The annual Four Brothers Mead Viking events continue to capture the public’s attention, and this Saturday’s Mead on Main-A Viking Festival should be no exception, said Dan Luck, an event organizer and a Four Brothers Mead owner.
The festival is scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. behind Four Brothers Mead, 124 E. Main St., in Festus. Admission is free.
The event will include live music, demonstrations, vendors and other activities, mostly held on the city parking lot along South Second Street.
Luck said the meadery’s festivals, including the Sigurblot Norse-themed festival, draw lots of people from a wide region.
“We’re very grateful to our community for following us and helping us put this on,” he said. “Over the course of the day there are thousands who attend. I’d estimate we get 4,000 to 5,000.”
Mead on Main-A Viking Festival attendees are encouraged to dress in Viking garb, take part in the festival activities and experience all that it has to offer, Luck said.
“We’ll have the St. Louis Legion of Honor giving Viking combat demonstrations,” he said. “We have belly and fire dancers back. There are blacksmithing demonstrations.”
Luck said a new activity, a quest, will be geared to youngsters.
“It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt,” he said. “I’ll be the quest giver. They’ll get a riddle and try to find lost gem stones. It’s just a fun event, not a competition. It’s free. Anyone can do it. There are small prizes for children.”
Music performers scheduled for the main stage will be Casting Runes from noon to 3 p.m. and Tordenkor from 5:30-7 p.m.
Those to perform on the patio stage will be John Jarrett from 1-4 p.m. and Blight of Many, from 5-8 p.m.
According to the Four Brothers Mead Facebook page, Jarrett plays “rock that cuts to the bone,” Casting Runes offers “haunting melodies, sharp riffs,” Blight of Many’s music is “heavy, raw, unrelenting” and Tordenkor brings “thunderous Viking metal.”
More than 50 vendors will be on hand to sell their wares, Luck said.
“They’ll have Viking-related items and local craft items. We’ll have food trucks,” he said.
Luck noted that while the city of Festus has work underway at the south Second Street parking lot, it should not affect the Mead on Main-A Viking Festival.
Four Brothers Meadery, which makes and sells mead, often described as honey wine, received a grant from the Festus Tourism Commission to promote the festival.
For more information, visit the Four Brothers Mead Facebook page.