There are two kinds of people in Second Life: those who casually “drop by” Fantasy Faire… and those of us who quietly move in, unpack our bags, and forget the outside world exists for the next 18 days.
I am, unapologetically, the second kind.
Every year, when the portals open and the Fairelands shimmer into existence, something in me just clicks. Suddenly my to-do list doesn’t stand a chance. My camera is permanently attached to my hand. My inventory fills up with “just one more outfit.” And my avatar? She develops a very serious case of “I live here now.”
And can you blame me?
This year, we have twenty regions. Twenty. That’s not an event, that’s a full-blown parallel universe. Each region is its own story, its own mood, its own carefully crafted piece of magic. One moment you’re wandering through a dark cathedral that feels like it’s breathing along with you, and the next you’re standing in a forest that looks like it was built from dreams, secrets, and a slightly worrying amount of watermelons.
Do I have a favourite region?
Absolutely not. That would require emotional stability and decision-making skills I simply do not possess during the Faire.
Instead, I do what any reasonable person does: I love all of them, equally, intensely, and with the full commitment of someone who will absolutely revisit the same region five times “just to see it in different windlights.”
My daily routine during the Faire is… let’s call it aspirationally structured. I log in with a plan (“today I will explore just two regions and maybe do some shopping”) and within ten minutes I’m deep into a completely different realm, taking 147 photos of the same tree because the light shifted slightly and this one feels different.
And you know what? That’s the joy of it.
Fantasy Faire isn’t something you rush. It’s something you drift through. You get lost on purpose. You follow paths that go nowhere and everywhere at once. You sit down in places you didn’t expect to stay. And somewhere in between all of that, you realise you’ve been smiling at your screen like a complete idiot.
Of course, for me, it’s not just about exploring. It’s also about capturing the magic. My hard drive will once again be filled with photos and video clips I definitely need, and I’m already toying with the idea of submitting something to the FilmFest competition this year. (No promises. Only vibes. And about 60GB of footage.)
And then there are the events, because as if twenty regions weren’t enough, the Faire also insists on being culturally rich.
I always attend both the LitFest and the FilmFest event, which I’m especially excited about this year for one very biased reason: my bestie Huck will be there. He’ll be reading his new Avatar Dining Story at LitFest (bring snacks, or risk emotional hunger), and we’ll also get a preview screening of episode one of season two of his Hotel Victoria at FilmFest. I’ve already cleared my schedule, my cache, and possibly my bandwidth.
But beneath all the beauty, the creativity, and the slightly chaotic inventory management, there’s something deeper that keeps pulling me back every year.
Fantasy Faire is a fundraiser for Relay For Life, supporting the American Cancer Society. And like so many people, I don’t come to that lightly. Cancer has touched my life, as it has for far too many of us. Behind every glowing lantern and every whimsical build, there’s a shared understanding of why this matters.
We come for the magic, but we stay, and we give, for something very real.
And maybe that’s what makes the Faire feel the way it does. It’s not just stunning. It’s meaningful. It’s a place where creativity and community come together with purpose. Where beauty carries weight. Where even something as simple as exploring a virtual world can be part of something bigger.
So yes, I will once again spend 18 days living in the Fairelands. I will get lost. I will take too many pictures. I will probably buy things I didn’t plan to. I will absolutely say “just one more region” at least ten times per session.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Fantasy Faire 2026 runs from April 23 to May 10 and is a benefit for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. Celebrating its eighteenth year, it brings together designers, creators, roleplayers, and explorers across twenty beautifully crafted regions, all united by one goal: building a world without cancer.
Official Fantasy Faire website
