Ren Faire SG: Herbal apothecary, fiddlers among mediaeval delights at festival

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s first renaissance festival will transform Fort Canning Park into a mediaeval playground next weekend.

With roving cosplayers, fiddlers and “quests” at Ren Faire SG: The Origin on Jan 31 and Feb 1, the festival will conjure up scenes from

hit television show House Of The Dragon

(2022 to present) and role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

Renaissance and mediaeval fairs are established events in North America and Europe, and are taking root outside the Western world.

In Singapore, when organiser Caylee Chua saw TikTok videos of a renaissance fair in the Philippines in 2024, that sparked the idea of hosting one here. 

“I’ve had the privilege of visiting a few mediaeval festivals in Switzerland and other parts of Europe while visiting my fiance who’s studying there,” says Ms Chua, who runs a small handmade jewellery business.

The 24-year-old tells The Straits Times that her affinity for all things fantasy started in primary school with the Geronimo Stilton fantasy spin-off book series The Kingdom Of Fantasy, and then popular children’s series like Harry Potter and young-adult novels such as the Six Of Crows books. She has of late branched out to prototypical high fantasy, including the works of American author Brandon Sanderson.

Armed with her extensive knowledge of the genre, she tried to develop background lore for her own fantasy young-adult novel. 

“But I gave up on that, because writing is too hard,” she says with a laugh.

Nevertheless, she has dug up her world-building notes and repurposed them for Ren Faire SG. In that light, fantasy-lovers will not just enter Singapore’s first renaissance fair, but also the grand city of Xenaria. 

It is led by five houses, which each elect two leaders every five years at a place called “The Origin”. 

“I wanted some fantasy vibes that felt intuitive, and a simple premise that attendees can easily be anchored to. If they identify with any of the five factions, they can come up with backstories for themselves, and get in the spirit of fun and escapism,” says Ms Chua. 

Escape to Xenaria

Xenaria will take up some 7,500 sq m of lush green space within Fort Canning Park, with designated spaces for a craft marketplace, performances, workshops and more. 

The marketplace will be the biggest element, with more than 100 vendors plying everything from art prints to T-shirts, handmade jewellery, crystals and zines. Some of the more unusual items for sale include realistic prop baguettes, knife plush toys and fabric mushrooms.

There will be vendors providing henna and jagua ink services, real-time caricature and bounty poster drawing, and tarot and oracle readings. 

Ren Faire SG will also have an apothecary: the Vizu Organics booth set up by Ms Junea Lim, 38.

In fantasy media, visiting an apothecary is often a seminal experience. There is nothing like entering a dusty shop full of herbs and mysterious potions to set the mood for a magical quest or adventure.

Ms Lim, a full-time herbalist, will offer a range of herbal remedies and natural skincare products, each specially formulated for different functions and purposes, such as balms for insomnia and natural toner mists. The products are made from botanical ingredients, and she backs up her formulations with academic research. 

“I heard about the event from a friend and immediately wanted to take part as a vendor,” she says. “In video games, I have always gravitated towards the herbalist, alchemist, shaman or healer characters. So Ren Faire SG is definitely a space where I can have fun with fellow geeks and become that elven shaman herbalist.”

She will sell a limited-edition product called Lune de Velours ($179 for 80g), which she describes as “a deeply calming and restorative blue salve, helping with nervous system regulation and restful sleep”. Its key ingredients include blue cypress wood and Hojari frankincense gum oil. 

“Blue cypress wood is native to Australia and used by the indigenous peoples for releasing muscle tensions and aches,” says Ms Lim.

Hojari Frankincense gum oil, she adds, is very different from the better-known Somalian and Indian frankincense. It is extracted from the mountains of Oman, and provides a smooth, deeply soothing and restorative scent.

Ms Lim launched Vizu Organics in 2017 as a passion project. “I was mostly experimenting with herbs and plants for my personal health and skin issues. I had terrible skin and bald areas on my scalp.”

Another unusual booth is run by a creator who prefers to be known only as Anomalis. The 34-year-old creative lead will be there with items such as manifestation cards, which are art cards with affirming messages such as “the universe conspires in my favour”.

She also has grounding stones ($2 to $8) depicting Tendrilis, a plant-like script she developed in 2025.

“It started as a plant-like secret code that allows you to write secret messages that can be disguised as drawings of vines. I saw on TikTok and Reddit that people were coming up with new scripts for fun, and I wanted to try it as well,” she explains.

Everything she brings to Ren Faire SG will be event-exclusive, as she has never sold her works before.

“I can’t see anywhere else for Tendrilis to be. So it’s probably going to be my one and only time setting up such a booth, unless there are more renaissance fairs in Singapore in the future,” she says. 

“Tendrilis has a level of whimsy and weirdness that I think Ren Faire SG patrons will appreciate. It has potential to be used in tabletop role-playing games as well, which might appeal to some attendees,” she adds.

Besides the marketplace, visitors can expect a packed programme of experiences, such as crystal-jar-making workshops, and armour demonstrations showcasing fantasy and mediaeval weapons and techniques. 

Around 30 acts are scheduled to perform over the two days. They include bard and fiddler Tony the Raven, who will be cosplaying as his original character, Morrigan’s Raven. The name is a reference to an Irish mythological figure usually associated with crows.

“I’m basically a witchy raven musician, healer and bard,” says the 25-year-old violin teacher, who can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other music streaming platforms under the name Tony Dong.  

“I was inspired by my travels to Germany in 2024, specifically the Cologne Cathedral. Its mediaeval Gothic elements inspired me to come up with this character and outfit,” he adds. “I love the black and goth theme because it fits into my mediaeval soundscape.

“I have always been interested in early music, baroque mediaeval fantasy music and so on. In 2017, I stumbled upon Irish band The Corrs on YouTube, whose members include a violinist. They inspired me to become a Celtic fiddler.”

At the festival, he will perform live sets of fiddle music mixed with some house and disco beats.

“I love to sample different ethnic instruments, like the tabla and dholak from Indian carnatic music. So there will be some of that, too,” he says. 

His upcoming album, Garden City Fiddle, will include a track called Morrigan, and Mr Dong is working to release it in time for Ren Faire SG. 

“This is my first renaissance fair, but I’ve travelled around the world busking with my violin. I’ve busked in 13 countries. I’m looking forward to it,” he says. 

What else to know about attending Ren Faire SG

Ms Chua hopes for 6,000 to 8,000 people to attend the event, which is slated for the weekend of Jan 31 and Feb 1.

She has been planning Ren Faire SG since 2024 and invested her savings – a low five-figure sum – to run the event.

Though she was unable to secure grants or sponsorships, portable power business GoRental SG is providing partial sponsorship for electricity. “The upfront investment was scary,” Ms Chua admits.

Still, she is optimistic that the first Ren Faire SG will not be the last.

“I’m very grateful for all the support from the wider community to bring this event to life, because at the end of the day, it really is an event for the community.” 

Do visitors have to dress up? 

“You can totally rock up in Uniqlo, but it’s way more fun if you dress up, even a little bit,” says Ms Chua. “Put on a jaunty hat or a funky leather belt to match the fantasy vibes a little more and join in the fun.” 

For those dressing up, what are some guidelines for staying within the right period or genre?

“The most important guideline is heat safety. We all know how hot and humid it is in Singapore,” says Ms Chua. 

She suggests sticking with natural fabrics, such as linen or 100 per cent cotton, and says one cannot go wrong with earthy hues of red and green. 

“In general, we welcome fantasy styles of dressing, so feel free to be a wizard. We also want to encourage attendees to take inspiration from other cultures. Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) is totally welcome.”

Will there be fantasy-themed food? 

Not quite, says Ms Chua. “Our selection is more limited this round as we’re allowing attendees to bring their own food and drink, since the venue is a bit far away from Plaza Singapura.”

But there will be a few snack vendors for those who are peckish, including baklava and kunefe from Artisanal Persia (

@artisanalpersia

on Instagram), and gourmet popsicles from Slinging Popsicles (

@slingingpopsicles

). 

What are some activities that anyone can participate in?

There will be at least eight “quests” that attendees can join, which Ms Chua describes as riddles or puzzles with an on-site interactive element. Two of these quests will be described on the back of a flier given out at the event, while information about the others will be found in boxes around the venue.

“Map dispensers will be pointing them out on-site, but part of the fun of the quests is hunting for the boxes,” says Ms Chua.

Another unique activitiy is trinket trading, which she describes as “a small, fun gesture where you pass something small and cute – often handmade by you – to another trader, and get some other cool trinket in return”. Think friendship bracelets, or a handwritten joke.

“We designated a few spots as trinket-trading corners so it’s less awkward for people to find potential trading partners, while keeping some of the spontaneity that makes the ritual whimsical,” she adds.

Book It/Ren Faire SG 

Where: Old Married Soldier’s Quarters, Fort Canning Park

When: Jan 31 and Feb 1, 2 to 9pm

Admission: $11 a person if purchased online in advance. On-the-day tickets (if available) are $16 at the gate

Info:

instagram.com/renfairesg