Our first year at WildeRealm Fest was everything we hoped for and more. Here's a quick chronicle of every adventure, every mile, and every magical moment from the week.
Thursday: The Portal Opens
The portal of the WildeRealm opened for the very first time.
We woke at first light, made our opening day post, and got straight to work finishing what the rain had delayed the day before, marking off the remaining parking, camping, and vendor spaces. The grounds were coming together. The WildeRealm was becoming real.
We raced the wind to get the last tent up, and we won, barely. It was standing just in time.
Then the magic began. Our Welcome Tent, our vendors tents were not fully set up, and Quest Board were not ready in time for gates open...but the magic still sparked.
Our MC Cal Faer took the stage and set the tone for everything that followed, around 3pm. Aria Lavish delivered an incredible first performance, and the energy in the gathering space was electric. We thought we could push through one more act, Vera Va Voom was ready, but the wind had other plans.
We turned around and saw it: our brand new welcome tent was coming apart.
Every single one of us dropped what we were doing and ran. We fought to hold it together, to protect what we could; because out here, shade isn't a luxury, it's a battle. The sun is its own kind of adversary.
Several vendor tents didn't survive the wind. Wares were jostled, scattered, and shaken, but not a single item was damaged. We regrouped, moved vendors and guests closer to the stage where there was more shelter, and worked together to find solutions. One vendor made the hard call to pack up due to tent damage, and we completely understood. Everyone else? They stayed.
Our author's tent was destroyed. We found new shade, new shelter, and kept going. Our immersive performer, Whisper's immersive installation was destroyed, just as was created...It was heartwarming and heartbreaking to experience.
There were a few hours of chaos. A few tears. A few deep breaths.
A band that weathered the storm, blocked all contact, packed up without a word, and left...We thought it was for a store run, but later we realized that they left entirely without communicating......
And then, we started again.
By the time the wind settled, the entertainment was back in full swing. Local authors Coffin Corner and K4NTrip brought their worlds to life. Varg the Barzouki Bard filled the air with something ancient and alive. Kat the Novel Nomad wove stories that made you want to stay forever. And more performers, more magic, more moments that reminded us exactly why we built this.
WildeRealm had 1 author, over 10 Colorado musicians, and handcrafted vendors from across the region. It wasn't a perfect day. But it was a real one, full of grit, community, and the kind of resilience that only shows up when people truly believe in something.
The portal was open. And nothing — not wind, not weather, not a collapsed tent — was going to close it.