BRINGING CAMELOT TO FORT CANNING

A herbal apothecary and fiddler are among the mediaeval delights at Singapore's first renaissance fair

- Yamini Chinnuswamy Correspondent

Live-action roleplayers and cosplayers (pictured in 2025 at The Kallang) will be at Ren Faire SG. Organiser Caylee Chua says those visiting the renaissance fair are welcome to wear similar mediaeval or fantasy-inspired outfits.

(ST PHOTO: GIN TAY)

Singapore's first renaissance festival will transform Fort Canning Park into a mediaeval playground next weekend.

With roving cosplayers, fiddlers and “quests” at Ren Faire SG: The Origin on Jan 31 and Feb 1, the festival will conjure up scenes from hit television show House Of The Dragon (2022 to present) and role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

Renaissance and mediaeval fairs are established events in North America and Europe, and are taking root outside the Western world.

In Singapore, when organiser Caylee Chua saw TikTok videos of a renaissance fair in the Philippines in 2024, that sparked the idea of hosting one here.

“I’ve had the privilege of visiting a few mediaeval festivals in Switzerland and other parts of Europe while visiting my fiance who's studying there,” says Ms Chua, who runs a small handmade jewellery business.

The 24-year-old tells The Straits Times that her affinity for all things fantasy started in primary school with the Geronimo Stilton fantasy spin-off book series The Kingdom Of Fantasy, and then popular children’s series like Harry Potter and young-adult novels such as the Six Of Crows books.

She has of late branched out to prototypical high fantasy, including the works of American author Brandon Sanderson.

Armed with her extensive knowledge of the genre, she tried to develop background lore for her own fantasy young-adult novel.

“But I gave up on that, because writing is too hard,” she says with a laugh.