clothes.
Visitors can watch full-contact jousts on the festival’s latter two days. Harper said the medieval-style joust is “not quite Viking-era,” but is still a big event that people like to see.
The creative and cultural sides of the medieval Norse will also be on display at the Viking Village. The festival website said that reenactors will show crafts like blacksmithing and woodworking, while others will tell stories and deliver performances.
The festival is also set to include a beard competition, a workshop on Viking arms and armor and lessons on naalbinding stitching, drop spindles and making mead. There will also be live music, vendors and food.
Harper added that there will be misting stations in case it is a hot weekend.
The festival started at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds in 2015. Harper said she was a reenactor for multiple time periods and realized there were not a lot of reenactment opportunities for the Viking Age.
“I decided to just open up the festival so we could share history with everyone,” she said.
A festival news release said organizers moved the festival to Lake County this year because they needed more space.
Harper said the festival has grown over the past decade from around 40 vendors and one stage to more than 125 vendors, two stages, a joust and a combat arena. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has received about 6,000 to 10,000 visitors each year.
“The move to the Lake County Fairgrounds allows us to continue expanding the festival while maintaining the immersive and family-friendly experience that our attendees know and love,” Harper said in a news release. “We can’t wait to bring even more Viking magic to Lake County!”
The Ohio Viking Festival’s Friday Night Market runs from 4 to 10 p.m. on June 20, while its weekend hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 21-22.
Tickets are available for purchase online until June 20, and they are free for children 5 and under. The festival website said that tickets will also be available at the gate, though they may cost $3 more there. Parking is free.
Visitors are welcome to dress up and bring pets, though organizers ask that pets be friendly and leashed.