- In Oxford, a backyard celebration has turned into a statewide sensation.

At the Viking Experience, you will find exciting battles, elaborate costumes, and engaging performances.

And as producer Sadie Maddox discovered, this festival is really unique in the way the organizers really invite you into the action.

[slow drum beat] - There will be one who enters the world swinging and screaming, and so shall it be when she leaves it.

With fire in her hair and sparks from her harp, a new queen will rise above the rest.

- [Sadie] Welcome to Drekheim Village.

[slow drum beat] [rattling] Home of the Viking Experience.

[chanting and drums] [shouting] - From no man greater, no one so bold will stop her from this rise.

- The clan is strong, because the clan takes care of one another.

- [Sadie] During the week, she's a registered nurse.

But today, she's Jarl.

- We have conquered and called this place Drekheim, home of the dragons.

- [Sadie] Queen Hannah the Red is one half of the mother-daughter duo that makes this festival happen.

The other half is Angela.

- She is the mother of six of her own children, but has earned the moniker all-mother because she just makes people feel so included.

We wanted people to be able to come in and interact and touch and enjoy and even be a part of the story.

Like they felt like they were stepping outside of their world and into our world.

And sit by the fire and feel like they're one of the villagers, as opposed to just watching a show.

They go and see the queen and they get her blessing.

- [Sadie] Over the course of two weekends, thousands of people walk through these gates near Oxford, North Carolina.

This year marks the first event on their new property.

- There's this like carved beautiful gate.

When they come in, I want them to see the vendors and make it feel like it's a bazaar.

I want them to see like beautiful things, their mind just kind of full of the color of it.

- [Sadie] At the Crafty Celts, you'll spot jewelry featured on the show "Vikings."

- They came to us and bought some bracelets, and then this one ended up being a major piece in the show.

It almost becomes its own character.

There's a commercial where these bloody hands would be handing the bracelet towards the screen, and I'd see it in a restaurant.

So it was very hard not to stand up and scream, "That was mine!"

[laughs] - [Sadie] Also a hit, animals of all sorts.

- The Vikings brought Maine Coons with them to the Americas.

The biggest, burliest Viking man will go to pieces and squeal over a kitty.

- Today is her birthday... - [Sadie] Hannah and Angela's clan sets up camp at Drekheim Village.

But they invite clans from all over to create encampments.

- So Fenrir's Den is a group of very close friends.

Everyone in camp is an artisan of some sort.

So there's woodworkers and bone carvers and musicians and collectively we bring all of our skills together to create this really immersive environment.

[growls] - All Hail!

- The Horde!

- This is Angus McBeefy, Lord of the Horde.

[speaks foreign language] - He means, hi.

I'm also his translator.

- [Sadie] This vibrant community started from the ground up.

- We did start small on my three acres and we were just having campouts with our friends to be honest.

- It's a legend in the small town of Creedmoor.

People are still like, "What happened to the backyard thing?"

It did blow up quickly.

- We had a ten year plan, and we kind of made that ten year plan in like three years.

We're just kind of catching up.

We're like, "Okay, catch up, catch up."

- I look, act, and feel like an 11th century crusader.

You'll notice that we're fighting and throwing blows, very hard blows.

The carapace of armor is something that's unreal.

Right now I have chain mail.

I've got quilted puisses with knee cops.

The only thing missing is the dust, sand, and dirt.

And the blood.

And the smells.

- [Sadie] Whether you want to fight, shop, dress up, or just take it all in, one thing is clear.

At this festival, everyone has what it takes to be a Viking.

- A lot of people say, "Well, I couldn't act in character."

And it's actually, all of us were children.

You know, and they all have that child in us still.

And sometimes you have to let that child out.

And so this is an environment where that child can kind of play again.

And you can dress up and be somebody else for a weekend.

- Oh, I've never done that before.

Let me just give it a chance.

Like, do something different and experience something you haven't done before.

- Are you ready for this evening?

- [Sadie] These Vikings cap off the day in community.

- We call to all the shield maidens, the weavers, the mothers, and healers.

[singing in foreign language] - People need community.

They don't just want community, but they need it.

[singing] Just getting a chance to slow down, you know, and just be, you know, and just enjoying that moment.

[vocalizing] [drum beats] [chanting] - [Deborah] The Viking Experience NC sets up camp at 1045 Walnut Grove Road in Oxford.

Their big festival happens over the course of two weekends in March.

To get involved before then, they're hosting a holiday celebration from December 6th to the 7th.

And they accept volunteer applications year-round.

To learn more, head to thevikingexperiencenc.com.