All Hallows Fantasy Faire returns to Sonora

For an event that celebrates the dead, things will be pretty lively this weekend at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora.

The sixth annual All Hallows Fantasy Faire returns to the foothills today and Sunday with a Celtic New Year fete that features everything from scary creatures to live music to Viking warriors to illusionists, food, a marketplace and more.

And just to add a spark to the weekend, there also will be a fire-breathing dragon and the burning of the Wicker Harvest Man.

Live music will be provided by Wicked Tinkers, who will headline this year with their tribal Celtic sound; the Black Irish Band, which plans to offer up pirate shanties; and the Gator Nation Band, with dance party music that combines Louisiana Cajun and zydeco with a touch of New Orleans funk. The group Danse Macabre will be on parade throughout the weekend, performing its own brand of the “Dance of the Dead.”

For more scares, “hundreds of visiting creatures and characters from favorite fairy tales and Hollywood movies will come to life,” according to a press release. Among them will be dragons, minotaurs, ghost pirates, skeletons, witches, animals, vampires, zombies, fairies, trolls, “Star Wars” stormtroopers, Beetlejuice and more.

The centerpiece of the festival is the Celtic Village Marketplace, with streets and a town center where many activities will take place. Highlights of the village include more than 50 vendors and craftspeople showcasing their work and a food court with a variety of traditional and modern food. Also in the village is the Slaughtered Lamb Tavern, featuring ales, beers and other adult beverages.

Festivalgoers are encouraged to arrive in costume, and there will be a costume contest tonight, along with the burning of the Wicker Harvest Man – a wicker statue said to have been used as a sacrifice by the ancient Druids.

This story was originally published October 24, 2014 at 2:00 AM with the headline "All Hallows Fantasy Faire returns to Sonora."