The 2023 fiscal year saw the Medieval Fair Department return to full functionality. The Medieval Fair Free Lectures Series, a collaboration with the University of Oklahoma Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, was presented in a hybrid live stream format on Zoom and in person at the Central Norman Public Library. Offering this series in a hybrid format continues to help the department reach a larger and more diverse audience.

This past year's presentations were “Assassinating the Medici: Violence as Political Protest” by Professor Jane Wickersham of the OU History Department, “Scrapbooking in the 15th Century: Or How to Play the Game of Love” by Visiting Assistant Professor at O.S.U., Cindy Rogers, Anne Askew, Henry "VII's Last Martyr” by Professor Rilla Askew of the OU English Department, “Stunners': How Victorian England Fell for the Middle Ages” by Professor Allison Palmer of the OU Art History Department, “The Invention of Romance: The Medieval Plot That Created Modern Love” by Professor Joyce Coleman of the OU English Department, “Barbarians, and Romans, and Jews – Oh My! Imagining Gaul in the Early Middle Ages” by Professor Jon Arnold of the University of Tulsa History Department, and “Singing the Crusades in the Medieval West” by Professor Jennifer Saltzstein and Dr. Nathan Dougherty of the OU Musicology Department. This lecture series fulfilled its goal of making university-level knowledge accessible to the general public.

On February 4th, 2023, the Medieval Fair Ball returned in grand style at the Molly Shi Boren Ballroom of the Oklahoma Memorial Union. University Catering received rave reviews for their outstanding job on the custom medieval buffet menu, including a vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup, Armored Turnips, and a Caneline Beef Pie whose currents and berries surprised many taste buds. Audience participation was high, and the ballroom floor was filled to capacity as Jeremy Lang and his assistants taught medieval and renaissance style dances to music provided by the Unpronounceable Irish Band. Learning, community building, and fun was had by all.

The Medieval Fair Cast Training Program was built upon past successes and continued to grow and improve. The all-volunteer cast had some leadership changes as cast director Cody Clark retired, and Nico Penic accepted the mantle and stepped up to the task. The changes were few and subtle, and the transition went very smoothly. Several new cast members with other skills were great additions to the team.

Two individuals joined after discovering us through the Medieval Fair Ball; one became this year's poster artist, and the other assisted tremendously with sewing skills and the creation of costuming. We were able to add doing the knighting ceremony in Spanish thanks to native Spanish speakers teaching the cast some language and portraying new characters King Pedro I of Castille and Maria de Padilla. We again offered a Zoom option from the very beginning to accommodate cast members who might have had to quarantine or had transportation issues and could not attend the in-person rehearsals or sewing workshops. The cast participated in SoonerCon and the Norman Mardi Gras Parade leading up to the Fair. After nearly six months of preparation, everything came together smoothly, and the cast performance was amazing and exceptionally creative this year. Several hundred children of all ages, a dragon, a ring-tailed lemur, and even a cat, were knighted this year.

And lastly, the crown jewel, the reason for the existence of the Medieval Fair Department and all these other programs. The Medieval Fair of Norman returned to an almost completed Reaves Park the first weekend of April. Unlike last year, the entirety of Reaves Park could be utilized for the Fair, and no road closures or use of unimproved University property was necessary. Although construction was completed and the official ribbon cutting was held one week before Medieval Fair, the landscaping was not finished. This unfinished landscaping resulted in some rearranging of the festival map and problematic dust issues. Still, vendors and performers made the best of the changes and dust issues and helped make it work. Please don't get too comfortable with where everything was this year because it will likely change again!

The weather presented some challenges this year. On the first day of the Fair, weather forecasters advised people to stay home to avoid hazards caused by predicted high winds, such as falling trees and power lines. Norman was not hit as hard as some other areas in the Metroplex.  Still, on Friday afternoon, continuous wind gusts up to 70 mph took out many tents, a baronial throne, and 23 portable restrooms.  Fortunately, none of the portable restrooms were occupied during their flight. Saturday weather was idyllic, and the crowds were there to enjoy the spectacle and unique Medieval Fair experience! Lamentably, Sunday brought more weather challenges though not as severe as Friday. Nearby lightning caused the Fair to close for about an hour starting at 4:30, and not all of the crowd returned when the Fair reopened after the weather had moved away.

It is estimated that 210,000 people attended the Medieval Fair over three days. The vendors and performers from out of town generated 613 hotel night stays in Norman. Nearly 1.7 million dollars was spent at Reaves Park during Medieval Fair. Next year's Medieval Fair is scheduled for April 5, 6 & 7, 2024.