Hoggetowne Medieval Faire
- Dates
- Jan 24 to 25, 2026
- Status
- Expected
- Venue
- Depot Park, 874 SE 4th St (2026 location)
- Price
- Free
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 24, 2026
The experience
What's special
The Hoggetowne Medieval Faire is a long-running medieval festival produced by the City of Gainesville, transforming a public park into a medieval village of artisans, olde-world demonstrations, stage combat, medieval music and dance, and a Living Chessboard. After losing its traditional county-fairgrounds home, the faire ran as a free, single-weekend event at downtown Depot Park; organizers plan to restore it as a larger, multi-weekend ticketed event at Gainesville Raceway from 2027. It features six stages of entertainment, hundreds of artisans, royal knighting ceremonies, and family activities such as a Maypole dance.
What people love
Attendees especially value that the Depot Park editions were free, opening the faire to families who previously could not afford it, and they love dressing up and the community vibe. The variety of vendors and food, the costumes, and the acts draw praise. Common frustrations center on the downtown site being much smaller than the old fairgrounds: crowded walkways, long food lines, limited entertainment, and the loss of favorites like jousting, horses, and falconry, plus parking and crowd-control problems on the busiest days.
Last time around
Attendee accounts of the 2025 Depot Park edition described it as much improved over the prior year, with the event well spread across the park, more food and local vendors that helped with lines, and a fun costume-filled crowd, though entertainment felt somewhat limited and the site was still crowded.
See it before you go
Costumes & what to wear
Do I need a costume?
Costumes are a big part of the fun but are entirely optional at this free public faire; many attendees come in plain clothes and blend in fine, while others dress in medieval, fantasy, or even steampunk garb. Vendors on site sell clothing and accessories, and attendees widely encourage first-timers to dress up for the best experience
Joining in
A recreated medieval village with six stages of continuous entertainment, medieval music and dance, aerial acrobatics, magic, roaming characters and stilt walkers, twice-daily cast processions, royal knighting ceremonies at the Royal Pavilion, and a Living Chessboard combat show on the Tournament Field. A free family Maypole dance invites audience participation
Getting there
Nearest airport GNV.
How do I get to Hoggetowne Medieval Faire?
Public transit 1
Gainesville's RTS city buses serve downtown near Depot Park, and RTS Route 26 connects the airport, but Route 26 runs Monday-Friday only, so it is not usable for a weekend faire arrival. On a weekend, plan a rideshare or driving instead; RTS is practical only if you are in town on a weekday
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare 1
From GNV the downtown Depot Park site is a short 10-15 minute drive. Uber and Lyft both operate at GNV with a curbside pickup zone at the departure level; Murphy's Taxi is the airport's named taxi operator. Downtown Gainesville is compact, so a single ride reaches the faire
Book / info →By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Use the airport transfers or shuttle options above.
🅿 Parking
On site parking available. Cost Mix of free and paid downtown lots; the event tram shuttle is free. Prepay via None, downtown public parking with a free event tram. For the 2026 downtown edition, visitors used a mix of free and paid downtown parking garages and lots shown on the faire's interactive map, with free round-trip tram shuttles (run by EZ Event Rides) between two downtown garages and Depot Park (the last tram left Depot Park at 6:20pm). ADA parking was designated at Depot Park. If the faire moves to Gainesville Raceway in 2027, expect on-site raceway parking instead, re-check once the 2027 plan is confirmed
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at GNV
Handy but not essential for the downtown edition (rideshare covers the short trip from GNV); a rental car becomes more useful if the faire moves to Gainesville Raceway in 2027, which is farther from downtown lodging. Rentals are on-airport at GNV (all six major brands)
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Depot Park, 874 SE 4th St (2026 location)
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Hoggetowne Medieval Faire?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Budget stays 1
1250 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL, near UF, about 2 miles from Depot Park
≈ $120-160 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Mid-range hotels 2
220 SE 2nd Ave, Gainesville, FL, downtown, roughly a 10-15 min walk to Depot Park
≈ $160-220 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →625 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL, historic downtown B&B, short walk/drive to Depot Park
≈ $170-240 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Gainesville has a deep vacation-rental market thanks to the University of Florida, including walkable downtown and near-campus homes close to Depot Park; the 2026 faire was a single weekend, and UF home-game and event weekends spike rates, so book ahead
Search Airbnb →North-central Florida is strong camping country, Hipcamp lists private-land and spring-fed sites around Gainesville and the wider Alachua County area (near Paynes Prairie and the region's famous springs), a scenic alternative to a city hotel for the faire weekend
Search Hipcamp →Pricing
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