On the first weekend of November, Las Cruces hosted its annual Renaissance Arts Faire at Young Park. The Doña Ana Arts Council hosts the event every year and this year once again drew in hundreds of spectators. The faire had activities for people to enjoy, including jousting, renaissance themed booths and several food trucks.
In addition to the hundreds of visitors, the faire also brings in a healthy amount of vendors. Executive director Karrie Porter said some vendors even come from out of state. As for the fair’s main attraction, jousting, Porter mentioned the performers this year are from Colorado. As for some of the sculptors, they made the trip all the way from Florida.
Porter took up the position of executive director only a few months before the event on Sept. 1. She says organizing the event was exciting since she attended many previous renaissance fairs.
“I had attended the fair as a citizen because I love large horses. I grew up on a farm in the Midwest, and I wanted to come see the big horses, I really enjoyed my visit,” Porter said.
While many people come from out of state, the event also sees many local vendors, such as the Immigrant and Refugee Educational Services Program at New Mexico State University. The program officials attended the event in conjunction with other local businesses and organizations including the Southeast New Mexico Islamic Center.
Nov. 3, 2024. (David Castañeda)
Rajaa Shindi, one of the founders of the program said the fair offers an important opportunity to not only engage in the community but also fundraise. While this is the program’s first year participating in the fair, Shindi said she is no stranger to it.
“I attend this event yearly with my children, so I’m very familiar with it, and I value the effort. I felt like this is a good place to promote our services and also share [our] message,” she said.
The booth offered a variety of baked goods, arts and crafts, and free coffee.
Even though the event is annual, many volunteers with the program were introduced to it this year. Aya Abdaljalil, a Las Cruces local and NMSU student volunteering with Shindi said this is her first time hearing about the fair.
“I wanted to volunteer to experience it firsthand and see how events like this bring the community together,” Abdaljalil said.
Abdaljalil said she enjoyed her time volunteering at the fair and will be returning next year.
“My favorite part has been seeing all the excitement from the community and meeting new people. As someone new to the fair, it is amazing to see the diversity and the creativity in the booths and performances,” she said.
It wasn’t a small group of people who enjoyed the festivities that the fair had to offer. Las Cruces native, Rae Catherine said she appreciated the atmosphere that the event provided and that she hopes to visit the event in the years ahead.
“It’s very accepting… [here], and like, everyone is just kind of doing what brings them joy,” Catherine said. “That’s just cool.”
