Perth’s medieval community says it’s experiencing a influx of new members wanting to turn back time, as it prepares for its biggest annual event.

The community includes people who are interested in the medieval period, including creating craft, engaging in live-action roleplay, dressing up and staging combat.

The Guildford Medieval Fayre, which takes place on Sunday, has relocated to Lilac Hill Park in Caversham to accommodate the 25,000 people expected to attend.

James Campbell has been running a school for those wishing to learn historical European martial arts since 2019.

He quit his desk job three months ago to manage the rising member base at the Ursa Major HEMA Academy.

“Obviously swords are cool and it’s a bit more exciting than just hands and feet, but what’s underneath is a drive to help people improve their lives,” he says.

Originally running two weekly sessions in local parks for around 20 people, the academy now hosts nine sessions every week in Balcatta with over 200 members.

“I think a lot of people here come for the swords, stay a little bit for the exercise, but definitely hang around for the chaos and the things we talk about,” says academy member liaison Jacinta Critchley.

‘Brews and Brainworms’ podcast host James Nicholas says the live action role-playing, or larping, scene has seen massive growth since he moved to Perth in 2019.

“When I came here, I think the biggest LARP running at the time was getting maybe 150 to 200 people….the most recent game I went to had a little over 400,” he says.

Mr Nicholas says larping is “just like any other hobby,” and is all about the social element, where worlds have their own systems of politics, economics, religion and even academies for younger ‘larpers’.

“We’re a really inclusive community—inclusive of diversity and culture—and I love being part of this community because inclusivity is really important to me and my personal values,” he says.

He says the upcoming medieval fayre is also a great place to buy traditional crafts from small WA-based creators, instead of overseas suppliers.

Jewellery store owner Alexis Gabrielle, who will be selling at the Guildford Fayre for the third year in a row, says the first fayre she attended felt more packed than Perth’s Royal Show.

She says she started her brand Gabrielle and Bee to fill a medieval gothic-shaped gap in the market.

“My biggest fear was no one’s gonna like it, there must be a reason no one’s done it, and then I started selling out,” she says.

President of the Perth Medieval and Renaissance Group Glen McKnight says the rise of medieval culture can be linked to two factors; TV shows such as Game of Thrones and the resurgence of the tabletop roleplay game, Dungeons and Dragons.

He also believes growing dissatisfaction with contemporary life and technology is pushing more people to explore the medieval community.

“I really do think that as our personal lives get harder and get worse, people are going to continue looking for an escape,” he says.

“Whether it’s about crafts, combat or some other kind of reenactment, they’re all activities which allow people to connect directly with what they’re doing, or directly with each other in a way modern society is consistently pushing us away from.”

“We see this corporate push towards AI and a backlash against it because it’s not only something which deprives humanity of our artistic expression, but from our fundamental ways of connecting with each other—something really inherent to who we are as a species, and something we need.”