Faerie Fest is calling all faeries, pirates, superheroes and princesses -- of all ages -- for a day of free fun this Sunday at Rockwood Park.
New Castle County’s fourth annual Faerie Fest at Rockwood Park & Museum is set for noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, with a raindate of the following Sunday, Sept. 25.
“The Faerie Fest is a great day of free fun and creativity with costume parades, museum tours, crafts and all kinds of entertainment,” County Executive Thomas P. Gordon said. “It’s a perfect day out for families, especially with young children.”
Popular features include face-painting, story time, children’s museum tours and bubbles, along with the Tinkertown and Pixieland activity areas.
The Delaware Children’s Theater will preview its production of “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” which opens Oct. 1, and other performers include the Wilmington Drama League, Wilmington Ballet Academy of the Dance and Delaware Arts Conservatory.
New this year, guests will be able to meet Tiny and Nugget, the twin baby goats that are the newest arrival in the Kids Corral at the county’s Carousel Park & Equestrian Center, along with other animals including the popular Harry the Tortoise, bunnies and alpacas. Also new are bounce houses in fairy castle and pirate hideout themes.
Special guests include the Faerie Queen and other magical visitors.
Food trucks will offer a variety of snacks and beverages and a market area will feature vendors with fairy-theme items, costume accessories, fantasy merchandise and other goodies.
The event’s signature competition is the Faerie House and Gnome Home Building Contest.
Individuals and families may register for the contest at the park’s South Lawn, with a $10 registration fee covering materials for building the miniature, forest-style houses. No materials may be brought from home.
Judging will be at 3 p.m. with prizes for the top three entries and honorable mention. Prizes will be held at the museum for winners who already left the event.
Participants may take home their entries after 3:30 p.m.
Costume parades start at half-past the hour through 3:30 p.m. Children’s tours of the museum will be given on the hour through 3 p.m. Enchanted Story Time will have readings at quarter past the hour through 3:15 p.m.
Performances start at noon by the Wilmington Drama League, with the Wilmington Ballet Academy of the Dance at 12:35 and 2:35 p.m., Delaware Children’s Theater preview of “Disney’s The Little Mermaid: at 12:55 and 2:55 p.m., Delaware Arts Conservatory at 1:35 and 3:35 p.m.
For GPS, the address of Rockwood Park & Museum is 4651 Washington Street Extension, Wilmington, DE 19809.
As with many activities hosted throughout the New Castle County parks system, free admission and activities at Faerie Fest are made possible through the support of New Castle County government, the New Castle County Council, the county’s Department of Community Services, the county’s Department of Special Services and the generosity of donors including a variety of businesses and private individuals.