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The largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, Fantasy Faire 2023, opened its gates to Fairelanders at 12:00 SLT on Thursday, April 20th, 2023. It will remain open through until Sunday May 7th, 2022 inclusive, once again raising money for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) efforts to bring about a World Without Cancer. |
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As with previous years, 2023 will see a wide range of activities and events taking place at the Faire through until Sunday, April 30th, with role-play, parties, Jail & Bail, the LitFest, live performances, auctions, and more. After this, the regions will remain open for people to visit and enjoy sans on-going activities, allowing them to shop at their leisure and explore the regions in relative peace – although some activities such as the Fairelands Quest will also continue through the final week as well.
The notes below are intended to get Fairelanders old and new up-to-speed with a one-page look at the event as it opens.
If You Are New to the Faire and Other Notes
If you are new to Fantasy Faire, the many regions it encompasses can be overwhelming to the point where you might fill panicked into trying to see everything at once.. But – the Fire is here for two weeks, so you have lots of time to visit, and remember: shopping and sightseeing can be much easier once all the initial rush is over!
The best place to start a first-time visit is Fairelands Junction. From here you can reach all of the regions via the teleport portals, so it makes a good hub for exploring. You can also grab a Fantasy Faire teleport HUD from here (or at the region landing points).
You might also want to take the following suggestions:
- Keep up-to-date with the Faire and all that is going on through the official Fantasy Faire website.
- The Fairelands have their own mythology and history. If fantasy is your thing, be sure to read about the History of the Fairelands.
- For the best visual experience:
- Make sure you have Advanced Light Model (ALM) enabled in your viewer (Preferences → Graphics) – this shouldn’t hit performance too heavily on most reasonable systems (you do not have to enable Shadows).
- Make sure your viewer is set to Use Shared Environment (World → Environment) as the regions all have their own environment settings, and several have dedicated day / night cycles.
- Regions can be busy! So:
Shopping
Fantasy Faire is very much about shopping. Merchants from across SL can be found in the shopping regions, all of whom offer some of their items through official RFL of SL vendors, so that proceeds of sales go to RFL / ACS.
- The best way to find out about participating merchants and shopping is via the Fantasy Faire Shopping Catalogue and list of participating merchants.
- The Fantasy Faire website also offers updates and news on special galleries, and this will be updated throughout the Faire, so be sure to keep an eye on it!
Parties, Entertainment and Performances
The Fairechylde: DJ Events
The Fairechylde will once again be docked at the Faire, spending her time within the region Sipala and hosting DJ parties to keep Fairelanders entertained. These parties – live or via Fantasy Faire Radio – will be running right throughout the Faire, and further details can be found at:
Live Performances
Every Friday through Monday throughout the run of the Faire will be live performances by musicians, singers, dance troupes and more from across Second Life. Performances will be hosted on the Arts and Performance regions of Giraphoria and Sambeaubee, and all participating performers, acts and troupes can be found at the Live Performance Schedule.
The Fairelands Masked Ball
Fancy a more formal soiree where tuxedoes and gowns are encouraged and an air of mystery is added with eyes behind masks? Then head for the Fantasy Faire Masked Ball, with two dates to suit time zones:
- Saturday, April 29th – Noon through 14:00 SLT.
- Friday, May 5th – 18:00 through 20:00 SLT.
The Ball will take place within the Sambeaubee Arts and Performances region.
Events and Activities Highlights
Literature and Film Festivals 2023
The Literature Festival (LitFest) will this year be based at the Stump Theatre in Fungalmire, and will again offer a range of activities including tours of the Faireland regions and opportunities to write about them, together with poetry readings, open microphone readings and the LitFest theme day.
This year, our theme is anthropomorphic fiction – in other words, fiction where animals (often displaying decidedly human traits) form an important part of the narrative. This can range from Aesop’s Fables or Beowulf, to oriental legends, to well-known children’s books such as The Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Pooh and Charlotte’ Web, to the medieval tales of Reynard the Fox or the the trickster tortoise and the hare in West African tales. The Guest of Honour for 2023 is Anne Louise Avery, author of Reynard the Fox, the beautiful novel that draws upon medieval sources.
Returning for its third year at Fantasy Faire, the Film Festival features a special machinima focused event almost every day of the Faire from April 24th, at 11:00 SLT. These will include talks, discussions and retrospectives. There will also be three film premieres during the Film Festival, and the Film Festival Competition, and a chance to win a Golden Waffle.
Details of LitFest and Film Festival can be found via these links, and I’ll be previewing both shortly in these pages.
- The full LitFest Calendar – provides a run-down of activities.
- Region tours schedule – region tours are held on most days of the Faire at 13:00 and / or 17:00 SLT, offering the chance to explore the Fairelands and seeking the stories they have to tell as well as their special secret places and details.
- Film Festival page.
Role-Play Events and Activities
The Children of Stories will once again be offering a rolling role-play event during the Faire. This year the focus is on the The Gathered. Based within Flambois as they play out and explore a special storyline tied to the Fairelands.
Flambois is a school dedicated to the Fairelands itself, and has taught many illustrious alumni, but why then did these lanterns summon them to this realm if everything was alright? Strangers to this land, they will have to discover this realms stories and watch for unknown dangers and suspicious characters who may be Shadows of the Unweaver.
– from The Children of Stories
Find out more via these links:
-
- The Children of Stories Introduction (includes role-play schedule).
- About The Gathered Children of Stories
- Daily Updates on role-play progress (from April 21st)
In addition there will be a range of role-play classes for all who are new to role-play in Second Life – fined out more on the Fantasy Faire Role-Play Classes page.
Fantasy Faire Quest: The Magic of Dragons
This year’s chapter of the Fantasy Faire adventure quest series is The The Magic of Dragons. Once again the Bard Queen will call upon adventurers bold of heart to purchaser a Quest HUD (also proceeds to RFL / ACS) and follow the clues in a quest of two parts. The first opens on Monday, April 24th, and will take adventurers across the Faireland regions in search of answers. In part 2, opening on Thursday, April 27th, adventurers will be able to enter the Quest region and resolve the mystery – and receive their bounty from the Bard Queen!
You don’t have to join the Quest right from the start; prizes are for everyone who completes the adventure, and the Quest will be open right through until May 8th.
Many years ago, a realm called Nadiya was invaded by the forces of the Unweaver. Its residents defended their land so well, they drove the enemy to retreat. But sadly, their land was so damaged by the attack that it could no longer support them. They, too, were forced to leave their beloved home.
– from the introduction to the Fairelands Quest, 2023
Find out more via the Fantasy Faire Quest page.
And There’s More
Don’t forget, all the staples of Fantasy Faire will again be available, including the live auction, the silent auction and jail and bail – see the Fantasy Faire website for details on these.
So, why not dress for the occasion (or buy a Quest Deluxe HUD and dress in the outfit supplied with it!) and head on over to the Fairelands to discover what adventures and parties await?!
What’s it all About: The Beacon Initiative
In February, 2022, the American Cancer Society (ACS) began a new chapter in its global work in the care and support of those diagnosed with cancer in all its forms, with the launch of the BEACON (Building Expertise, Advocacy, and Capacity for Oncology Navigation) Initiative. In partnership with health care facilities and cancer organisations around the world, the BEACON Initiative improves support and access to care for people living with cancer in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). It supports health facilities and cancer organizations in LMICs to design, implement, and sustain their own oncology patient navigation programmes. This is accomplished through the development of materials – called the Toolkit – and a peer-learning collaborative, both of which are provided in an online format for ease of access and adaptability.
Currently BEACON is engaged in a pilot programme which encompasses ten healthcare facilities and cancer organisations across eight nations: Armenia, Brazil, Egypt, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and South Africa, with some 22 countries expressing interest in the Initiative at its launch.
Fantasy Faire has, through its work in supporting the development and operation of the Kenyatta National Hospital Hope Hostel in Kenya, has become a key player in the the development of the BEACON Toolkit, funds from the event being put into the production of two key elements within the kit: a patient and caregiver booklet and a health worker flipchart. While these materials cannot cure cancer, they will ease patients’ stress, helping them to better understand what is happening to them during their treatment, and help them to make the best choices for themselves and their loved ones .
Fantasy Faire is one of the cornerstones of our vital work. It’s an inspiring example of a global community working together to address a global challenge.
– Kristie McComb, ACS Managing Director of Global Capacity Development and Patient Support
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