The Netherlands - Elfia Fantasy Fair @ De Haar Castle, Utrecht

If my friend did not invite me to Elfia Fantasy Fair, I would not be able to go there because the castle is not reachable by public transport. I think most people came by car; I didn't see a single bike around. Although its official name is Fantasy Fair, you could also say that this is a medieval fair.

The entry ticket cost 25 euros. Which I think is worth the money, considering that the castle and the surrounding area was pretty enormous.

It's faster to buy the ticket on the day that you come as compared to buying them online, but apparently these tickets could get sold out if you came a bit later. I'm not sure when is the best time to come, but we came at around 11 and it was okay. If you came a little bit earlier, the traffic would to enter the castle grounds would not be so bad.

At first I was quite hesitant to put on my turquoise wig, cosplaying as Hatsune Miku, but I was glad I did. Otherwise, I would look weird :)

There were Stormtroopers, teams from Umbrella Corporation (Resident Evil), elves, wizards, knights, orcs, vampires, pirates, prince, princesses, kings, queens, lords, ladies, angels, demons...

And what I found really cool is that I could see people from a really wide age range. People who seem 50 years old and above dressed up in full gears. And I can't imagine how many years have they been participating in this medieval-themed fair, or how long and how much did they spend on their costumes!

Aside from the conventional medieval costumes with real iron shields, chain mail, leathers, helmets, etc., there were quite a number of people cosplaying as well.

My favourite Kagamine Rin cosplay. She's just so cute!!

You can just walk around or sit down at the main garden to see people dressed up in various gorgeous costumes. Or, you can also check out the booths. Some of them sell accessories, leathers, armors, swords, garments, dresses, ornaments, books, arts and crafts... they have everything you could imagine related to medieval and fantasy life.

Oh, and most armors, gears, shields and swords were real. They're super heavy!

 The overall atmosphere was brilliant. It was as if you were taken to a different dimension.

 And it's of course not complete without FOOD!

Most of the food sold at this fair is from medieval times, although you can find fish and chips, too. Well, maybe they eat fish and chips in medieval England. 

This turkey with yogurt sauce in bread was one of the most famous food here. They warmed the bread so it's crispy, and then it's stuffed with salad, onion, yogurt sauce, spiced turkey meat and then topped with yogurt sauce again. Cayenne pepper is optional. It's really tasty!

Occasionally, there were also performances like medieval bands, sword fighting demo and live action role playing (LARP).

It was a very cool fair! I wish I didn't wear high heels. We were there for about 4 hours, and at the end of the day, my legs were fairly cramped. Oh, and I fell once, too. Walking on grassy, uneven paths with pointy heels is never too enjoyable :')

Selfie time!

I'd love to come back again if I have the chance, and this time WITHOUT HEELS.

The castle itself is open throughout the year, but sometimes it's booked for events. Apparenty, you can also visit the castle any time during its opening hours. Check out the castle's website here :)

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