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Board grants multi-year mass-gathering permit for Canterbury Renaissance Fair
Summary
Marion County approved a multi-year mass-gathering permit for Whitewind Productions LLC to hold the Canterbury Renaissance Fair for two weekends per year over the next three years, with a county planning staff recommendation and sheriff's office confirmation that past traffic and access issues had been addressed.
The Marion County Board of Commissioners approved a mass-gathering permit for Whitewind Productions LLC (case 25-002) for the Canterbury Renaissance Fair at its meeting on Jan. 28, 2026.
John Speckman of Marion County Planning described the application and the applicable code sections (Marion County Code 9.25 for mass gatherings, 17.136 for exclusive farm use zones, and 17.119 for conditional uses). He said large mass gatherings are defined in county code as assemblies of more than 3,000 persons and that the applicant proposed up to 5,000 persons over two weekends in July; staff reported no traffic complaints from the 2025 fair and recommended approval.
Nancy White, the event organizer, said the fair is in its 18th year but effectively the 16th year since COVID interruptions, and she told the board she chose not to pursue a third weekend this year because "the economy is so weird, and I just felt like it was a risk I didn't wanna take." She described improvements in parking and traffic management and said last year was the smoothest show she had run.
Jason Bernards of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said the issues that prompted prior restrictions have been largely addressed and that the sheriff's office and event staff have worked to ensure deputies can access the property when needed.
A motion to approve the mass-gathering permit for two weekends over the next three years was made, seconded and approved by the board. The public hearing was closed at the end of the action.
