Central Florida's Viking Festival

The Viking Age
Comes to Florida

Living history, Norse combat, and community coming to Lake County, FL.

November 2027 Lake County Fairgrounds Eustis, Florida
Financial Model

The Opportunity

A Proposal for the Education Foundation

The loss of the Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire left a gap in the regional festival calendar. DPC Studio proposes Florida Viking Fest as a world-class cultural event for Central Florida, presented by the Education Foundation of Lake County.

Year 1, November 2027, is targeted for the Lake County Fairgrounds in Eustis, FL.

Florida Viking Fest is structured as a mobile encampment: Norse-era tent structures, a working forge, field stages, and a market that can be set up on 3–8 acres almost anywhere. The format travels; the audience grows.

As a nonprofit initiative, FVF unlocks grant funding and school partnerships that give this festival structural advantages no commercial promoter can replicate.

The Full Story

Year 1 Venue — Lake County Fairgrounds

Lake County Fairgrounds site map — Eustis, FL

2101 County Road 452, Eustis, FL 32726  ·  352-357-9692

The Experience

Six Zones. One Mobile Encampment.

Florida Viking Fest is organized around six immersive zones — each a distinct experience within the larger festival.

Combat Field

Viking combat demonstrations, HEMA sword fighting, and shield wall battles. Where history becomes living action.

Craft Village

Norse-era artisan demonstrations: blacksmithing, leatherwork, weaving, woodcarving — the labor of the Viking Age made visible.

Mead Hall

Food, drink, Norse music, skald performances, and communal feasting — the social heart of the Viking world, brought to Central Florida.

Performers

Main entertainment stage: Norse mythology, live storytelling, skaldic poetry, and performances that honor the tradition of the saga.

Learning Longhouse

Educational programming, hands-on history workshops, and school-facing curriculum. The grant-eligible heart of Florida Viking Fest.

Artisans & Vendors

Artisan vendors, Norse-themed goods, and handcrafted merchandise. Curated for authenticity — this is not a souvenir stand.

Viking Age combat demonstrations — live historical martial arts at Florida Viking Fest

The Strategic Case

Why Viking. Why Now. Why Here.

Grant-Eligible
Nonprofit status unlocks Florida Humanities Council, Title IV-A, and county TDC grants unavailable to any commercial operator.
No Competition
The closest comparable, the Florida Viking Festival in Valrico, closed in 2025. Lake County has an open field.
Portable Format
3–8 acres, not the 10–30+ a Renaissance faire needs. No fixed venue dependency.
Ready Audience
A large, established living history community with no dedicated regional festival. FVF is built to serve it.
The Festival Idea

The Ask

We're Seeking EFLC's Partnership

Florida Viking Fest is proposed as a new annual cultural event for Lake County — presented under the Education Foundation's nonprofit umbrella, with an educational mission at its core. We're asking for the Foundation's partnership to bring this to Lake County in November 2027.

Discuss the Proposal View the Financial Model