Sherwood Robin Hood Festival packs Old Town Sherwood with music, food, and endless entertainment

By Scott Keith

SHERWOOD, Ore. — The story of Robin Hood, who robbed the rich to help the poor, is one of the most popular fables of centuries past. 

The spirit of Robin Hood came alive once again this year in Sherwood at the Robin Hood Festival, sponsored by Langer’s Entertainment Center, on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18.  

It was the 73^rd annual festival held in Old Town, featuring booth vendors, a Saturday morning parade, an amazing collection of food and drinks, and enough musical entertainment to satisfy everyone. Entertainers this year included Hit Machine, a premiere Northwest party band fronted by Bart Hafeman. The parade, lasting longer  than ever, lined the streets from Langer’s Parkway all the way down through Old Town.

Ron Groeger, Sherwood Robin Hood Festival Association president, said, “We had an overflow of vendors — about 130 participated in the event.”

The Sherwood Renaissance Singers accepted the nomination to become 2026 Grand Marshall, and the amenities at the festival included a beer, wine, and cider garden featuring local selections.

This year saw a strong turnout, according to Groeger.

“Overall, the festival turned out really well,” Groeger said. “I think we had more people than we’ve had in previous years. The weather was perfect, so that helped. We had 65 applicants and seven award winners for floats.” 

Parade entries were hosted by businesses, organizations, regional groups, and individuals. 

It takes months to put on the annual Robin Hood Festival.

“We start planning for stuff in November,” Groeger said.

The festival draws visitors from well beyond Sherwood.

“I know several people who were here from Clackamas, Forest Grove, Hillsboro, the Beaverton area,” Groeger said, noting that his daughter came from Riverside, California for the weekend. 

Groeger, who has been affiliated with the Robin Hood Festival for years, estimates that the event, historically attended by 25,000-30,000 visitors, "pushed all 30,000 this year, if not more – by far, this is the biggest event in Sherwood.”

The 70^th anniversary of the International Archery Match between Sherwood and Nottingham, England, was held on Saturday and Sunday; Nottingham held their portion of the rivalry on May 3 and June 14. The competition has been held since 1956. Sylvan Archers Inc. organized the event and represented Sherwood. 

As of 2025, Sherwood has won the competition 50 times in the senior recurve division, and has held the traveling trophy since 1991. The traveling trophy is a silver bowl plaque. Nottingham won the 2026 competition with a score of 12,815 — and the Sherwood score was 12,535. The plaque will be making its way to Nottingham. 

 Among the other attractions this year was Maid Marian and her court. 

“This is where anyone can come meet Maid Marian and her court,” said Todd McKinney, whose daughter is in the court. “It’s going really well and we introduce the kids to Maid Marian and the other girls. They get a chance to chat.”  

2026 Maid Marian herself, Evelyn Harris, said, “It’s been amazing. I think during the parade there were a lot of people, a lot of little kids lining the streets. It was wonderful to see. I was just watching the family stage and there’s all the kids watching the entertainers.”  

Sherry Lankston, representing the Seattle Knights, said “We are very, very excited to return to Sherwood. It’s always a wonderful place for us and we’ve heard such wonderful tales that we’re excited to relive.”

The Seattle Knights, according to their website, are the Pacific Northwest’s premiere sword fighting and jousting theatrical troupe.

Lankston was impressed by the turnout.

“It is absolutely lovely,” she said. “We’ve had such amazing interactions with all of the people coming in from out of town, as well as the locals here in Sherwood. The people are lovely and wonderful and they definitely make the drive worth it.” 

Among other attractions was the Robin Hood Festival Castle Building Contest. According to a festival brochure, award-winning castles in the past have been built using cardboard, checkers, dog biscuits, cotton balls, LEGO, buttons, seashells, and more.

“I spent the first two years of COVID just telling everybody we couldn’t have this festival, which is not exactly how I wanted to start out being president,”  Groeger said. “From the president’s standpoint, I’ve been doing it since 2019.” 

Groeger added, “Overall, the festival to me was a success. Not one got injured, no one got hurt, everybody had a good time. That’s what matters.”