Faeries of the Forest Fest brings a little whimsy to Elgin

Two sets of identical twin musical artists are headlining the third annual Faeries of the Forest Festival on July 25 in South Elgin.

The Harp Twins are Camille and Kennerly Kitt, professional harpists who perform heavy metal and rock hits. Dromil and Dromal Volfgang are drummers and heavy metal performers.

Both will take the stage during the daylong event from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Vasa Park. The first hour is sensory friendly before activities formally kick off at 11 a.m. with an opening ceremony, fest board President Valerie Notarnicola said.

The Faeries of the Forest Festival has taken up the mantle of the World of Faeries Festival, which ran for 19 years and ended in 2023. A small band of fans, who now make up the board, recognized the value of and the need for whimsy and staged the first fest in 2024, Notarnicola said. About 600 people attended.

“We were running it on hopes and dreams at that point, just hoping it didn’t crash and burn,” she said. “Three years later, we are fully staffed with board members, and we have at least 20 volunteers for our kids’ classes and on-the-ground volunteers.”

Last year’s attendance was about 900, and they’re hoping to exceed that number this year, she said. The draw of the Harp Twins and the Volfgang Twins should help.

“They have a pretty big following,” Notarnicola said.

Camille and Kennerly Kitt, who have bachelor’s degrees in Harp Performance from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, frequently perform in the Chicago area.

They have 15 self-produced albums and are best known for their arrangements of metal and rock hits by artists like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Pink Floyd and others. They’ve toured the world and have amassed more than 2.5 million followers across social media platforms.

Heavy metal musicians the Volfgang Twins perform on the double tribal/Viking drums at their live shows. Their quartet released an album of original material in 2025 called “Ice Storm.”

The Faeries of the Forest Festival is a nonprofit operation, with a goal of being community-driven and giving back to the towns and their partners, Notarnicola said. The mission is to provide a Renaissance-fair experience that brings people together while supporting local businesses and providing whimsical entertainment and engaging programming, she said.

“We have the person that runs Kids Quest (who is going to) introduce a new creature,” she said. “We are partnering with Belegarth, a live-action role-play combat sport, to host their day event.”

Combatants from the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society will engage in a full-day event called Invasion of the Veilwood.

Kids Quest activities will happen all day as well.

“She gets all her fae actors and they have different courts that are spread across Vasa Park and they have little activities. All day, we are going to have entertainment,” Notarnicola said.

“They’re geared towards kids, but realistically people of all ages can participate. By going through all the different courts, (participants) get a keychain this year. At the end of the quest, there is the final step, which is where the participants are going to be able to stamp their own piece of leather with the Faeries of the Forest Festival logo.”

About a half dozen food trucks and food vendors are booked, and attendees are allowed to bring in their own food and drinks (no alcohol is allowed.)

One of the highlights will be the Woodland Market, with 75 vendors selling handcrafted pieces, art, jewelry and other items, Notarnicola said.

“We also will have a tea party with little baked goods, and the Fairy Godmother who runs that will have story time with the kids,” she said.

Workshops with crafts and other activities are also part of the fest, she said.

“We market it as family-friendly. You can bring your little infants to your elderly grandparents,” she said. “We try to make sure there is something for people of all ages to do.”

A few entertainers will be wandering the grounds, including a fire act, a body painter and a roaming bard.

The fest is designed to be affordable for families, she said. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for ages 5 to 18, and free for kids under 5 and seniors 65 and over. They can be purchased in advance at faeriesoftheforest.square.site or at the gate. Parking is free.

“I think people should attend the Faerie of the Forest Festival to connect with the community, to celebrate imagination and creativity, and to just be immersed in the experience of a Renaissance fair that is for families and for people who want to be connected,” Notarnicola said.

“Our community supports artists and performers, and I think it’s absolutely wonderful to continue to see this grow because it is something I want families and people to experience. … I want it to be the highlight of somebody’s summer.”

• Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.