If you’re looking for something new and unique to do this month the Texas Viking Festival might be just the thing.
Festival founder, Francisco Artes, said it’s “very much like attending a Renaissance festival.”
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Artes said the festival is set up like a Viking encampment with tents and some permanent structures but the goal is to continue building until there is a “living Viking village for educational use.”
There will be a Viking market and celebrations like music acts and specialty performers over the festivals on two June weekends.
Participants can camp on-site and are encouraged to dress in garb during the festival which takes place from noon to 10 p.m. on June 12-13 and 19-20.
Texas Viking Festival, which is in its third year, is located at Valkyrie Ranch - home to home of Thorin’s Viking Brands - the makers of Thorin’s Viking Mead, Thorin’s Knightly Mead, and Iron Age Cider. Valkyrie Ranch is located at 2030 FM 2104 in Paige, Texas, just east of Bastrop.
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Musical performances are conducted in more of a mini-concert fashion - often with a musical act performing for an hour at a time, Artes said. Local businesses will also be on-site to sell food and other goods.
“We have a lot of games and activities that are of the time period,” said Artes.
Fire bending artists Solar Rain will be at the festival in addition to several bands and pyrojugglers, according to the website.
These products can be found at most renaissance festivals throughout Texas, as well as in HEB, Whole Foods, and SPECS, according to Artes.
The management team at Thorin’s Viking Brands decided to start the festival as a way to help the community of artists, vendors, and performers.
Originally hosted during December when there aren’t many major festivals going on around Texas, Thorin’s Viking Brands decided to add a summer event for 2021 due to the December 2020 festival being canceled over coronavirus concerns.
The festival also serves as a fundraiser for Knights of the Grail, a 501C3 nonprofit organization that offers equine therapy to first responders and veterans, said Artes.
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