Warriors in Bloom

Event Mission:
Warriors in Bloom is a living history experience focused on storytelling, immersive performance, and educational engagement. The event highlights historical figures and narratives that explore resilience, cultural history, and the evolution of societal roles across time. It seeks to challenge inherited narratives and societal expectations by amplifying underrepresented voices in history.
Through immersive education and community engagement, Warriors in Bloom fosters inclusive environments that empower individuals, especially younger generations, to embrace curiosity, think critically, and see themselves as active participants in shaping a more equitable and imaginative future.
Event Description:
Virago Alley, the non-profit behind the Richmond Ren Faire, brings history to life on the stunning grounds of Agecroft Hall & Gardens highlighting powerful figures from ancient civilizations through the 17th century. This event is rooted in a deeper purpose: reclaiming space in history for figures whose stories have often been overlooked, simplified, or erased. These figures share a common thread in the roles and expectations placed upon them reflecting resilience, leadership, and resistance to limitation.
By highlighting figures such as Joan of Arc, Tomyris, Lagertha, the Dahomey Amazons, Boudica, Rani Durgavati, and pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, we invite audiences into a broader and more inclusive understanding of history.
Virago Alley seeks to reclaim the word “virago,” once used to diminish women of strength, and restore it to its original meaning as a figure of courage, leadership, and defiance. This work is about narrative as much as language, and asks who gets remembered, who gets celebrated, and who is left out of the stories we inherit.
Through immersive performance, storytelling, hands-on experiences, lectures, and an open-air artisan market, Warriors In Bloom creates an environment where history feels alive, accessible, and relevant. It is designed to spark curiosity, encourage reflection, and invite audiences to question familiar narratives.
At its core, this event is about empowerment across generations. By highlighting individuals who defied societal constraints, we aim to provide role models rooted in resilience, autonomy, and complexity. Representation shapes how people understand themselves, and expanding those narratives expands what feels possible.
In remembrance of these figures, tickets will go on sale on the Feast Day of Joan of Arc, Saturday, May 30th, 2026.