The Feast Of Bacchus

Come Celebrate the Revival of The Feast of Bacchus!
Hosted by: The Barony of Rising Waters
Date: Saturday, November 29th, 2025
Location: Thorold Seniors Centre, 8 Carleton St. South, Thorold, Ontario, L2V 5C2
Time: 10:00 am to 8 pm
Fee: $25 member ($10 non-member surcharge applicable) Fee includes Midday Feast.

The Roman festival of Bacchus, usually referred to as the Bacchanalia, was a series of feast days held in honor of Bacchus. This Roman god of wine, ecstasy, freedom, fruitfulness, and vegetation was always up for a party. In Rising Waters, it used to be a long-standing traditional event held in the late Fall, to celebrate the local harvests especially that of the grapes for which our region is so well-known.

We invite the good people of the Great Lands of Ealdormere and beyond to come to celebrate the fruits of our fertile lands.  Enjoy a peaceful day of feasting, games, music and bardic arts, dance and revelry.

There will be a Tavern serving the Midday feast included, as well as various libations to purchase. Peruse the Market for sundries and other treasures. Join an adult scavenger hunt created by the devious Baron Dmitri or compete in the gaming tournaments. Enjoy a country dance in the afternoon! Don a toga, or wear your festive garb, and join us for this Adult Only Event.

In honour of the event’s namesake, we encourage attendees to dress in Roman or Greek garb.

Schedule (tentative)

Event Staff

Event Stewards: Baroness Gema Krasil’niKova (Jennifer Hardie) & Baron Dmitri Kievskoi (Sam Hardie)
Feast Steward: Baroness Gema Krasil’niKova (Jennifer Hardie)
Reservation & Merchant Liaison: Countess Genevieve Chastellain D’Anjou (Jennifer Moore)

Tavern

Open 1:00 to 5:00 pm

Feast Steward: Baroness Gema

Menu will be tavern-style.

Fare in two removes will include:

• Two hearty soups
• Figs, dates, and olives
• Grapes, other fruits
• Sausages, ham pies
• Veggie pies
• Stuffed grape leaves
• Breads
• Desserts

Upon entrance, attendees will receive beads or tokens to turn in for the feast fare. Attendees will be able to pick up feast items at the kitchen window and sit down at a table set up in the Tavern.

Bar

Bar Keep: Lord Watt (Greg Maddison)

A cash bar will be available from 12:00 to 6:00 pm in the main hall near the kitchen.

Games, Entertainment, Activities

Tournament: From 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

• Chess (Ludus)
• Backgammon
• 9 Man Morris
• Garb (costume) contest
• And more

Dancing: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Entertainers: We are looking for bards, musicians, singers, story-tellers, jugglers, and other entertainers to perform during the day in the Tavern.

The Market

9:00 am to 5:00 pm

SCA nerchants/vendors can register to sell their wares in the Market. There are no table fees but must pre-register with Gate Keeper to secure a table as space is limited.

General Hall Information

Fully wheelchair accessible with elevator and ramp.
Plenty of parking.

Nearby Amenities:

Tim Horton’s – Ormond Street
7-Eleven – corner of Clairmont & Ormond Streets
McDonald’s – 10 Sullivan Avenue
Foodland – Pine Street
Pizza Pizza – Ormond Street