The upcoming Hudson Valley Spring Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, May 15-16 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Cantine Field in Saugerties, is organized by Mystik Bazaar Events. “This really will be like a Renaissance Fair,” organizer Cheryl Olsen said. Olsen and partner Courtney Beck have organized festivals in Kingston and Saugerties over the past few years, with a Pirate Festival last year and a Summer Solstice Renaissance Faire in 2019, both at Cantine Field.
Among the features will be an original play, which Olsen wrote, loosely based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “We left most of the human characters out of it, so it’s more fairies and stuff like that,” said Olsen. “And we added pirates and mermaids, so it’s kind of like Neverland meets Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The show, which will go on continuously through the fair, will include jousters, belly dancers, pirates and more, Beck said. “My performers are all volunteers — they’re family and friends who are actually learning how to be actresses and actors and we also have paid performers.
“We open next weekend at Cantine again, she said. “I have gotten all my help early. I have a permit to serve alcohol because we do have a pub there in the big pavilion. They can consume alcohol while they are under the pub; they can’t take it out,” Olsen said. Food will also be available.
Olsen said she will have security staff and an EMT at the site.
Olsen’s shop, Mystik Bazaar, is located in the Simmons Plaza on Route 9W in Saugerties. The shop specializes in wedding clothes and accessories, but sells a mix of crystals, books and other decorative and occult objects. The store also carries crafts and candles made by Olsen’s partner and her daughter does tarot readings at the shop. Much of the stock, as well as costumes and sets for the festivals, are now stored in two storage lockers.
Weddings themed for historical periods are becoming popular, and “I do weddings for all centuries,” Olsen said. “When I renewed my vows with my husband, we did a 13th-century Scandinavian event.”
The store was previously in Tech City in Kingston. They were evicted when the management found a business that would pay a higher rent and the store moved to Simmons Plaza.
Olsen has been involved with festivals in New Paltz, Woodstock and other venues. “I’ve been doing this for 35 years, so I can make anything,” she said of the costume and prop creations.
Running a festival in the age of Covid is not easy, with the need for masking and separation. The actors are at least ten feet from the audience. Performances will take place on two main stages and there will be performers all over the place, Olsen said. Most of the actors are volunteers. “We feed them and we give them four free tickets to come in.”
Admission is $10 for each day of the fair. Tickets are available on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/d/ny—saugerties/festivals/
For additional information, email Mystikbazaarevents@gmail.com.
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