The Bristol Renaissance Faire opened its 36th season on July 8th at its grounds in Kenosha, WI. This was a faire that was highly recommended by friends and other ren faire vendors. So the family and I planned a trip to visit from Florida to Wisconsin to make it part of our family vacation. Our weekend visit was on July 29th and 30th during Cottagecore Weekend tributing vendors who create hand-made items for your own cozy cottage.
We decided on purchasing VIP parking for each day so I wouldn’t have to carry my camera gear from parking far out to the gate. And for those photographers thinking of bringing your cameras, please ensure you read the faire’s policy on photography HERE. Getting to the faire was very easy, but ensure you follow the directions on the faire’s website as Waze or Google Maps may bring you to the incorrect location. The entrance to the faire is beautiful with a balcony for cast members to greet patrons before they enter. Once inside, you’re stepping into the year 1574 in the village of Bristol where everyone is anticipating the arrival of Queen Elizabeth on this festival day.
Inside of the massive 30-acres of fairegrounds are absolutely gorgeous buildings that are home to some of the 200+ artisans selling their wares. Along with that are 22 areas (stages, taverns, grounds, etc…) for the entertainers to perform. The first thing I immediately noticed was the beauty of the grounds. Areas carved out for decorative purposes, perfect photo areas, and places that are just appeasing to the eyes. And if you take the time to walk the entire grounds, you’ll be trust amazed at all the wonderful beauty. My favorite spot is down at the Noble’s Glade where you will find amazing spots for cosplayer photos. Also, if you walk the Queen’s Bridge, you can see the fish and turtles that live in the pond.
While the faire centers around Queen Elizabeth‘s arrival to the village of Bristol, you’ll have to wait until around 1 PM to see her appearance. In the meantime, take in some of the many entertainers the faire has to offer. The first one I went to see was Moonie the Magnif’cent. Moonie communicates through whistles, claps, and facial expressions. He does a variety of acrobatic juggling and it is humourous and talented. And his crowd interaction is always fun to watch.
The Guinness Book of World Record holder for whip tricks, Adam Crack, is performing at Bristol this season. He performed a wide variety of tricks including lassoing a child volunteer, whipping objects off an adult volunteer, and his most well-known fire whip. The fire whip tricks were very impressive and fun to watch. He’s truly a skilled performer and, to me, a do not miss act.
From there I went to watch the first joust of the day with The Jousters. They perform 3 jousts each day in full armor. Let me repeat that. They perform 3 jousts each day in full armor. It’s heavy and the threat of being knocked off the horse is very real. The knights wear small shields that are attached over their hearts and the goal is to strike them. If the knight is good enough, they will strike it and lift it impaled on the lance to parade around the jousting field. Countess Cordelia keeps score at each match. There is a story that begins to escalate during the second joust that carries over into the third. By the time you get to the third match, expect chaos. I really enjoyed their performance and the personality of the knights. They keep the crowd engaged and hyped up and the bigger the hits, the bigger the cheer. Jousts are such a critical part of Renaissance faires and The Jousters live up to the hype.
I headed over to the Noble Glades to see the setting of the Queen’s Feast before her arrival. There is a process the governess, Lady Kat Ashley, and the handmaidens perform to set a table for royalty. It would take 2 full days to perform as the tables were massive. A cast member talked the attendees through explaining the process of why the setting was done in a particular way. It was very educational and informative. After the table was ready it was time for the Queen’s arrival. Queen Elizabeth dressed more casually for a festival day and with a beautiful hat instead of a crown arrives with her guards. After a few toasts, the mayor of Bristol introduces all of the nobles to Queen Elizabeth. It’s a fun series of conversations and huge kudos to the cast members for acting out all of those scenes for such a long period of time. I was surprised to see Sir Francis Drake as one of the characters. One of the other important characters was Sir Robert Dudley, who was believed to be Queen Elizabeth’s lover. After the introductions, there were multiple dances in which the Queen took part. It was hilarious to see all of the men drop down on one knee in front of the Queen to be her dance partner. I was fortunate to join the Queen and her Captain of her guard, Sir Henry for the last two jousts to watch from the Queen’s seating area. That was an amazing experience.
I headed over to watch the comedic and acrobatic Barely Balanced. I had the opportunity to see them perform at another faire and they never disappoint. They’re funny, acrobatic, and do some truly amazing stunts. I highly recommend you go to see them when you visit Bristol. And during their final show of the day, it’s fire galore! I spent the rest of the day walking the ground and taking in all the sights, sounds, food, and drink.
The following day I came back early to try and catch as many entertainers as possible that I didn’t see on Saturday. I started off watching the Maypole Dance. The dance is a culmination of singing, dancing, and art. The participants dance around, under, and over each other’s ribbons. They had a lot of fun when the ribbons were tense enough to jump and allow the ribbon to pull them around in the air. At one point, a group sat on the ground and challenged one of them members to pull them from their spot. Challenge was accepted and successful. It was a humourous and cool moment to see. I really enjoy the Maypole Dance performance.
Immediately following on the field next to the Maypole was a scene involving Dr. John Dee who was the Queen’s astronomer. In the scene, some type of evil spirit possesses one of Dr. Dee’s daughters. Dr. Dee recognizes the peril is serious as others get possessed by the spirit controlling them like puppets. Swordfights ensue in an attempt to get Dr. Dee’s daughter and the others back. Dr. Dee gives himself over to save his daughter and Sir Henry, Captain of the Queen’s guard comes to the rescue and defeats the spirit. But, what was the purpose of the story? It’s to promote the Faire’s RenQuest. RenQuest is when attendees participate in mini-quests and puzzle-solving to help defend the Order of Camelot from a curse in Bristol. Their participation helps drive off the evil spirit trying to take over Bristol. RenQuest is a separate fee of $20 to play for the day. I passed by the RenQuest headquarters throughout the day and it was always bustling with patrons looking for new quests to perform.
From there I went to see Dirk and Guido: The Swordsmen! These two very skilled swordsmen present their show as educators teaching patrons various things such as how to properly greet people, how to have an emphatic laugh (I won a pin from them for my laugh), and how to get into a swordfight. Their mix of comedy plus sword fighting made it a very entertaining show. I laughed a lot during this show. I highly recommend seeing their performance.
I then headed over to see Tiny Girl, Big Show. The one-woman circus performer Stahr and her musical companion, Echo, put on a great show full of comedy, acrobatics, and thrills. I truly loved how supportive she is for LGTBQ+ and she is truly a great performer. The final stunt of her performance that showed off her flexibility was very impressive. If you go to Bristol, she is a must-see performer.
Sturdy Beggars Mud Show was absolutely crazy and fun. Two men who have a rivalry try to one-up each other by performing crazy stunts in the mud. The judge decides who wins and the loser has to eat mud. The show is so funny and insane. And the amount of money they generate is truly nuts. Definitely, a fun show to watch.
Lauryn Murray defies gravity with her acrobatic Aerial Silk Fantasy show. Music and acrobatic feats thirty feet in the air will make you gasp, applaud, and just watch on in amazement. It’s a short show but definitely worth taking the time to watch.
I walked around the faire before the next show and got to see the amazing work of Magdalena da Vinci. The chalk artist does such fabulous work and it was truly incredible to see the picture she created in chalk. It was huge and so detailed. Along my walk, I ran into many different Fantastikals. These magical creatures randomly appear around the faire in various locations. I saw a blue one sitting on top of a bridge. I found a gargoyle sitting on top of a building. Another one was hiding by the children’s playground. Keep your eyes out for these amazing creatures. Also during this time I watched a large gathering of people dressed up as mushrooms (it’s a trend at Renaissance faires) doing their own Mushroom March.
It was then time for one of my favorite Renaissance faire performers Cirque du Sewer. The circus act with Melissa, her assistant Vitaly, her rat, and three cats of Pad Kee Meow, Schrodinger, and Sputnik performs stunts with wonderful comedic flair. The best part of Cirque du Sewer is whether or not the animals are actually going to perform or just sit there and do nothing. There are no guarantees things will go as planned when you work with rats and cats! That day, I was watching their final show and luckily everything went off without a hitch.
For the final wrap up of Sunday, I headed back to the Noble Glades to watch the Audience with the Queen. Queen Elizabeth arrived with her guards, has a seat on a throne, and then listens to the people who present various proposals, issues, and listens to her judgment. There was a case between dissolving an arranged marriage, Sir Francis Drake was looking for funding for his ships to go on an expedition, and the handmaidens captured Sir Henry and wanted to marry him. It’s not a short scene and I was just amazed with the effort the cast put into the stories they weaved. The Sir Henry trying to be forced to be married was hilarious and the Sir Francis Drake funding collection was also quite humorous. It was a fun way to cap off the day. I followed the Queen and her entourage back to the front gate as they bid the patrons farewell for the weekend. The Queen waved goodbye to the crowd from the balcony above the entrance.
I truly enjoyed my weekend at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. The beautiful grounds, the fabulous cast, the entertainers, and the shops, all make the faire a wonderful place to visit. If you’re able to make your way to Kenosha, WI to visit, do it. You will not regret it.