Medieval Festival 2010: Wizards and Knights Return to ‘Hood on

Emilie Pons - Sept. 30, 2010 - Hudson Heights Guide

Hudson Heights Guide: How far in advance do you start planning for the festival?

Dennis Reeder: Planning starts the day after the festival, with the coordinators compiling a list of what went well, what was missing, what didn’t work and developing corrective actions. By May, we have developed the new date, vendor contract materials, a broad outline of what we want the next year’s festival to look like, and start in earnest to identify performers, vendors, secure grant support, etc.

HHG: Any quirky factoids?

DR: Many of the performers at the earlier festivals decided to move on up to Washington Heights and Inwood after seeing the neighborhood for the first time as a performer. WHIDC originally envisioned the festival as a means to attract people to our community from throughout the region so that they could see what Washington Heights and Inwood were really like. (…) The perception of our community has changed drastically over the past 25 years and the festival is no longer needed for its original purpose. But, it has become a community institution that tens of thousands of residents and non residents alike look forward to every Fall.

HHG: Anything new this year?

Kendall Hudson: This year, Cirque-tacular will be performing an aerial show (www.cirquetacular.com). Wonderspark Puppets (www.wondersparkpuppets.com) is coming to give performance of Kid Lancelot. The International Quidditch Association (an organization promoting muggle Quidditch, the sport played by Harry Potter – www.internationalquidditch.org) will be hosting an Exhibition Match. I’m also excited to have a local theater group working with us this year: The UP Theater Company (www.uptheater.org) has put together a selection of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. There is really something for the whole family!

Medieval Festival 2010: Wizards and Knights Return to ‘Hood on Sunday!
Hudson Heights Guide