Swords swinging, Danielsville’s 4F Renaissance Festival is back. It’s a fairly new festival, family run and chock-full of Southern charm. So if you’re looking for community, somewhere to celebrate your craft or just some good ol’ fashion fun, mark your calendar for any weekend in April or September. Festival founder Ace Callahan, father of six, will be there with his family to give you a warm Southern “howdy.”
“Everybody’s welcome here,” Callahan told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a country boy, if you’re 80 years old or eight months old, there should be something here for you to enjoy and enhance your day.”
LARPers, historical reenactors, smithies, cowboys, curious Atlanta travelers — the 4F Renaissance Festival welcomes all who celebrate fun and art in any form, promising a safe space of acceptance where people are celebrated. Simply put, when you’re there, you’re family.
“He stands at the trading post and talks to people, or he sits in his chair,” his wife, Tanya, explained that Callahan often greets guests in person. “He talks to people and he’s like the king. He doesn’t really do a lot [more on that later]. His personality makes the renaissance (festival). He gets into character and he treats everybody as if they’re family when they walk in the door.”
For family and community
Callahan “went down” in 2019. He suffered five heart attacks, including three widowmaker heart attacks, and received six stents. In 2023, he had two more heart attacks and another nine stents. The lower left portion of his heart is now completely dead. In need of a heart transplant, it’s been a hard struggle for survival ever since. Inspired to make his legacy, something for his family and community to enjoy for years to come, Callahan crafted the 4F Renaissance Festival.
“They don’t understand how I’m sitting around talking to people, as I need to be bedridden until I get a transplant,” he explained. “I’m like, ‘if I lay in the bed every day, I’m going to die because I’m a people person.’ I like going outside. I like being around people.”
From living in Canada to actively serving in the military, Callahan’s adult children come from across the globe to take part in the festival each year and grow the legacy. From building vendor stalls to cooking, it’s all hands on deck.
A shining review from an Atlanta local
According to Marie Bartlett, a metro Atlanta native better known on social media as the crafty costumer Historical Belle, their hard work is paying off. From Castle Fair to the Georgia Renaissance Festival, she’s visited the Peach State’s major players in fantasy fun during her travels and gives the Danielsville festival high marks.
“We had a lot of fun at the 4F Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Fair!” She told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution over email. She and her husband, Steven, visited the first festival with a friend.
“We were not sure what to expect upon arriving as it was the first year of the festival, but we knew we wanted to go, because we wanted to support a new fair in its first year,” she continued. “We like going to these types of events, so if new ones are going to start and grow, we need to support them.”
When asked, point blank, if she would suggest other Atlanta travelers visit the festival, she wrote back with a confident “yes.”
“I hope people will go and support it so that it can flourish,” she continued. “There was good entertainment, great vendors, a fun quest, and games.”
What is there to do?
Traditional renaissance, pirates and Vikings, mythical fairy tale creatures, multiverse — each weekend at the 4F Renaissance Festival revolves around a different theme. However, Callahan encourages visitors to focus more on the fun itself, however they want to express it.
LARPing is encouraged, and food and drinks will be in high supply. Crafters, demonstrators and various vendors will also be on hand. Easter Sunday will feature a dragon egg hunt for families to enjoy as well.
“Every Saturday and Sunday, we have dart throwing, knife throwing, axe throwing and archery,” Callahan said. “We have the blacksmith demonstrations.”
From the Athens School of Arms performing dueling demonstrations to storytelling puppeteers dazzling audiences, visitors are not the only ones being celebrated. It’s also a place for local artists, performers and crafters to celebrate their talents.
Either way, it’s all about community.
“There is a sense of community that develops around these events, and I think people have really been looking for ways to connect with others, especially after the pandemic isolation,” Bartlett explained. “These events generally draw like minded people, or at least people who are kind of interested in the same things that you are interested in, so it is really easy to have conversations with someone that goes beyond surface level and leads to making friends. People who go to renaissance festivals and fantasy fairs are probably at least interested a little bit in history, immersive experiences, and/or dressing up. There is also, especially at fantasy events, an element of escapism that can be refreshing and sometimes even needed in today’s world. But most importantly, we are all there to have fun.”
When and where is it? How much are tickets?
Credit: Steven Bartlett
Credit: Steven Bartlett
The 4F Renaissance Festival will be open for eight weekends in 2025: every weekend in April and September. Gates open at 10 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Admission is $15 per person at the gate, but children under 5 get in for free.
The festival grounds are at 132 Gosnell-Hutto Road, Danielsville, GA 30633.
The bottom line
The 4F Renaissance Festival is just a 90-minute drive from Atlanta, features classic Southern hospitality and a welcoming environment for all communities. It’s family fun that’s family run, and founder Ace Callahan invites all to join in.
“Come in and enjoy yourself,” he said. “Feel at home. Make yourself at home. This is what it’s all about.”
If you’re looking for a place to be accepted, for community or just plain fun, the 4F Renaissance Festival might just have the biggest heart in all of Georgia.
About the Author
Keep Reading
Featured
