GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Every year since Hoggetowne Medieval Faire was relocated to Depot Park and cut down to one weekend, it’s struggled to make more than 30% of its roughly $110,000 budget back.
Spending and revenue data obtained by TV20 shows that as venue size and operating costs shrank, so did revenue.
In 2023, when the festival was held for three weekends on a plot of land along Archer Road, city leaders spent a little more than $400,000, and got back nearly $650,000. Since moving to Depot Park, city leaders have lost on average $80,000 every year hosting Hoggetowne.
“You don’t do something like this with the intent to make money. I don’t do what I do to make money,” said Christopher Preston, an organizer from Gainesville Historical European Martial Arts. “I do it because I love the game, I love being able to interact with people, and share an enthusiasm with swords and the other historical stuff.”…