Note that SLurl to the Fairelands are listed at the end of this article, rather than being embedded in the text.
The largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, Fantasy Faire 2021, opened its gates to fairelanders at 12:00 SLT on Thursday, April 22nd, and will remain open through until Sunday May 9th, 2021 inclusive, once again raising money for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society’s efforts to bring about a World Without Cancer.
As with previous years, 2021 will see a wide range of activities and events taking place through until Sunday, May 2nd, including the LitFest, DJ and live performances, auctions, role-play opportunities, and more – all of which will culminate in the The Final Shindig a four-hour jamboree intended to give as many people as possible the chance to drop in and celebrate the Faire’s success. After this, the regions will remain open for people to visit and enjoy sans on-going activities, allowing them to enjoy the the shopping and the regions themselves – although some activities will also continue through the final week as well.
Fantasy Faire 2021 this year encompasses 16 shopping regions devoted to the best in fantasy creations and four event regions. As is usual, the best place to start a visit is Fairelands Junction. From here visitors can access all of the shopping regions via the portals, and also visit the memorial area and the worldlings – region designs that didn’t make it into this year’s event.
The regions designs for this year are another enticing mix of realms designed by familiar Faire names such as Kayle Matzerath, Sharni Azalee, Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont, Dumpling and Solas Enchantment, Alia Baroque, Kilik Lekvoda, returning designers such as Beq Janus and Elizabeth Jarvinen, and names new to the Faire, working either on their own or in partnership with others.
You can find a full list of the regions, their designers and principal sponsors here, while those wishing to shop can see what stores are where within the Fairelands realms via the Fantasy Faire Shopping Catalogue.
Events and Activities Highlights
Fantasy Faire 2021 will again be filled with events and activities, with music from DJs focused on the the deck of the Fairechylde as she lies moored in the Dark Awakening, while performances of theatre, dance and more will be on offer alongside the Faire’s art displays in Paer Thura. Dedicated schedules are available for both DJ parties and live performances are now available, so keep your eye on them as well.
LitFest 2021
The LitFest will this year be based at Líng xiāo lóng 灵霄龙. The Litfest is a special place where the magic of the spoken word will weave tales of wonder, relate stories of great adventure and daring; where talks by authors, discussions, creative writing sessions and performances will all take place. In addition, literary hawks and writers will be encouraged to join daily tours of the Fairelands and afterwards compose pieces related to their travels.
The full LitFest schedule provides a run-down of activities, but here are a some highlights.
The Region Tours: taking place at either 13:00 SLT or 17:00 SLT and running from Friday, April 23rd through Sunday, May 9th, the LitFest tours offer the chance to explore the Fairelands and seeking the stories they have to tell as well as their special secret places and details. Stories can also be submitted for publication on the Fantasy Faire website, provided they are submitted within two days of each tour.
LitFest Special Guests: this year the LitFest special guests are writing partnership Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, perhaps best known for their Liaden Universe® works – and are also long-term Second Life Residents.
Over the course of their partnership, Lee and Miller have written thirty-two novels, twenty-three in their original space opera setting, the Liaden Universe®, where honour, wit, and true love are potent weapons against villainy. In addition, Sharon Lee has published three novels in the urban fantasy genre, the Crimson Trilogy (also known as the Archer Beach Trilogy).
The couple will be appearing at Fantasy Faire as follows:
- Tuesday April 27th 15:00-16:00 – Interview with Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: Sharon and Steve will talk to Saffia Widdershins about their lives, their work and the challenging of world-building in a universe that stretches for millennium.
- Friday April 30th 15:00-14:00 – Reading by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: the couple will read from their works set in the Liaden Universe® and, if there’s time, take audience questions.
For the full schedule of activities, please refer to the LitFest schedule.
Role-Play and Table-Top Gaming
2021 will once again have numerous opportunities for role-play within the Fairelands.This year the Children of Stories will return this year as the Junior Society of Extra-ordinary Explorers. The children (previously appearing as the Rickety Weasels, the Mouse Guardians, the Children of Echtra, the Lilypods, the Magpies, the Bubo Owls, and the Grizzly Cubs) will be investigating the mysterious Amethyst Rift where an ancient society of sorcerers vanished into the mists one day.
In addition:
- There will also be regular Meet ’n’ Greets with the NeoVictoria Project. These are out-of-character events where players from the NeoVictoria community will be available to discuss the project, the story-world and how to get involved. For more information read more here.
- Role-play classes will be available for those new to role-play in Second Life. Again, details can be found here.
- Table-top games have been a part of Fantasy Faire 2018, and will again a part of activities – check the game page for details.
And There’s More
And don’t forget the live auction, the silent auction, jail and bail, the Fairelands Quest: The Language of Birds, the first part of which opens on Monday, April 26th.
Keep Abreast of Everything
There are many ways of keeping up to speed with events and activities at the Fairelands:
- Join the Fantasy Faire in-world group (just search for Fantasy Faire Fans under Groups)to get up-to-the minute notifications whilst logged-in to Second Life.
- Keep abreast of all things Fantasy Faire via the Fantasy Faire Website.
- For an A-to-Z of shopping, see the complete Shopping Catalogue.
- For a complete schedule of everything that’s going on, check the Fantasy Faire 2021 events calendar.
- For a schedule of activities by event type, then follow these links:
Fantasy Faire 2021 SLurls
Shopping:
- A’Dracunas (Luna Barak and Alrunia Ahn)
- The Amethyst Rift (Nix Marabena)
- The Cerulean Bombora (Region by Saiyge Lotus, Bee Dumpling & Solas Enchantment)
- Featherfall (Kayle Matzerath)
- Isles of Tarrin (Teager, Ketsui Naidoo and Monstaar)
- J’Adoube (Sharni Azalee)
- Khol Dracys (Wanders Nowhere)
- Mithlumen (Amethyst Ytelde and Scarlet Fey)
- Ostara (Beq Janus and Elizabeth Jarvinen)
- Peaville Goes Nuts (Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont)
- Scrimshaw Warrens (Lrriven)
- Somniatoris Arx (Walton F. Wainwright and Victor Eton)
- Tempest Bay (Bee Dumpling and Solas Enchantment)
- Valhalla (Alia Baroque)
- The Wandering Woods (Kilik Lekvoda)
- Yin Yang (Takuya Jinn)
Entertainment, Performances, Etc:
- Fairelands Junction (Saiyge Lotus) – portals, worldlings and memorial area.
- The Dark Awakening (May Piggins) – parties, gachas, Silent Auction
- Líng xiāo lóng 灵霄龙 (Fiona Fei) – LitFest
- Paer Thura (Lilia Artis, Silas Merlin and Haveit Neox) – Arts and Entertainment
- The Seventh Valley (Gidgette Adagio)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 