When the Education Foundation of Lake County (Website) announced in June that the Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire would not return in 2026 after 24 years, it left a gap in the fall calendar for Lake County’s Ren Fair nerd community. Thankfully, a new event is basse danse’ing into that space.
Gathre Social Co. (Instagram) has announced Lake County’s first indoor Renaissance fair, scheduled across two weekends, on Nov. 14-15 and Nov. 21-22, at Lake Square Mall (Website) in Leesburg.
The indoor format is definitely a departure from the outdoor Lady of the Lakes faire, which drew tens of thousands of visitors each fall to a site near Lake Idamere in Tavares. Gathre’s event will be fully air-conditioned and ADA accessible, with performances, workshops, interactive experiences, artisan halls, a kids’ corner, and a Medieval Soiree as a ticketed add-on.
The Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire had been the largest fundraiser for the Education Foundation of Lake County and was estimated to carry a $4 million economic impact on the county. The foundation said it is developing new fundraising strategies and has not announced a plan to revive the event.
