Full Fairy Fun: Fourth Fairy, Gnome and Troll Festival flies into downtown May 20

KENDALLVILLE — Fairies may be small, but their festival in downtown Kendallville sure isn't.

Now in its fourth year, the Fairy, Gnome and Troll Festival is so big that Main Street can barely hold it any more, with about 100 vendors signed up for the annual family friendly event downtown.

This year's festival will run next Saturday, May 20, in the same 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. window as it always does. There's no entry fee and a variety of free fun to be had for families.

The Fairy, Gnome and Troll Festival started in 2019 as an offshoot of downtown's fairy door project, which had downtown businesses hosting little decorative doors on their buildings with a QR code that takes people to short story about the fairy who lives inside.

The festival was conceptualized as a unique, family friendly street fair off that idea. It was something no one else was doing. Despite some initial concern that the festival might cater somewhat narrowly to young girls, that turned out to not be the case as families of all shapes and sizes swarmed Main Street in year one to check it out and the event has grown in size every year since.

And it doesn't just draw kids, either, as it's not uncommon to see teens and adults even get dressed up in fantasy costumes and enjoy strolling Main to check out the activities and booths.

This year, Main Street Manager Kristen Johnson has a waiting list of vendors who signed up too late to get in as this year's festival will fill up the entirety of Main Street between Rush and Mitchell streets, as offshoots on East William and West William and West Rush Street in front of City Hall. Oh, and there will be stuff in the downtown pocket park, too.

"We’ll have a couple extra unicorns this year," Johnson said as she started to list off a variety of attractions. "We’ve got a strolling magician this year which is new. Tinkerbell will be back. ... We’ve got a lot more food vendors this year, nine food vendors. We’ve got a lot more outreach activity type things, like free activities for the kids. The striped circus will be back — they weren't there last year, but they’ll be back to do their circus act in the street.

"We’re stuffing goodie bags for the first 500-600 people who come through, so we’ll have those again. The library is going to be setting up a little enchanted fairy village in front of Hosler, fake grass and fairy tents," Johnson said.

She then dove to the festival map, which when she last sent it out to participants on April 26 had 102 vendors signed up. Even earlier this week, she was trying to figure out if it would be possible to squeeze in a foam party guy, who could maybe fill up a parking lot or other space with bubbly foam for kids to play in.

What else can you find at this year's fairy fest? Here's a very non-exhaustive list: tie dye items; crocheted fairies, sprites and dragons; free stickers and fairy dust; knit headbands; handmade jewelry; "unicorn" drinks; dolls and fairy gardens; handmade bows, headwraps and accessories; soaps, oils, bath bombs and all kinds of toiletries; temporary henna art tattoos; rock painting; children's books; mystery boxes; crystal carvings; face painting and balloon art; and more, more, more.

None of that even includes the streetside performances, story time with Tinkerbell, dance shows in the pocket park and new opportunities for youngsters to get up and close and person with a police car, fire engine and ambulance.

And, lastly, the Strand Theatre will host a free screening of the 1986 fantasy musical "Labyrinth" starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly.

The festival can't grow any more, not unless the city opens up another block or two in the future.

"I’ve had a few vendors drop off and I have such a long waiting list I’ve filled them up like," snap, Johnson said as she snapped her fingers for effect.

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