Organising team of Renaissance fair at Fort Canning moved to tears by praise from attendees, planning took one year
On 13 and 14 June, a 40-year-old photographer in Singapore headed to Fort Canning Park to experience his first ever Renaissance fair.
It was almost like stepping into another world altogether. His camera lens snapped shut around countless attendees in stunning fantasy cosplays.
Source: Speedknight on Flickr
“I have attended and covered a lot of pop culture events but this was definitely something very different from the others,” the photographer, who wished to be referred to by his online handle ‘Speedknight’, told MS News.
He especially lauded the “community-driven vibes” of the event.
Since the event, other attendees have also echoed similar compliments.
Team took a year to put Lion City Faire together
Speedknight was just one of at least 2,100 people who attended the ‘Lion City Faire’ last weekend.
The event had been conceived years ago in the mind of the founder, Eris Lim, after she attended Renaissance fairs overseas.
Ms Lim then rallied a team who shared her vision of creating a similar community experience for local Singaporeans.
Additionally, they wanted to bring a sense of whimsy to a normally stoic city.
“Lion City Faire is a first for the team in terms of scale. We’ve never run an event this large before,” a spokesperson for the organising team said.
Source: @cha.ryko and @slinkysnek via Lion City Faire
The main administration team consisted of eight people, with extended staff numbering around 38. They comprised of artists, stage workers, character actors, logistics staff, and a media team.
Some of them had prior experience with managing smaller gatherings, such as a ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ fan event in Aug 2025.
Serious work on the Lion City Faire began in June 2025, and it took the team a year to bring the event from ideation to reality.
Source: Speedknight on Flickr
Cosplayers dress in theme despite heat at Fort Canning Park Renaissance fair
The final result was a Renaissance fair with a fantasy theme surrounding Singapore’s cultural roots as a port settlement.
In fact, the setting’s lore description on their website centres around the Merlion as a guardian beast of a humble island.
Speedknight told MS News that many at the fair mixed in ‘Temasek’ or Asian elements into their cosplays to fit the theme.
Source: Speedknight on Flickr
He snapped photos of dozens of cosplayers, each costume an incredible showcase of local artistic skill.
Source: Speedknight on Flickr
The Lion City Faire organising team saw everything from metal armour and elaborate handmade costumes to full face paints. They said:
We were floored by the public’s reception to the Faire, and pleasantly surprised by how many attendees turned up dressed to theme despite the heat.
Source: Speedknight on Flickr
As could be expected from any outdoor event from Singapore, heat and humidity played the part of the main villains.
The heat was especially bad on 13 June, according to Speedknight.
Source: Speedknight on Flickr
Luckily, the second day of the fair was overcast without rain.
The high temperatures also proved to be a stroke of luck for the food & beverage (F&B) vendors at the Lion City Faire as attendees flocked to their booths to keep hydrated.
Source: Speedknight on Flickr
Attendees enjoyed musicians, quests, and swordfighting at Lion City Faire
Aside from food vendors, Lion City Faire provided a wide array of activities.
Artisans and craftsmen hosted workshops to teach a range of skills. One workshop allowed attendees to handcraft their own leather pouch, while another taught ethical taxidermy.
Clashing swords at the battle games and the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) lessons proved quite in-demand with fairgoers as well.
Image courtesy of the Lion City Faire Organising Team
Ultimately, the most popular programmes turned out to be their Tabletop Role-playing Game (TTRPG) tables and Live Action Role-playing (LARP) quests.
At one of the quests, one attendee even got down on one knee to propose.
Image courtesy of the Lion City Faire Organising Team
Of course, no Renaissance fair would be complete without some bardic tunes.
Lion City Faire provided a lineup of talented singers, performers, and bands across its two-day run.
Image courtesy of the Lion City Faire Organising Team
Speedknight’s photos captured countless scenes of attendees getting into the groove as the musicians rained tunes down on them.
Source: Speedknight on Flickr
Lion City Faire organisers praised for passion and care
“All in all, the reception has been beyond anything the team could have imagined,” the team told MS News.
Tickets for both days sold out, and they described the count of 2,100 attendees as a conservative estimate.
Each group ticket bundle only counted as one attendee, and staff and volunteers could enjoy the Lion City Faire when they weren’t working.
The team was also moved by the enthusiasm of the fairgoers, especially a couple who exchanged marriage vows on stage.
Image courtesy of the Lion City Faire Organising Team
Friends and strangers alike flooded the organisers with praise and congratulations for the event.
On Reddit, attendees lauded the Renaissance fair team for their excellent organisation, thoughtful curation, and most of all, passion.
One of them said they had been jaded by other events that focused only on maximising profits, and were thus glad that Lion City Faire was run by people who cared about the community.
Source: Reddit
Success of inaugural Renaissance fair ‘ultimate validation’ for organisers
“To be completely candid, a few of us have definitely had a cry or two in response to some of the lovely messages that we’ve received,” the team’s spokesperson shared.
The success of their inaugural event was the ultimate validation of their hard work over the past year.
The Organising Team
Image courtesy of the Lion City Faire Organising Team
Naturally, MS News had to ask about what that meant for a Lion City Faire in 2027.
The team’s spokesperson couldn’t confirm anything. Currently, they’re looking through all the feedback from their vendors, performers, and attendees to look for areas of improvement.
“But we’d also be lying if we said we weren’t already thinking about future editions of Lion City Faire.”
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Featured image adapted from Speedknight on Flickr and Flickr.
