Applied engineering senior Katy Winkler organized the event as the UAB’s outreach and inclusion coordinator. After helping put on the event last year, Winkler wanted to bring it back after seeing how much students enjoyed it.

“I just wanted to provide a space for students on campus who might not have access to get to the Renaissance Fair this year to come and enjoy something that would just bring that little piece of whimsy or magic,” Winkler said.

The Spartan Ren Faire was designed as a quest, with students completing different activities throughout the gardens. MSU Paint Club offered face painting and crafts, while the Horticulture Gardens hosted a flower crown activity. Students could also explore the gardens and find informational signs along the way. Those who completed the quest could help themselves to the charcuterie table and enter an opportunity drawing.

Winkler said moving the event from last year’s location outside the MSU Union to the Horticulture Gardens gave students a chance to explore somewhere new.

“I wanted to challenge this year, and I think the gardens would be really, really beautiful,” Winkler said.

Victoria Churchill, marketing and event manager at the Horticulture Gardens, said the partnership was also an opportunity to introduce students to the 14-acre gardens.

“One thing mentioned was how this event needs to be accessible for students, you know, free for all, and I loved that,” Churchill said.

Churchill said she wanted students to know the gardens are a resource they can use outside of events. The gardens offer space for students to study, relax or take a walk.

For some students, the Renaissance theme itself was enough to draw them in.

Astrophysics junior Megan Walters has attended the Michigan Renaissance Festival twice and said she enjoys the atmosphere, clothing and medieval-inspired style.

She found out about the MSU event through UAB’s Instagram and advertisements in the dining halls. Walters said she normally spends Friday nights at home, so the event gave her an opportunity to spend time with other people and do something different. She also enjoyed making a flower crown and exploring the gardens, which she had not visited before.

“I would love to come to another event like this, or maybe if they had other stuff like this in this area,” Walters said. “I loved the garden. It was really pretty, I didn’t know they had areas like this.”

Pawlikowska, Brent and Bowman also came to the event together after talking about going to a Renaissance fair. The three friends looked forward to seeing the costumes and voting for their favorites. Pawlikowska said they mostly put their own costumes together with things they already had.

“I think it’s like little places that you can … relax and escape reality,” Pawlikowska said.

The event brought together students who already loved Renaissance fairs and others looking for something different to do on campus.

For a few hours, the Horticulture Gardens became a place where students could step away from classes and campus routines, make something, explore a new part of campus and enjoy a little bit of Renaissance magic.