Swords, knights and hundreds of family and community members were all present on Grand Valley State University’s campus for the 20th annual Renaissance Faire.

The event, put on in association with the GVSU Shakespeare Festival and the annual Family Weekend, began occurring at GVSU in 1995. The annual festivities have been taking place longer than the lives of most underclassmen students currently attending GVSU.

“The Renaissance Faire group at GVSU puts on the fair every year,” said LeeAnn Tibbe, Office of Student Life associate director. “With this being their 20th anniversary, the group is most definitely one of the longer lasting groups at Grand Valley. The Olde World Music Club also has participated in some of the fairs in the past.”

The Office of Student Life helps host Family Weekend and other student-focused events.

“Many people who follow and travel along with Renaissance fairs attend this event as well,” Tibbe said.

Participants gathered on the west lawn of the Kirkhof Center to sell goods, watch stage performances and interact with those in attendance. Vendors included those selling clothing, jewelry, candles, woodcarvings, weaved goods, food and drinks and dulcimers, a musical instrument with a sounding board or box associated with the Renaissance time period.

“The different woven materials and jewelry that were sold at the fair were very unique to the event,” said Julia Clay, a freshman who attended the event with her family.

In addition to the wide array of vendors present at the event, there were many family-oriented activities available throughout the duration of the fair. Some of the festivities included face painting, Renaissance-style dancing and arts and crafts.

There were minstrels, bagpipers and sword-fighting demonstrations took place throughout the festival to add to the overall historic theme of the fair. This year’s fair also included a fire breather and a comedy act.

This year’s Greenshow, a performance by popular Renaissance Dress performers, featured “The Jack Juggler.” The organizers of the Shakespeare Festival said the Greenshow is a short, entertaining, interactive, English Renaissance piece.

Other entertainment this weekend included: Robyn the Bard, Rufus the Dufus, I’d Like to Buy an Eye, Court, Belly Dancing Club, Nessa, Her Majesty’s Royal Guard and Swords of Valor.