Community Highlights: Meet Angela Reid of The Viking Experience

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Reid

Hi Angela, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My family and I love to go to Renaissance Faires together and were very disappointed when everything shut down during Covid. We had been part of helping a Viking Festival up in MD so we figured we would have some Viking camp outs on our property and everyone could stay within the guidelines. From that we started having Viking meet ups and building our own group. After a year we thought we were ready to start our own Viking Festival down here in NC.

My adult daughter, Hanna, and I started The Viking Experience as business partners and came up with the vision that made us unique. We were able to get the support of our county board of tourism which really helped us get started. We also had a lot of contacts from helping with the festival in MD. Every year the festival has grown. But after 3 years we had outgrown the largest venue in our county.

With the success of our business my family was able to buy 80 acres in Oxford. We have worked hard to develop it as a venue space and are hosting our festival there this year for two weekends.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has certainly been a struggle to get the wooded land we bought ready to have a festival on it. Thankfully we had built up a group of people who believed in our vision and came out to support our work. The property has become a community space creating connections that feel like family. We have only been successful because of community support.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Viking Experience Festival has all the activities that a Renaissance Faire has like great food, music, dancing, axe throwing, mead tasting, and vendors. But it also adds a unique aspect. We encourage encampments to come out, set up, and interact with the patrons. The goal being to have the patron feel like they are back in time in a Viking Village. We create a space where they can sit around the fire with others and get a break from the modern world. They are a part of the village and not just watching a show.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Take a mental break from the stress of everyday life. Let your inner child come back out to play. Time travel back to the year 960ad. A time when life was simpler. Slow down for a weekend and join us at The Viking Experience Festival.

~March 22-23, 2025
~March 29-30, 2025
The Viking Experience Festival
1045 Walnut Grove Rd, Oxford, NC 27565

Pricing:

• Season Pass $60
• Weekend Pass $35
• Saturday $22
• After Hours Show $15
• Sunday $18

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thevikingexperiencenc.com
• Instagram: @the_viking_experience
• Facebook: @TheVikingExperience1