My Renaissance Festival travels took me beyond the state of Florida for the Memorial Day weekend. A former co-worker and friend strongly recommended to me a few months back to go attend the Georgia Renaissance Festival over in Fairburn, GA. Having the additional day off for Memorial Day, my family and I made the trek up to Georgia to attend this Festival. And I have no regrets about it at all.
I was forewarned the Festival gets very busy early in the morning and luckily we were staying about 6 minutes away. We arrived around 10 AM ET (30 minutes prior to opening) and the lots were already filled with cars. Luckily, we weren’t parked too far from the entrance, but we got caught up in a line that was stretched quite far from the actual entrance. When the gates opened, it would take a few minutes before we could even see the entrance gate. Above the gate on an archway was King Henry VIII and members of his court greeting the guests. They were quite jovial and engaged the crowd often to keep them distracted from the long lines to get inside. Once we got through the gates, I was literally stunned by what I saw.
There were physical buildings inside the Renaissance Festival creating the Village of New Castle. While to some this may seem commonplace, but I never had the opportunity to attend a Festival that contained physical structures on the grounds. It truly provided a completely different atmosphere. They had a great fountain right inside the front gates with frogs splashing out water from their mouths too. The mass amounts of people meandering through the stores and posing for photos was amazing. And the vast amount of people in cosplay made me smile. Within a few feet of the entrance, you’d meet a cast of characters including Iggy the Gargoyle, Mother and Father Goose who had geese you could hold and pet, Captain Sillybeard, The Lady Victoria (amazing musician) the Washing Well Wenches (who have a fantastic show to see), and so many more.
Looking out and seeing just how large the grounds were was a little overwhelming. The map alone made me wonder how I would try to catch as many things as possible during the Festival weekend. It was interesting walking the grounds as it is built on hills, so on certain roads you’re heading on a steep incline up while others are slight. But, from entrance to end, you’re for the most part on a climb. Though, these hills do provide a beautiful view of the festival, especially over the joust field. Fantastic view from the hill down to the joust.
The food and drink options were incredible. All of the pubs were busy serving various meads, beers, and other alcoholic beverages. There were so many food options to try as well. One of my favorites was the Steak on a Stake, which was quite tasty. The Meatball on a Stake was very good too. Though, I regret not getting the opportunity to try the fried ice cream (though my daughter said it was yummy) or the fried peanut butter and jelly! Either way, food and drink wise there was something for everyone.
As much as I was loving this festival, there was one thing that is hard to overlook; the lack of cell service. The festival even says when purchasing your tickets to have either a printed ticket or screenshot on your phone of your ticket because the cell service is lacking, and they’re not kidding. For two days, I couldn’t get a signal except at the very front of the festival. It’s definitely an inconvenience when you have multiple people in a group who separate and have no good way to communicate with each other. The grounds could truly benefit from a cell tower or two on the grounds. Would I call this a showstopper from attending this festival? Absolutely not! While this is an inconvenience, there are so many great things about this festival, especially the entertainers.
I got to see a bunch of entertainers over the two days and each one was entertaining in their own way. Sir William of the Free Juggling School took time to educate those who feel they never could juggle. 30 years of being a juggler he was confident he can teach anyone to juggle. It was interesting to watch his technique and class. His classes are every hour in the Old Towne area.
Birds of Prey was a truly fascinating and educational show learning about the nature of birds of prey. Steve Hoddy the founder of Earthquest had a number of birds including a hawk, falcon, eagle owl, and a condor to show off these amazing animals and why they’re important to our environment. Steve is a fantastic storyteller and shared great stories about these birds and even some truly humorous ones. This is definitely a worthwhile and, to me, a must-see show. Also, check out Steve’s website at https://earthquest.org.
Surprisingly, one of my favorite performers was at the Georgia Renaissance Festival this year. They are Cast in Bronze. Charlie St. Cyr-Paul is a Carillonneur that plays on a mobile carillon that weighs 4 tons and contains 35 bronze bells. And played much like a piano those bells ring as he pushes on keys with his hands and feet. What makes his show unique is his take on modern music performed on the Carillon. He has a guest vocalist with him when he plays Evanescene’s “Bring Me To Life”. But, I truly love his performance of the Game of Thrones’ theme song and Hedwig’s Theme from the Harry Potter franchise. Charlie is a very talented musician, don’t miss his performance.
Barely Balanced Acrobatic Daredevils is a show filled with humor, stunts, and breathtaking feats. Small, Medium, and Large have performed together for many years and they have implicit trust in each other as they perform these stunts. And their skill in performing these stunts is truly spectacular. But, it’s their hilarious antics as they perform these stunts that grab the audience and keep them in their seats. I truly laughed hard watching them perform and cheered as they successfully pulled them off. And after the show you can purchase their Dungeons and Dragons 5E adventure they wrote!
And then we have The Puppies of Penzance. An adorable show filled with dogs performing tricks along with comedy. Jumping, trick walking, see-saw balancing, the pups did amazing athletic feats while providing the audience with laughter. If you’re a dog lover, this is a show you don’t want to miss.
If you’re looking for a more immersive experience at the festival, go to Wilwood Pavillion where you can catch an audience with King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine and Queen Amina and her court from the Hausa tribe. It was really cool to sit down and listen in on their conversations. The courts are always willing to take pictures with visitors and more than willing to have conversations with their guests to Newcastle. This was a personal favorite over the weekend.
One event I literally stumbled upon over on the Jousting Field was a Costume Contest. Anyone dressed up in costume could enter and the field of entrees was quite large. There were witch hunters, Shrek and Fiona, mushrooms, The Owl House, and so many more. The whip-cracking Indiana Jones cosplay was impressive as he truly had some great whipping skills. But, to me, the Sunflower Princess was very impressive. The winner that day went to a bishop and a group of monks.
But, what’s a Renaissance Festival without a Joust?! The Georgia Renaissance Festival hosts DeBracey Joust Productions three times a day in an ongoing story throughout the day. Everything from ring catching to trick riding, the skill these knights show is absolutely incredible. And when it comes down to the fighting, it gets down and dirty and sometimes downright crazy! The jousting is fun to watch, but the hand-to-hand combat is where things get gritty (watch out for blood sprays!). They put on an excellent showing and they are a must-see event. You won’t regret it.
My truly favorite event from over the weekend was the special guest of Dragoonis Flame. The trio of Lady Pyromancer, Chrystal, and Cat of Staves perform with all various items lighting them all on fire! Lady Pyromancer blowing kisses and running flames up and down her arms was insane. Chrystal made flames look beautiful with her umbrella dance. And Cat of Staves decided to go wild between the two staffs and the bullwhip. The visuals from their performances are truly out of this world and you won’t be disappointed watching their show.
All in all, the Georgia Renaissance Festival is a fun time for everyone with great entertainment, fabulous food and drinks, and a loveable cast of characters. June 3rd and 4th is the last weekend of the season. Go to https://www.garenfest.com/ to get your tickets. And if you can’t make it to their festival this season, plan to go in 2024. I will definitely be back.
What a wonderful review of a truly magical festival. Thanks for all the attention you give and insights you provide.
Oh, the wonderful vocalist performing with Cast In Bronze in Georgia was “Tilly” Marie Smith (seen in photos). Another favorite guest with Cast in Bronze this season in Georgia was the wonderful violinist Lydia Hull.
Special to entertainment director Dave Dorrell for making all magic happen!!!!
Keep up the great work and I’ll keep the bells ringing 🙂