Build Mysthaven: A Permanent Home for Whidbey Ren Faire
Help us transition from temporary venues to a permanent, immersive medieval-inspired village. Your support matters now more than ever as viable land on Whidbey Island is becoming increasingly scarce.
Why Your Support Matters
A permanent Mysthaven unlocks: * Greater ADA accessibility * Real privies & utilities * Comfortable walking paths * Sensory-friendly spaces * Safer parking & infrastructure * Longer event seasons * Covered seating & family care stations * Water & bottle refill stations * Campgrounds with amenities * Greater immersion & themed vendor stalls * More quests! * Better communications & logistics * Rentable cottages, cabins & lodges
Our Story
In 2023 we started with a dream that we longed to make a reality. By 2024 we welcomed our first 7800 patrons to our gates. In 2026 we hit 11.5k. Our growth has become our kryptonite...and we need a permanent home that can accommodate us safely and effectively. Meanwhile, viable land to hold an event like this on Whidbey Island is nearly gone.
For the past several years, our nonprofit has built an entire medieval village from the ground up, only to dismantle it again days later. Every season requires months of planning, temporary infrastructure, rented equipment, water solutions, sanitation, traffic plans, emergency coordination, permitting, insurance, and countless volunteer hours.
We have been incredibly fortunate to host the Faire at Beach View Farm, but that land is now entering a new chapter and will no longer be available for our continued use.
Without a new venue, Whidbey Ren Faire faces a very real choice: leave Whidbey Island or cease operating.
We do not want either outcome.
Our goal is to raise $300,000 toward the purchase and development of a permanent home for Mysthaven; a place where Whidbey Ren Faire can continue to grow and where our community can build something lasting together. And my word, do we have plans...
Become a Founder
Donors who give $100 will earn the title of "Founder" and have their name recorded in the "Ledger of Mysthaven," a memorial piece that will be commissioned and installed in the village of Mysthaven.
Activity
A permanent venue would allow us to stop rebuilding from scratch every year and instead invest in improvements that remain in place for future generations.
- Arielle Morgan, President & Founder of WRF
We envision Mysthaven with...
-improved ADA accessibility
-comfortable permanent pathways
-flushing restrooms and reliable utilities
-water fountains and refill stations
-sensory-friendly spaces
-permanent family care stations
-improved parking and safety infrastructure
-covered seating and gathering areas
-an established campground with amenities
-themed rentable vendor stalls
-immersive structures and decor
-expanded quests and interactive experiences
-cabins, cottages, and lodging opportunities
-longer event seasons and additional community events
-rentable indoor and outdoor spaces for public or private use
-Wylde Skills School hosting heritage trade workshops
-stables and arena for our animal performers
-farm to table restaurant and medieval tavern
-guild halls and sponsored art installations
-a historically inspired castle hotel
Yes, you read that correctly. A castle on Whidbey Island.
A Living History Destination
But Mysthaven is intended to become much more than the home of our annual Renaissance festival.
Our long-term vision is a living-history and arts destination featuring historic-inspired buildings, a medieval tavern, farm-to-table dining, lodging, gardens, educational programming, community events, weddings, school field trips, public tours, and other experiences rooted in history, creativity, craftsmanship, and imagination. Functionally, this location would serve as the north Whidbey fairgrounds and events center, helping to support our Island County economy through shoulder season by providing unique experiences and spaces in which to host events, big and small.
One of the projects closest to our hearts is the Wylde Skills School.
The Wylde Skills School would provide youth and adults with hands-on opportunities to learn traditional arts and practical skills that are increasingly difficult to find elsewhere. We hope to offer workshops and short programs in areas such as pottery, weaving, yarn arts, blacksmithing, leatherwork, calligraphy, illuminated manuscripts, chainmail construction, acting and improv, photography, videography, digital arts, regenerative agriculture, gardening, permaculture, seed saving, and other heritage crafts.
Our hope is not simply to entertain people, but to preserve knowledge.
When financially possible, we also want to provide scholarships for young people so that these programs can offer more than an afternoon activity. A young person may discover a craft, trade, artistic discipline, or lifelong passion that eventually becomes a source of income and purpose.
A permanent Mysthaven would also allow us to work more closely with schools and community organizations through field trips, educational programs, tours, and hands-on learning opportunities.
Whidbey Ren Faire has already shown what this community can create together. In 2026, more than 15,000 patrons joined us, with over one-third traveling more than 50 miles to attend. Hundreds of volunteers, artists, performers, vendors, sponsors, and community partners helped bring Mysthaven to life.
Now we have the opportunity to build something that does not disappear when the final tent comes down.
Every contribution to this campaign helps move us closer to securing the land, protecting Whidbey Ren Faire's future on Whidbey Island, and beginning the long-term work of building Mysthaven.
Whether you give $10, $100, $1,000, or simply share this campaign with someone who believes in the vision, you are helping us take the next step.
Someday, we hope children who visit Mysthaven will grow up and bring their own children back with them. We would love to be able to say that this community helped make that possible.
Will you become a founder of Mysthaven?