Ashville Viking Festival
04/26/2023
Ashville Viking Festival
Make sure you pull out your period garb and wait for the hordes to descend, because it’s time for the annual Ashville Viking Festival! For almost twenty years, this festival has brought joy and entertainment to the city of Ashville, and according to volunteer and village councilman David Rainey, this year is only going to continue that tradition.
How the Festival Got Started
The Ashville Viking Festival is the “brainchild” of Nancy and Ed Vallette, Bob Mabe, and David Rainey. It all started with re-enactors visiting Teays Valley Schools; however, organizers started to look for a spring festival that could be community wide. Nancy and Ed used their connections to the Ohio Renaissance Festival, moved the Viking re-enactors from the school to the local park, and the Ashville Viking Festival was born.
Today, the festival draws thousands of people from all over and is truly a community event. Village residents, local businesses, the village police department, and the village council are all involved in making the festival happen.
Acts and Vendors
With a slogan like “I’d Rather Be a Viking,” it’s not hard to see why the festival is beloved among the community and beyond. For entertainment, guests can see jesters, jousters, fortune-tellers, belly dancers, knights, soldiers, and (of course) Vikings. David Rainey elaborated a little on the acts guests can expect to see this year. “There are lots of musical acts, as well as comedy and magic. The main event is the full armor jousting, which is world class and amazing. Kids can get up close to the horses…We also have a replica Viking ship on display.” Indeed, the Viking Festival is fun for the entire family and gives people the opportunity to see living history!
The festival also boasts vendors from all over the United States selling a variety of wares. There are jewelry vendors, period clothing vendors, food vendors, and more. Not only this, but guests can expect a wonderful array of food and drink to enjoy while taking in the acts and entertainment.
Donations and Festival Information
While entry to the festival is free, donations for the Ashville Food Pantry are encouraged. The pantry is currently looking for items such as: canned vegetables, canned fruit, boxed mac and cheese, canned tuna, peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti noodles, ramen noodles, and boxed potatoes. Rainey exclaimed, “This is the largest food drive for our food pantry, and it is wonderful to see our residents benefit from the generosity of our patrons.”
The festival officially runs from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 29th and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, April 30th, however there is a dine-in pork chop dinner Friday night starting at 5 p.m. Guests can find the festival at the Ashville Community Park off Walnut Street and Station Street.
For more information, you can visit the official Ashville Viking Festival website at https://ashvilleohvikingfestival.com/ or get the most recent updates on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AshvilleVikingFestival/. We can’t wait to see you all there!
https://ohiofestivals.net/ashville-viking-festival/