Mythical characters from fairies to sorcerers will descend on Okotoks for a day of adventure and entertainment.
The Okotoks Arts Council hosts its annual Enchanted Okotoks event featuring magic shows, stilt walkers, fire eaters, knights in battle, costume contests and food trucks Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the downtown core.
Event co-ordinator Katie Fournell said Enchanted Okotoks caters to those with a love of all things mythical, magical and historical including medieval and Viking culture, witches, wizards and dragons.
“Enchanted events are an escape from just the normal everyday,” she said. “It deals with the phantom culture and geek culture that is, often times, favoured by introverted people. It’s really fun for them to find a place where they belong where they can go a little bit crazy and be outside of the norm.”
Enchanted Okotoks drew 11,000 people to downtown last year, many of who dressed up for the occasion, said Fournell.
Last year’s event followed the Wizarding World of Okotoks in the fall of 2017, which paid tribute to Harry Potter.
Fournell said Enchanted Okotoks is a more generic celebration that caters to a wider range of interests.
“We wanted to be able to involve everybody, not just Harry Potter fans,” she said. “There’s fairies, wizards, warlocks, dragons and unicorns.”
Fournell said downtown businesses are taking on themes of their own, ranging from the Pied Piper of Hamelin to Lord of the Rings.
“We still have a couple of stores that have a little taste of Harry Potter, but it’s really a celebration of everything here,” she said.
Restaurants will create specialty menu items for the day and about 50 creative market vendors will display their wares at a magic art market in the Elks Hall. Youth vendors will display at the Okotoks Public Library
Fournell said the event is growing and changing every year.
“We have bigger and better acts with more people interested in being a part of it and willing to go the extra mile for the event,” she said.
Back by popular demand is Epic Quest, which challenges participants to complete in various quests throughout downtown. Up to 50 teams of four can register at $20 a team, and have about an hour to complete their tasks.
Fournell said Epic Quest was sold out last year so the Okotoks Arts Council doubled the number of participating teams.
People can also participate in a scavenger hunt on the event maps, requiring them to find items in each of the four realms: Enchanted Elma, Mystical Northern Realm, Resplendent Riverside Realm and the Elizabethan Street Realm for a chance to win a gift basket provided by the art market vendors.
Information booths providing free maps with activity times and locations, as well as a list of vendors, will be located in the parking lot across the Elks Hall, the Rotary Performing Arts Centre, Okotoks Public Library and Okotoks Art Gallery. Maps are also available in the Oct. 23 edition of the Western Wheel.
For more details or to register for Epic Quest, find Enchanted Okotoks 2019 on Facebook.
There is no cost to attend, although the Okotoks Arts Council is accepting donations in cauldrons throughout downtown.
