Saturday, May 25th, unfortunately, a washed-out day for us. While the day started a little overcast with a chance of rain, after we got inside and started walking, it became very dark and it poured. Stages already had entertainers performing and then the lightning started. That immediately drove them off the stage. We rode out the rain inside of the vendor’s shops (thank you Georgia Renaissance Festival for having physical buildings), but after it let up the grounds were a muddy mess. Some of the attendees didn’t seem to care as they sloshed through muddy puddles. We walked around for a bit enjoying the shops, the dueling arena, and checking out the reptile conservatory before calling it an early day and re-trying again tomorrow. Camera gear and mud doesn’t mix very well.

Sunday, May 26th was a perfect festival day! We started off getting there early so we could enjoy gate opening where King Henry VIII welcomed people to the Village of Newcastle. Various entertainers came out to speak and perform to the crowd about their acts. And it was Pirate Invasion weekend so many people dressed up in pirate garb ready to have a phenomenal day. As the gates opened there was a loud cheer and people made their way through the gates to the festival grounds.

The moment you walk into the Festival you are greeted by multiple cast members wishing you a good day. And throughout the day there are opportunities to interact with the cast members as you travel through the festival grounds. You may meet Iggy the Gargoyle who has been a resident of Newcastle for many years. You might encounter Queen Amina and her Court Aminatu. The warrior Queen leader of the Hausa tribe and her court traveled from Western Africa to visit the village of Newcastle. And you might even encounter the Hounds of East Fairhaven with their sweet and lovely hounds. Interacting with the cast of a festival always provides a more immersive experience.

As I said last year, the Georgia Renaissance Festival has a wonderful location. It is large (you will walk a lot to cover the festival) and they have physical buildings for all of their vendors. It provides a more realistic feel to the festival instead of seeing pop-up tents. It is a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy. There are so many different shops from clothing to jewelry to weapons and even gaming dice. One of my favorite stores sells handcrafted stuffed fantasy animals. The problem on the festival grounds is the lack of cellular signal. It’s so weird since there are residential homes right across the streets from the grounds. The Festival does notate on the website and tickets you might not have cell signal inside. This can cause some issues when trying to find your friends who have split from the party.

Much like last year, the food and drink options were incredible for the festival. There were so many different items to choose from including massive turkey legs, giant hot dogs, and my personal favorite the Steak on a Stake! The meatballs on a stake were also quite yummy along with the corn on the cob. Drink options were plentiful between your sodas and waters and so many varieties of IPAs and ciders. One of our favorite non-alcoholic drinks ended up being a cherry slushie. It was so tasty!

One of the truly fun things about the Festival are meeting other attendees, especially those in cosplay. There were so many cool costumes that day and a few people were kind enough to pause for some photos.

But, let’s talk about some of the entertainment we saw at the Festival this year. Several of them were repeats from last year because they were very enjoyable and happened to be back again! First was the Birds of Prey show. Steve Hoddy the founder of Earthquest educated the attendees about birds of prey and showed off his ambassador birds. This included an Arrow Harris hawk, a great horned owl, a peregrine falcon, and an Andean Condor named Storm. His falcon decided he didn’t want to stick around for the show and flew off into the trees and did not return (don’t worry, they’re all chipped and easily tracked). One of the great things he taught people was about the Merlin Bird ID app created by Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. The app can identify over 400+ different species of birds by their singing calls. Steve highly recommended attendees to download it and go out into their own neighborhoods to see what birds live there. Earthquest is a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation and environmental education. You can check out their site at https://earthquest.org.

Also returning was Cast in Bronze. Charlie St. Cyr-Paul is a Carillonneur who performs music on the only existing mobile carillon. The carillon weighs 4 tons and contains 35 bronze bells ranging in various sizes. The carillon is played like a piano and the keys are pressed using both Charlie’s hands and feet. As he presses the keys, the bells attached to that key will ring. Charlie takes some classical and modern-day music and re-creates them on the carillon. Some of my favorite songs he performed were the Game of Thrones theme song, Hedwig’s Theme from the Harry Potter franchise, and the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. My daughter and I truly enjoyed his version of the classic “O Fortuna”.

And we couldn’t go without seeing one of our favorite acts in the daredevils of Barely Balanced. The trio of Small, Medium, and Large entertain the fans with their humor and acrobatic performances, feats of strength, and incredible balancing stances. I’ve seen them many times and would never pass an opportunity to see them again. They’re absolute crowd pleasers and the show we attended was packed! Every seat was filled plus the people standing to enjoy the show. Plus, you could also purchase from them their 5E Dungeons & Dragons adventure they created beating up monsters with giant turkey legs at a Renaissance Festival!

One of the crowd-pleasers returning was the Italian band Rota Temporis. The drum band had the crowd completely amped up and rocking the stage. Rota Temporis is loud and then get louder. You can hear them playing from the joust field, which is on the other side of the festival grounds! They truly are a fun band to watch and I suspect they’ll be back next season.

One of the new acts for the Georgia Renaissance Festival this season was The Reelin’ Rogues. I had the opportunity to see them at another Renaissance Festival. The trio performs a variety of Celtic music singing songs of Irish history and folklore. They are very energetic and the three are very talented musicians. It’s amazing how beautiful their music using only a guitar drums and a flute or bagpipe. They’re one of my favorite acts and the crowd also enjoyed their performances.

The staple of every Renaissance Festival is the Joust. The troupe working the Georgia Renaissance Festival is known as DeBracey Productions. They ran three shows a day as part of their storyline. I’ve seen them multiple times and they always provided some different aspects to the joust including a lot of trick riding between four knights. This show I saw only had two knights performing. The story was good though I miss seeing the cast I’ve seen in the past. I will say DeBracey Productions does put on entertaining shows and this year if you were in the front row you had the chance of getting sprayed with joust blood!

Another new act this year was the belly dancers of Boom Boom Shake. I’ve seen them before at our local Renaissance Faire and they’re so much fun. Their music is great and both women are very talented belly dancers. The crowd enjoyed their performances and I suspect we will see them back at the Georgia Renaissance Festival next season.

One of the fun and surprising acts for me was Juggling Geoff. His show is what you expect of him juggling various things and even balancing a stack of items. But, it was his interaction with kids was great. And the fact he got them to get a spinning plate line where they started passing the plates down to each other was fantastic. You could see his facial expression showing his enjoyment. I really enjoyed his show and was glad I got to see it.

Our visit to the Georgia Renaissance Festival will filled with fun and lots of laughs. I truly love this festival and look forward to returning next season when they celebrate their 40th Anniversary! I’m sure it will be a special season.

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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.

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The first thing to know is Larkspur is truly a small town, as in I didn’t even see a single stoplight type of town. The drive there is fairly easy coming down (or up) I-25 or they recommend the scenic route off Rte 105 to avoid traffic. The festival has plenty of parking space and an entire section for handicapped close to the entrance. But, if you don’t get there early you will easily find yourself in the overflow lot. I arrived on Saturday at 9:05 AM, 55 minutes before opening and was in the middle of overflow. So if you plan to attend, get there early to be closer to the gate.

Ticket prices for the festival are very reasonable. Adult tickets are $28 at the gate, $26.50 if you buy them online in advance, and $25 if you purchase them at King Soopers. Children’s tickets (ages 12 and under) are $12 at the gate and $11 online or at King Soopers. I highly recommend buying all your tickets at King Soopers are they are good for any one day at the festival and you’ll save yourself a few dollars.

Your first opinion of any Renaissance Festival is going to be the moment you see that entrance gate. How does it look? How were you treated when you entered? What did you first see? At Colorado Renaissance Festival, I was truly blown away by their grounds. The gate is a massive structure with multiple doors. They have a bridge you can walk in from to make it truly feel like you’re in the Renaissance era. And 30 minutes before the opening of the gates, the Royal Court stands at the top of the gate to greet everyone and they send out various entertainers to explain what the attendees should expect. The staff and entertainers truly know how to hype up the ground so the moment those doors open, the attendees can’t wait to get inside.

Once you are inside, it’s an amazing sight to behold. First, the festival is on private land so they have literally built up a village on the grounds. Stores and pubs are within physical buildings that have such wonderful architecture and style. The entertainment stages have stadium-style seating, hold lots of people, and have great views no matter where you sit. The jousting field is massive and wide and you can see it from pretty much anywhere (as long as people are sitting down). The Pirates Pub has a massive pirate ship as part of the entrance to the area. Overall, it is truly a beautiful festival ground. The one to note, the festival is on a mountain, so a good portion of walking is uphill as you make your way deeper and deeper into the festival.

The Royal Court by far are the most prominent people at the festival. Their interactions with the crowd are so critical because someone would always remember if the King or Queen treated you poorly. I can say the entire Royal Court are absolutely phenomenal. I watched over an entire weekend their kindness, compassion, their humor, and ensuring everyone was having a good time. Even I was asked multiple times if I was enjoying myself. The Royal Court hosts a meet and greet, they appear at the Joust, and even perform a Knighting Ceremony at the Chapel, which is a beautiful structure. The King even beckoned me to be knighted, which I truly appreciated. And if you want a truly fun time with the kids and Royal Court, go check out the Princess Tea Party on the lawn by the Joust around 4:30 PM. It’s not a listed event so keep your eyes out for it.

One of the most important events to me at a Renaissance Festival is their Joust. The Joust can be a centerpiece of the story around the Renaissance Festival. At Colorado, the Joust is hosted by The Knights of Noble Cause and they provide three events each day that oversees a story from the start to the end of the day. If you’re looking for a struggle of good vs. evil, chivalry vs. dishonor, this is the event for you. Feats of horse riding, combat, and a cast of characters you’ll love (or not depending on which side you’re on). They truly know how to get you engaged and drawn into the story and sometimes will throw a curveball you don’t see coming. I’ve seen this troupe numerous times and absolutely love their performances.

Of course, no Renaissance Festival is ever without its share of entertainers. And Colorado Renaissance Festival has a killer lineup of entertainers this year. One of the biggest names added this year is Jacques Ze Whipper. If you love Renaissance Festivals and don’t know who he is, you might be the first. His popularity on YouTube and TikTok has been massive and he absolutely fills his stage to overflow capacity. His whip tricks and French-ish personality has the crowd laughing and cheering the whole way through. He puns with the best of them and I’m sure you’ll laugh at them too. I highly recommend seeing his performance.

Sharing that same stage is Cydeshow Cy the Sword Swallower. He pulled a massive crowd at his performances mystifying people with his sword-swallowing ability plus his knife-throwing skills. He thrilled the crowd with his sword-swallowing, which made some people turn away. And he certainly made people gasp with his knife-throwing skills as he traced knives around his assistant Sarah. And then even let her throw knives around him. I loved his personality and his humor during his show and his skills will blow your mind. Another must-see performance while you’re at the festival.

And if that’s not enough to whet your appetite, how about a fire manipulator?! Dragonfire, who goes by Wilsome, does an amazing job with fire stunts from lighting fires off his hands to breathing massive fireballs into the air. I was truly amazed and blown away by these stunts and feel you will be too. If stunts aren’t your cup of tea, maybe comedy is more your style. If that is the case, check out Ded Bob. This ventriloquist act is very humourous, but fair warning, his humor is very mature. But, he is really funny. I gasped and groaned at some of the jokes, but overall really enjoyed his show. Note that Ded Bob is only at the festival for two more weekends only!

Of course, you can’t have a Renaissance Festival without musical entertainment and the Colorado Renaissance Festival has some fantastic performances to see. CRAIC is one of the most popular performers with their rock-style that absolutely has the audience moving and cheering them on. Their last performance of the day is epic and not to be missed. For some more traditional music, check out The Reelin’ Rogues with their storytelling and music which is very entertaining. I really enjoyed their music and personalities. And for a flavor of both, check out Celtic Legacy with their mixture of rock and Celtic storytelling.

If you are a parent and wonder if your kids will enjoy the festival, they are plenty for them to do. There are a bunch of kids rides, a maze for them to go through, but one of my favorite groups kids seem to love is Unicorn Hugs. Lady Brittany and Lady Raven are there to introduce to you to their live unicorns. The unicorns are absolutely adorable and Lady Brittany and Lady Raven have the perfect personalities working with children. And even if you don’t have kids, give them a visit. They are so sweet.

And if you just like to walk around there is so much to see between the food vendors, which has a wide variety of things to eat, drink vendors, who also have a wide variety options, and merchants for your shopping pleasure. One of my favorite things to see that weekend was the Parade. A whole cast of characters from the Royal Court, the Joust, merchants, and more. Definitely a worthwhile event.

Besides all of this, there is something special about this festival. It took me a bit to figure it out, but it’s the people. The attendees are hardcore fans of the festival. You can see their eagerness waiting for the gates to open. You can see their enjoyment during the performances. And how much they enjoy dressing up in appropriate period garb or cosplay. The fans make the atmosphere of the festival feel more jovial and alive.

This festival feels like a huge celebration no matter where you are going or what you are seeing. Though, if you want a party, stop by the Pirates Pub to be entertained with some fun songs from The Crimson Pirates and naughty songs from Chaste Treasure. Both were very entertaining and memorable.

Overall, should you attend the Colorado Renaissance Festival? Absolutely! The Festival grounds are beautiful, it is very reasonable price-wise, entertainment for all ages, and a really fun time. For more information, visit the Colorado Renaissance Festival’s website at https://coloradorenaissance.com/.

The post REN FAIRE TRAVELS: COLORADO RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL – LARKSPUR CO – WEEK 1 – JUNE 17TH AND JUNE 18TH appeared first on The Ren Faire Traveler.

For the first time during this season, I finally got to the fair before the door openings at 10 AM. I knew something occurred during the opening but had never seen what it was because I wasn’t there early enough. Now, I finally had. King Philip of Spain was on top of the gates speaking to the crowd that had already gathered together. He explained there would be activities that day including burning Protestants at the stake, “For fun!” It was a few minutes later that Sir Edmund Tylney burst through the gate and into the crowd exclaiming the Queen Mary was dead. King Philip did not seem very distraught that his wife just died. He called for Princess Elizabeth to be called out to inform her of the news. When she arrived, she was quite perturbed by King Philip, probably assuming she was to be burned at the stake. Instead, she was informed she was going to be coronated to be named Queen of England. Sir Robert Dudley, dutiful at her side, dropped to one knee proudly exclaiming “God save the Queen!” which rose the same reply from the crowd. Queen Elizabeth declared the coronation would take place at 11:30 AM in the Royal Glade. She then declared the cannons be fired and to open the gates. The crowd cheered after the cannon fire and everyone started making their way into the fair. This was a great way to kick off the day.

As I stepped into the village, I was greeted by various members of the newly designated Queen and members of the Royal Court. They all greeted people as they entered ensuring they received a very pleasant welcome. Sir Robert Dudley was very feisty openly kissing Queen Elizabeth on the cheek in front of Lady Kat Ashley.

I made my way around to find Lady Ophelia’s Dance by the Maypole which started at 10:30 AM. During this time, Lady Ophelia gathers members of the court and other people who wish to participate in it. As I was waiting I saw Ser Oakheartt the living tree trudging around the fair. The Maypole dance itself was quite beautiful and jovial to watch. The multicolored ribbons were held by everyone as they danced their way underneath each other and around the pole until they all reached the center and tied off the ribbons. The group then performed another dance in pairs where they danced around the pole and would switch partners after completing certain dance moves. The music was conducted by a violinist and a guitarist and was perfect. The participants provided glorious cheer and applause for the musicians and each other. It was a very entertaining event.

From there, I made my way over to the Brawling Claw Pub to catch the performance of Music the Gathering. An obvious play on words of the famous card game Magic the Gathering, this band performed folk music that ranged from fun and lively to emotional and somber. They use a variety of musical arrangements for their performances and let me say, Marco, Liv, and Clara are very talented performers. The ability for them to make such beautiful music with these arrangements is quite impressive. I loved their show. And they even have trading cards of themselves for sale! And yes, I bought a set.

I rushed over to the Royal Glade to capture the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, first of her name! It’s a wonderful ceremony and after she was crowned King Philip was hoping he would be asked to marry her so he could also become King of England. Instead, she titled Sir Robert Dudley as Master of the Horse and Sir Edmund Tylney to oversee festivities. The Queen also took a moment to knight two children before making her way with her court. She looked more regal than ever.

And then it was off to the first joust of the day held by Noble Cause Productions. After following their events over the past five weeks, they were still as entertaining as ever. Sir William of Whitehall acted as Master of Arms hosting the display of knight feats between Sir Michael with Squire Barb and Sir Lilith with Squire Lydia. Sir William introduced the guests of King Philip and his sister Princess Juana, a Duke and Duchess (can’t recall from where), and “those two guys”. The first joust is full of fun lines, quips, and jokes between the two including many referencing Lord of the Rings. There is a contest between Sir Michael and Sir Lilith to catch aerial rings for a flower garland. Sir Lilith misses the last one as she feels Squire Lydia threw it too high and charges Squire Lydia to run them down. Squire Lydia is too fast and nimble hopping the fence and running through the crowd to escape. Sir William suggests to the crowd wants to see a joust so Sir Michael and Sir Lilith gear up. The two knights then make their joust passes with each pass hitting harder until Sir Michael’s lance shatters declaring Sir Lilith the winner. Sir William invites the crowd to come back at 2:30 PM for their second joust of the day.

I met up with my wife to grab some lunch. I hadn’t mentioned the fair’s food options in my other reviews, but it needs worth mentioning. The fair each year always had a nice variety of food. You could find burgers, pizza, cheesesteaks, and chicken tenders. Then you had more time-period items like kebobs, shepherd’s pie, Scottish eggs, and turkey legs. But, the winner this year for me was the tacos. While not Renaissance food that vendor’s tacos were just absolutely amazing. They offered BBQ Korean beef, barbacoa, and shredded pork. The only criticism is that booth ran out of the quesadillas after week 1 and I never got to try them.

It was then back to the Royal Glade for The Queen’s Feast where you could watch the Queen and her Royal Court eat! Yes, eat. All of them are literally eating lunch in character while attendees walk by or stop and watch. And the Queen and Court will happily interact with the attendees. One week my wife and I literally brought our lunches and sat down and ate with them. It was a pretty cool experience to eat lunch with royalty. That day King Philip and Queen Elizabeth were throwing grapes at two members of the court trying to catch them in their mouths. It was a hilarious game. Afterward, there was some light ribbing going on as Sir Robert Dudley was mimicking Lady Kat Ashley in her mannerisms and speech.

Then it was time for the second joust of the day. Sir William played Master at Arms and introduced Queen Elizabeth and her Royal Court. Sir Michael and Sir William tested the field lancing rings and aerial rings before getting to the actual joust. Once again the two knights fiercely attacked each other during each joust pass. But, this time it is Sir Lilith who breaks her lance on Sir Michael’s shield awarding the joust to Sir Michael. Sir William then recommends they perform a round of mounted combat. The mounted combat is fast and fierce and eventually, Sir Michael disarms Sir Lilith in winning the round. But, Sir Lilith offers to shake his hand graciously and instead yanks him off his horse! Sir Lilith points out the winner must make the opponent yield or be the last one of their horse, which she was. Sir William declares her the victor. The final round is hand-to-hand combat on the ground and Sir Michael and Sir Lilith are dueling with such skill, power, and grace. In the end, it is Sir Michael who is the better of the two disarming Sir Lilith. When he celebrates his victory, Sir Lilith comes from behind and guts him, spilling blood on the field. Sir William is outraged and ready to strike Sir Lilith down, but Sir Michael holds him at bay demanding justice for this dishonor. Sir Lilith demands a joust to the death. Queen Elizabeth agrees to allow the joust and the two will meet at 5:30 PM in a duel to the death.

I walked around for a bit checking out the vendors for the final time. I loved the wide variety of merchants the Brevard Renaissance Fair offered this year. Everything from art, to jewelry, to clothing, to armor, and weapons. And even specialized things like Scottish clothing, fur clothing, horns, and ears. You then had the games such as buried treasure (poorly buried as they kept calling out), the LARP game with Dice Knights, archery and axe throwing, and one of my favorite entertainment events to see, boffer weapon fighting! It is a great mix of vendors and look forward to seeing who they bring in next year.

Back at the joust field was the return of Equestrian Chaos! The group consists of women who show people the Amazonian warrior way between their skill in archery and horse riding. And also combined the two to show off some amazing archery feats. The women have amazing skills for horseback riding and archery and a flair for entertainment. I loved the show the first time I saw them years ago and loved them just as much this time around. I highly recommend seeing their performance whenever you can.

I made my way back over to the Royal Glade for the Meet the Queen event. The Queen and her Royal Court were enjoying the day keeping in the shade. The Queen asked for Lady Mary to sing for them and she provided the most beautiful song in French. I was blown away by her performance. Sir Henry then regaled us with a drinking song and everyone joined in. It was a very jovial event.

I made my way over to the Bard Stage to catch Boom Boom Shake. Two wonderfully skilled belly dancers performed for the crowd to Middle Eastern music. The balance and grace of these women were amazing and the crowd absolutely loved them. And they had a huge crowd around their stage.

I decided to check out Equestrian Chaos for a second time getting some pictures from a different angle. They were just as impressive as when I saw them for the first time that day. Their skill and strength to perform these athletic feats are seriously incredible.

Finally, it was time for the grand finale, the final joust of the day. The mood was somber as the sun was setting. Queen Elizabeth and her Royal Court were introduced by Sir William and they took their places on the podium. Sir Michael and Sir Lilith were introduced separately and they rode onto the field to cheers and applause. The Queen addressed the knights asking if there was no other way to settle their differences, but their words made it apparent there was not. They both had a chance to ride the field and found it suitable for combat. Sir William went through a presentation ceremony of their helmets and shields and then ordered them to their ends of the field and the joust to the death began. Each knight roared ahead eager to clash with the other. The sound of the lance against shield rang out through the field over and over, until Sir Michael’s lance broke, splintering into pieces all over the field.

Sir William ordered the knights to dismount and meet on the field in hand-to-hand combat. Sir Michael did, but Sir Lilith did not. Instead, she grabbed a lance and sped towards Sir Michael with hatred and rage on her face, ready to drive the lance into his heart. But, he saw what she had planned and raised his shield in time. The blow knocked Michael off his feet and Sir Lilith came around for another pass. This time, Sir Michael yanked the lance out of her hand, ready to use it at her. Sir Lilith dismounted and grabbed her sword and Sir Michael grabbed his own and they met in the middle bloodlust in their hearts. The battle was fierce and no punches were pulled but in the end, Sir Michael had Sir Lilith on the ground, sword at her throat, and hatred in his heart. And he showed her mercy. He declared to the Queen his honor was redeemed and walked away. Sir Lilith was disgusted and screamed his name and when he turned around, she launched the hidden dagger right into his eye. Sir Michael screamed as blood flew everywhere and then collapsed to the ground. Sir William looked on in horror and ran to Sir Michael, confirming he was dead.

The Queen was horrified once again at the dishonor of Sir Lilith and ordered Sir William to dispose of her. Sir William was happy to oblige, drawing his sword and moving forward. The two clashed in the middle of the field, but Sir William was too skilled, striking a blow to her abdomen and slicing her across. He then used his sword and her own to slice open her neck, killing her. Sir William then addressed the crowd after they cheered for his success and asked for a round of applause for both Sir Michael and Sir Lilith for their performances that day. The crowd cheered as they both stood up and took a quick bow. It was an amazing story throughout the three jousts that day.

The day ended with the burning of the Wicker Man, where people inserted their wishes into it all throughout the day. Afterward, those who were staying for the concert that evening were guided to the Brawling Crawling Pub for the Pub Sing. I had the opportunity to spend time with the Queen and Sir Robert during that time, enjoying the musical entertainment. When everything was ready, the staff guided people to the Queen’s Stage for Gaelic Storm. The Celtic rock band out of San Francisco, CA put on an amazing show filled with fun songs, humor, and great music. It was a great way to cap off the evening and for me the fair season.

I’m definitely looking forward to next year and highly recommend anyone who has not attended to come next season and see how much fun you’ll have at this fair.

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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.

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I like arriving early to catch as much of the fair as I can. This particular day was going to be long as I was staying to see Celtica Nova‘s evening performance. The moment I walked into the fair I was greeted by multiple people, including the Royal Court! King Philip of Spain and his guards were there, Queen Elizabeth and her entourage were there, along with a group of faeries, the living tree Ser Oakheartt and the harpist Kathleen Finnegan. If you have not seen her perform yet, she’s set up straight through the front entrance. Go take a moment and listen to beautiful melodies.

After browsing through a few of the vendors, I made my way over to see Daniel Greenwolf – Celtic Magic. Daniel and his wife Bella perform a variety of magic tricks while incorporating his wild sense of humor throughout the show. If you weren’t laughing at the jokes, you were enamored by his magic. There was a very large crowd there to see him and it was truly understandable as to why. Daniel and Bella’s fire breathing and fire eating was a great display to close out their show.

Right following him was the Clan Tynker Family Circus. The troupe of five brothers and sisters perform in a “vaudeville” style bringing in silly to stylish to dangerous acts. Starting off with the Chinese linking rings, to juggling, to suddenly juggling machetes over her sister! Throw in some fire-eating and ribbon dancing for good measure. But, the finale is stupendous with three members juggling fire torches. It’s truly a sight to behold. Clan Tynker is a phenomenal act to see.

And then, of course, it was over to the jousting field to watch the knights of Noble Cause Productions put on their performance. King Philip made an appearance with his sister Juana to watch Master of Arms Sir William host some friendly test of skills between Sir Michael and Sir Lilith. After the tests of skill, Sir William recommends the two have a friendly joust and after a few passes, Sir William recommends the knights return later in the day for a true joust. The reason I love the opening joust is for the light-hearted affair. The jokes on Lord of the Rings, Lilith being sent back to her room, Michael about being hit by the quintain all provide the atmosphere for a fun and jovial event.

Afterward, I headed over to the Royal Glade for probably one of the most unique events, the Royal Feast. The Royal Feast is literally the cast of the Royal Court sitting outside and eating lunch in front of people. Literally. And all while staying in character. Even odder, did you know that you could bring your own lunch and sit down and join them? My wife and I did it the week before and it was hilarious. You have this unique opportunity to sit down and eat with royalty, yet barely anyone knows about it! Instead, you see attendees walking by and gawking at them eating lunch, maybe sometimes stopping to say hello before moving on. I decided to sit down and join them, taking the opportunity to snap some candid photos (after they had finished eating of course) and some of these were just priceless.

But, the best was seeing the interaction between Queen Elizabeth and Sir Robert Dudley. The two of them played out their roles so well and the chemistry between them is superb.

From there it was on to the second joust of the day when things start to heat up. The rivalry gets a little out of hand with chivalry on the line and Sir Lilith shows her true colors. The action sequences in this joust are well worth watching and both knights deserve all the cheers they get for their performances. The end scene with Sir William drawing his sword ready to get medieval on Sir Lilith will give you goosebumps. And this culminates over to the last joust of the day where it’s a fight to the death. Those sequences are by far the greatest ones ever and once again both knights put their bodies on the line for the performance. If anything, the joust is always my premiere event to watch, even though I’ve seen them so many times this season.

And then it was off to the Pub Sing! at the Queen’s Stage to wrap up the fair. And getting to see Queen Elizabeth chug down her drink was absolutely well worth it. The Pub Sing is great musical entertainment and a great way to close out the evening.

Now, for me, I was staying for the concert after the fair closed. First to the stage was the Black Velvet Band who provided a very fun performance with bawdy toasts and songs. Nothing too dirty but just enough the adults would understand but not the kids. Cu Dubh came on next going full out metal red lighting and all for their performance. They really are great musicians. And then we wrapped up the evening with Celtica Nova. Bagpipes, fire, and Irish Rock. What more do you need? They provided a great show for the fans and it was a fantastic way to close out the day.

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I arrived at the opening that morning and the parking lot wasn’t crowded. I wasn’t too surprised as not everyone gets off from work on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But, it did pick up not too long after I arrived. I hooked up my cameras and made my way inside. I was greeted warmly, as always, by the fair staff and made a quick stop at the Royal Family tent for my drink token (Royal Family members get one per visit!) and then decided to head over to the Queen’s Stage to check out the band Cu Dubh. I absolutely loved what I was hearing from the band. They are a heavy metal band with a bagpipe player. Their garb and music screamed “Viking!” and if I had to describe them, it was Amon Amarth (Google if you don’t know them) with bagpipes and no vocals. Could you headbang to this band? Absolutely! Could you dance to their music? Absolutely as people were doing that as they performed. Their set was very enjoyable.

From there I headed over to the Sherwood Forest area to catch the end of Unicorn Hugs. As I made my way to the bridge, I was greeted by Robyn Hood and her Merry Band who were sitting at the top of the bridge. I was shocked to see there were no fair attendees in this area at all. I walked over to the stage and was greeted by Lady Brittany who runs the Unicorn Hugs show. Unicorn Hugs, from their website, “is a not-for-profit specializing in bringing trained miniature therapy horses into children’s hospitals nationwide dressed as unicorns.” And she has a very special unicorn named Lucky Star who has a very special talent for performing math tricks. It’s a pretty cool thing to see. Brittany offered me the opportunity to do a photoshoot with her and Lucky Star that morning, which I loved. After we had finished, other attendees started making their way over right in time for the next scheduled show.

Next was Wyrd Friends Present: Robyn Hood. This appeared to be a new group to the fair that was performing a very interactive story of the classic Robin Hood tale. This was an interactive performance bringing up a child to play the Sherriff of Nottingham and getting the crowd to react every time certain words were said. I absolutely adored this show. It was lively, fun, and all the actors were very entertaining. I’d put this as one of the must-see shows for the pure entertainment and smiles it will bring you.

From there it was over to Flodden Field for the 12 PM Joust run by Noble Cause Productions. If you couldn’t tell, the Joust is by far my favorite event of this Fair every year. It has great performers, great actors, and fantastic action. My goal this day was to finally catch all three Jousts so I can see how the entire story unfolds. Most times if I’m with the family we get to the fair early but leave before the last one. Or we arrive late so I miss the first one. But, not this day! The first Joust sets up the story between Sir Michael (the honorable and good knight) and Sir Lilith (the win by any means necessary knight) showing off their skills.

The tone is light-hearted and you get to see the personalities of the knights truly shine. Everyone loves Sir Michael with his honor and chivalry. But, you can’t help but also love Sir Lilith with her me-first attitude and always wanting to smash something. And while she’s meant to be the villain, you can’t help but laugh with some of the things she says during the event. After some show of skills, Sir William the Master at Arms gets the knights to agree to return to the field at 2:30 PM for a joust to see who will be the victor. More on this later.

I ran back to Sherwood Forest to catch one of my favorite shows called Nature of Mercy. The Captain and Francesca provide a tale teaching kids to choose love and mercy over hate and violence in a very fun way. The Captain calls for all the children in the audience to come forward so they can play a part in the story and teaches them some lines and when to come forward at the right moment. The show also provides swashbuckling between the two of them with a huge amount of humor and some that are adult so parents would understand but the kids won’t. Nature of Mercy has been running for over 30 years and they’re two wonderful actors who absolutely get the audience laughing and engaged in the show. The Captain will pick a male adult in the audience to play the Earl of Leicester and get him to interact with the story. And Francesca has a way of getting that person to blush. I know from personal experience as I was chosen one time. And she got me again this year.

As The Captain was teaching the kids their lines, I was standing in the back of the rows with my camera taking pictures. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Francesca sneaking up to my right. She came right up beside me and in her Italian accent say, “Hey Earlllllll”. I couldn’t help but smile and laugh. The two of them have seen me at their shows so many times they recognize me, but this was the first time this year I was getting to see them so she wanted to say hi before jumping into her role. As the show went on, The Captain called out a family walking in late where the Dad was designated as the Earl of Leicester, but the Dad delegated it to his little boy which was hilarious. Francesca during the show always calls out to the Earl for various things. At one point she gets whacked on the butt by The Captain and Francesca always looks to the Earl for the next line. But, no. This time she eye-locked directly with me pointing at her butt saying, “Hey Earllllll, do you want to kiss this boo-boo.” I stood there stunned as I know this show inside and out and who is supposed to be the recipient of that line and it wasn’t supposed to be me! And then The Captain said, “Well, he didn’t say no” and then I started laughing.

It’s the moments like this why I love the Nature of Mercy show so much and they are a must-see show. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it and if you have kids they will love it too.

Right after them was Unicorn Hugs where Lady Brittany brought out Lucky Star to perform for the crowd and explain the purpose of her organization. That is a super fun show for kids and adults and watching Lucky Star do addition, subtraction, and multiplication is pretty impressive. After the show, the kids have an opportunity to do a meet and greet with Lucky Star and get covered in unicorn dust that will stay with you forever.

I headed out to hit the Krusty Barnacle Pub to grab a mead and started walking through the Jackdaw Careening Camp when I started to hear this beautiful melodic singing coming from the Queen’s Stage. I immediately recognized who it was and headed over to catch Sirena – The Sirens. The trio of Raidne, Legeia, and Leucosia provide amazing harmonic performance of part acapella and part drumming and vocals to produce their songs. They are very impressive and extremely talented.

Now it was back to Flodden Field for the second Joust. Queen Elizabeth made an appearance with her Royal Court to oversee the event. Sir William had them compete in a ring catch before they prepared for the actual joust.

This is the time when things start to get serious when the actual joust occurs and after a few passes it turns into mounted combat and that ending takes an unexpected turn, before Sir Michael and Sir Lilith are dueling pretty hard against each other. I won’t spoil what happens (the pictures do! Fair warning!), but the end result causes a declaration of a joust to the death to take place at 5:30 PM.

Before I got to my next show I wanted to see I encountered the Happy Goat Trading Company who sells freeze dried candy so check them out. And yes, his cart is pulled by a goat. I also encountered the eerie creature of obsidian and ash known as Atmos Rising.

My next stop was to see Galiana the Living Fountain. The owner of the fountain explains she was discovered many years ago and only comes to life when songs are played. She performs to three Sarah Brightman songs and dances while controlling the water in the fountain during the songs. It’s a pretty cool display with the music and her costume and what it can do is truly neat. I enjoyed watching this show a lot.

I realized how late it had gotten and hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning. So I grabbed some yummy tacos (those are renaissance, right?) and went back to the Royal Family tent to eat and give me a chance to put my cameras down. After getting my energy back it was off to the last Joust!

The sun was starting to come down and it gave this ominous feel to what was happening next. Sir Lilith was riding her horse Barossa (who is blind) up and down the field getting a feel for it before the event. Sir Michael was waiting in the back. Two knights would enter, only one would leave alive. When Queen Elizabeth arrived, even she put on a brave face urging the knights not to do this, but neither one would yield. Both knights spoke last words before Sir William went through the ceremony of the knights receiving their helmet and shield and a prayer before the joust to the death.

The intensity of the passes felt different and they rode at each other at full speed making five passes. At each pass a clang of the lance against shield and a cheer from the crowd, but no one dismounted. And at each pass, the crowd breathlessly waited to see if anyone would be dismounted, but it never happened. Sir William called for the knights to dismount and engage in hand-to-hand combat, but Sir Lilith wasn’t having it. After Sir Michael dismounted, Sir Lilith rode with all her might at Sir Michael with Sir William enraged at her dishonor. Sir Michael grabbed his shield and braced for the blow literally knocking him off his feet. (By far one of the coolest stunts I’ve seen during the joust.) Sir Michael was ready for Sir Lilith at her second pass, but I won’t give away what happens.

Sir Lilith finally dismounted and the two of them engaged in hand-to-hand combat. If you thought the 2:30 joust fight was good, this one is even better. The two knights don’t hold back in this fight and are willing to give it their all to survive. I definitely will not give away the ending (THE PHOTOS DO FAIR WARNING!), but it was a great ending to the story built throughout the day. In the end, the Queen initiates a ceremony with the burning of The Wicker Man filled with people’s wishes to make them all come true as they burn into the air. It was a perfect ending to the night.

Now, the fair has one more event called the Pub Sing at 6 PM over at the Queen’s Stage, I was just so tired from the long day I called it a night with an hour ride home. Overall, it really was a fantastic day with all the events I got to see and photograph and I had the best time. Now, with that in mind, I didn’t even get the chance to stop at any of the shops! And there are so many great vendors around the fair.

The Brevard Renaissance Fair is truly a fun time for yourself, your family, and your friends. If you live in the Central Florida area or plan on visiting between January to first week of February 2024, add this fair to your plans. Keep your eyes out for their 2024 schedule over at https://brevardrenaissancefair.com/.

The post REN FAIRE TRAVELS: BREVARD RENAISSANCE FAIR – WICKHAM PARK – MELBOURNE FL – JANUARY 16, 2023 appeared first on The Ren Faire Traveler.

Side note, while my website uses the spelling “faire”, you will find many of these events will use either “faire”, “fair”, or “festival”. For these reviews, I’ll use the word and spelling they provide for the event.

The fair ran every Saturday and Sunday for five weeks starting on January 7th and 8th and ended on February 4th and 5th. The fair has free parking for the event and ticket prices separated for adult and children. They also offer a VIP style ticket known as a Royal Family member. The Royal Family ticket is essentially a season passholder for all 5 weekends with a lot of great perks including closer parking, a private tent to sit in for some shade (did I mention the Royal Tent has its own bar?), 1 free drink token per visit per member, and private air-conditioned bathrooms. And Royal Family member gets two free guest single-day tickets so you can bring your friends. The Royal Family passes are sold out quickly for 2023. If you live in the Central Florida area, I highly recommend purchasing the pass for 2024. It is absolutely well worth the money. Tickets were cheaper if you bought them online instead of buying them at the gate. And there were options to buy multi-day tickets too.

There were additional add-ons you can purchase including pub crawls, beer tasting, and there is even a concert series! Every Saturday a band performed after the fair is closed. The concert series for this year was:

• January 7th – Musical Blades & The Bawdy Boys
• January 14th – Sanctus with Star Shanties
• January 21st – Albannach
• January 28th – Celtica Nova & Black Velvet Band
• February 4th – Gaelic Storm

The concert series was an additional cost, but Royal Family members got admission to these concerts as part of their pass.

When you enter the fair you’ll found yourself immediately greeted by a plethora of artisans. These artisans brought a variety of merchandise for sale from jewelry to clothing to armor to books and there was even a tabletop and board gaming vendor selling a variety of games and dice. And the food selection was amazing. This year were are two separate food areas that sold everything from kabobs to pizza to shepherd’s pie and even tacos. And there were pastries and other snacks for those with a sweet tooth. For those who do attend Renaissance fairs regularly, you’ll had a great selection of mead for your taste buds!

While I didn’t get the chance to see all the events I wanted to on opening weekend, I did get to see some very memorable ones. The first was the Blades of Death show. Ichabod Wainwright and his assistant Jimmy already have great personalities for the stage. Performing right outside of the Royal Family Tent, the pair made the crowd laugh while doing some amazing juggling. Jimmy made the crowd cringe at times juggling two bowling balls…..with his feet. There was a moment when you thought one was coming crash down on him, but Jimmy had it well in hand, or feet in his case. But, balancing a long flaming pipe with his feet and even spinning it inches from his face made the crowd gasp numerous times over.

Ichabod went with the more death-defying style of stunts stacking chairs on top of one another to form a tower. And note, these chairs were not linked in any way to one other. Ichabod showed how easily they could slip out. He climbed the chairs and stood on top of them all, having him pretty high in the air. Jimmy then lit three axes on fire and then one by one threw them up to Ichabod. Once he had them all, Ichabod juggled the flaming axes for a bit before coming down and thanking the crowd. They were one of my favorite acts from 2023.

I also had the opportunity to catch that weekend Cirque Du Sewer. Comedy and pet tricks including rats and cats. What could go wrong? OK, the rats and cats weren’t out at the same time, but both are a lot of fun. One of the rats ran through an obstacle course, which is impressive, but the cats might do tricks that day. After all, they are cats. Packinmeow, Spootnik, and Schrodinger that day were all very cat-like. Schrodinger wasn’t having it and took off under the stage. And that’s part of the charm of the show, they’re cats! When they did perform tricks, they did so with grace and cuteness. It was a really fun show.

Of course, to me at least, the star event of the Brevard Renaissance Fair is The Joust. Performed by Noble Cause Productions, the joust is a storyline that runs throughout the day of the fair. It started off at 12 PM, continued at 2:30 PM, and then wraps up the story at 5:30 PM. This year we had the noble Sir Michael going up against Sir Lilith The Knightmare. Sir Michael fighting for chivalry and honor while Sir Lilith is looking to smash someone’s face and see some blood spilled. Sir William of Whitehall was the Master at Arms who oversaw the joust. Queen Elizabeth and her Royal Court also make an appearance to oversee the knights that day. I absolutely loved the troupe Noble Cause Production had this weekend. The storyline is great, the actors are phenomenal, and the stunts they perform are amazing. Noble Cause Productions travels to many fairs and I highly recommend seeing them if they’re at one close to you.

If you’ve never been to the Brevard Renaissance Fair, I truly recommend attending.  You can find more info over at https://brevardrenaissancefair.com/.

The post REN FAIRE TRAVELS: BREVARD RENAISSANCE FAIR – WICKHAM PARK – MELBOURNE FL – JANUARY 8, 2023 appeared first on The Ren Faire Traveler.