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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Themed Weekends

Every festival has their own flair for themed weekends and Georgia Renaissance Festival has some special and fun themes coming this season.

April 13-14: Romance Weekend: Chivalry and courtship reign supreme! Get your vows renewed at the Celebration Garden at 4:30 PM each day!

April 20-21: Pet Friendly Weekend: Bring your fur baby to the festival! Dogs and cats on leashes are welcome. Please note the Registration Form that must be filled out before entering the grounds. You can find the form at Pet Friendly Weekend Info | Georgia Renaissance Festival (garenfest.com).

April 27-28: Highland Fling Weekend: Grab your kilt, bagpipes, and drums! And check out the Bonnie Knees and mashed potato eating contests.

May 4-5: Time Traveler/Cosplay Weekend: Come show off your best cosplays or Time Traveler renditions at the costume contest each day!

May 11-12: Viking & Barbarian Weekend: Invaders taking over the village of Newcastle to compete for the Best Beard contest at 2 PM each day.

May 18-19: Wizarding Weekend: Are you ready to represent your wizard school? Check out the broom race at the joust field each day at 3:30 PM! Race is open to kids 12 and under.

May 25-27: Pirate Invasion Weekend: ARRRRRR! Pirates and scallywags all abound to the Village of Newcastle! Don’t miss the Pirate Sea Leg Races at 3:30 PM each day. Also, the festival is open on Memorial Day!

June 1-2: Flights of Fantasy Weekend: Keep your eyes out for magical creatures around the festival! Also it’s the last weekend so go enjoy one last huzzah before the festival season ends!

Head on over to their website for more details HERE.

Tickets

All tickets are good for one day. Pricing for the festival are listed below:

Adults (13 and older):

• Online Price: $26.95-$28.95*
• Gate Price: $30.55

Children (6-12 years old):

• Online Price: $13.95-$15.95*
• Gate Price: $16.56

Children under 5 are free!

Season Pass

• Online Price: $175
• Gate Price: N/A (Season passes must be purchased online)

*Online ticket prices increase during premium purchasing days – Friday through Sunday.

You can purchase your tickets HERE. Also there is no fee for parking!

Please note parking is free at the festival!

Entertainment

The Georgia Renaissance Festival has a huge list of entertainers to see over your festival weekend. Here is a highlight of some of entertainers you can see:

Birds of Prey: Come learn about all various birds of prey with live flights during their performance. It’s truly educational and fun.

Rota Temporis: The highly energic Italian musicians are back at the Georgia Renaissance Festival! If you’ve never seen them perform, make some time. They are fun, loud, and you’ll be dancing along with them before you know it.

Cast In Bronze: Check out the only mobile carillon in the world as you hear Charlie St. Cyr-Paul perform his take on modern day and classic songs. It’s truly an amazing performance.

DeBracey Productions: The Georgia Renaissance Festival joust is hosted by DeBracey Productions. Their stunt riding, sword fighting, and story-filled shows will have you hooked and asking for more. Check them out three times a day.

Iggy the Gargoyle: It’s a decade of Iggy! Come visit the festival’s fan-favorite gargoyle!

The Puppies of Penzance: Do you like puppies? Do you like pirates? Then you will love this show! Come check out puppies in pirate outfits doing fun tricks!

This is just a small sampling of the entertainers. You can find the full list the the Festival’s website HERE.

Food and Drink

All great Renaissance Festivals have solid food offerings and this one also delivers. Georgia Renaissance Festival is filled with food and drink vendors to keep you stuffed and hydrated. And of course, a large plethora of adult drinks including cider, mead, beer, and so much more. You can find full details HERE.

Shopping

It can’t be a Renaissance Festival without seeing artisans selling their crafts! Everything from jewelry to clothing to armor and so much more. Georgia Renaissance Festival boasts over 100 artisans for your shopping pleasure. You can see the Festival’s artistans page HERE.

I attended the Georgia Renaissance Festival last year and had a phenomenal time. You can find my review HERE. If you live in Georgia or close to travel to the Georgia Reniassance Festival, go! I promise you’ll have an amazing time and will not regret it!

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Celebrating their 32nd Anniversary, the Florida Renaissance Festival returns to Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, FL. I was invited to attend this festival in 2023 and had the absolute best time. You can see that review at my other site, The Photo Pit, HERE. Their season is already in full swing and I highly recommend checking out the festival before they wrap up. The address the festival resides at is 401 S. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442. The festival runs from 10 AM ET to sunset.

Themed Weekends

The Florida Renaissance Festival like most Renaissance Festivals, has a special theme each weekend. Those remaining weekends are listed below:

March 9-10: Weekend VI Scoundrels of the High Seas – The Pirates Be Coming…

March 16-17: Weekend VII Shamrocks & Shillelaghs – A Leprechaun’s Shenanigans!

March 23-24: Weekend VIII Into The Woods – A Fairytale Finale!

Each of these weekends has something special going on. Head on over to their website for more details HERE.

Tickets

All tickets are good for one day. Pricing for the festival are listed below (taxes and fees are included, any processing fees are not):

Adults – $32

Children (12 and older) – $14

Children under 5 are free!

Please note parking is free at the festival. If you wish to pay for VIP parking the cost is $25 per vehicle. I will say, if you plan on arriving about an hour early, you’ll likely get a parking close to the gate. If you plan on arriving at gate opening or later in the day, be prepared to WALK. The parking lot area is massive and is a hike. VIP parking will put you right at the gate. You can purchase your tickets HERE.

Entertainment

The Florida Renaissance Festival has a huge list of entertainers to see over your festival weekend. Here is a highlight of some of entertainment you can see:

Jacques Ze Whipper: Returning only for the month of March, the French-ish whip trick artist is back! His YouTube videos get millions of hits and his stages are always packed to the hilt with good reason. Check out this comedy and whip trick performance!

Knightwings – Birds of Prey: Come learn about all various birds of prey with live flights during their performance. You’ll also have the opportunity to see the performers before and after the show. It’s truly educational and fun.

Rota Temporis: The highly energic Italian musicians are back in full force to entertain the masses yet again! If you’ve never seen them perform, make some time. They are fun, loud, and you’ll be dancing along with them before you know it.

Cast In Bronze: Check out the only mobile carillon in the world as you hear Charlie St. Cyr-Paul perform his take on modern day and classic songs. It’s truly an amazing performance.

DeBracey Productions: The Florida Renaissance Festival joust is hosted by DeBracey Productions. Their stunt riding, sword fighting, and story filled shows will have you hooked and asking for more. Check them out three times a day.

This is just a small sampling of the entertainers. You can find the full list the the Festival’s website HERE.

Food and Drink

All great Renaissance Festivals have solid food offerings and this one also delivers. Florida Renaissance Festival is filled with food and drink vendors to keep you stuffed and hydrated. And of course, a large plethora of adult drinks including cider, mead, beer, and so much more. You can find full details HERE.

Shopping

It can’t be a Renaissance Festival without seeing artisans selling their crafts! Everything from jewelry to clothing to armor and so much more. Florida Renaissance Festival boasts over 100 artisans for your shopping pleasure. You can see the Festival’s artistans page HERE.

The Florida Renaissance Festival is an amazing experience and I truly enjoy attending this festival. With only three more weekends left to go, find the time to attend and see for yourself! For more info, see their website at Florida Renaissance Festival (ren-fest.com).

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I was browsing Instagram recently and came across some absolutely beautiful photos of a jousting field with this gorgeous mountain range behind it. I was blown away from the view and dug deeper to find this was from the Arizona Renaissance Festival. And there was no doubt in my mind, this was a location I wanted to visit. So let’s talk a bit about this ren festival! The festival opened on February 3rd and runs until March 31st. It is celebrating their 36th anniversary this year! That is amazing to have a festival with such history.  The Festival is held at 12601 E. US Highway 60, Gold Canyon, AZ 85118.

Themed Weekends

The Arizona Renaissance Festival, like most Renaissance Festivals, has a special theme each weekend. Those are listed below:

February 17th-19th – Royalty Weekend – That includes a special Monday opening

February 24th-25th – Time Traveler’s Weekend

March 2nd-3rd – Pirate and Brew Fest Weekend

March 9th-10th – Artist Appreciation, Wizards and Wonders Weekend

March 16th-17th – Celtic Weekend

March 23rd-24th – Viking Invasion Weekend

March 30th-31st – Hop on Out to Final Weekend

Each of these weekends has something special going on. Head on over to their website for more details HERE.

Tickets

All tickets are good for one day. Pricing for the festival are listed below (taxes and fees are not included):

Adults – $34

Children (Ages 5-12) – $22

Children under 4 are free!

Seniors 60 and older – $32

Active or retired military personnel and their spouses – $32 (Military ID required, spouse must be present)

Child dependents ages 5-12 of active and/or retired adult military personnel and/or their spouses – $20 (Children must provide dependent military ID)

And for those who are the hardcore festival attendees, they offer Season Passes as well! Those prices are below (taxes and fees are not included):

Sir Lancelot Season Pass – $265 which includes VIP Parking and access to all festival days

Royal Season Pass – $215 which includes access to all festival days

Squire Season Pass – $120 which includes access to all festival days for children ages 5-12. 

Entertainment

The Arizona Renaissance Festival has a huge list of entertainers to see over your festival weekend. Here is a highlight of some of entertainment you can see:

The Jousters – These knights compete hard to knock a very tiny shield off their opponent’s armor. And did I mention they ride in full plate armor?! This group is exciting, entertaining and ride 3 times a day. They are do not miss event. On top of that Arizona boasts a 5,000 seat arena to see them perform!

Adam Crack, Fire Whip Show – Adam holds many Guinness Book of World Records for whip tricks and will absolutely blow your mind with his work. Another do not miss performer!

The Ancient Art of Falconry – A display of birds of prey that show why falconry was the sport of kings.

Barely Balanced – A troupe of acrobats who put their life on the line with every show! Danger at every turn and highly entertaining!

Cirque du Sewer – Trained rats and cats who will capture your hearts and make you laugh. They are for sure one of my favorite acts.

This is just a small sampling of the entertainers. You can find the full list the the Festival’s website HERE.

Food and Drink

All great Renaissance Festivals have solid food offerings and this one also delivers. But, let’s talk about the one thing I’ve never seen before at any Renaissance Festival I’ve attended; The Pleasure Feast. 

The Pleasure Feast is, as the festival defines, a Pirate Brouhaha with a FIVE course meal to fill you up with some of the most amazing food seen at a Renaissance Festival. The entertainment is bawdy and the food seems fabulous over 90 minutes. This is a separate ticketed event for the price of $100, but that $100 does include your entrance to the Arizona Renaissance Festival for that day AND you get a toasting goblet as a souvenir. Please note there are two feasts per day and a number of them are already sold out. You can learn more about The Pleasure Feast HERE.

Also new for 2024 is The Hops! This is a new Pub Crawl that is hosted by Roland & Florian of The Renaissance Men.  The Hops! runs twice a day and will include a 90 minute tour that includes 4 special 7 ounce pours during the crawl and you get to take home a limited edition The Hops! pewter pin. This is also a separate ticketed event at the cost of $85. Your ticket to The Hops! also includes entrance to the Arizona Renaissance Festival that day. Please note the humor is very suggestive and risque! Learn more about The Hops! HERE.

Shopping

It can’t be a Renaissance Festival without seeing artisans selling their crafts! Everything from jewelry to clothing to armor and so much more. Arizona Renaissance Festival boasts over 200 artisans for your shopping pleasure. You can see the Festival’s artistans page HERE.

The Arizona Renaissance Festival looks like a massive festival with amazing entertainers and grounds to see. I know I’d like the opportunity to go visit this festival and I hope you do as well. For more info, see their website at Arizona Renaissance Festival (renfestinfo.com)

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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 Bristol Renaissance Faire will start its 36th season on Saturday, July 8th. The faire runs every Saturday and Sunday and also runs on Labor Day, Monday, September 4th. Labor Day is the final day of the season. The faire is held in Kenosha, WI on 30 beautiful acres. The setting for the Renaissance Faire is the year 1574 upon when Queen Elizabeth visited the town of Bristol. The faire is located just west of I-94’s Russell Road exit and is open rain or shine from 10 AM to 7 PM. Linda McFeters, Owner and Producer, said, “Our team is thrilled to be back and doing what we do best: presenting world-class, immersive entertainment that will put a smile on your face. We continue to work closely with the local health department and the most current CDC recommendations to ensure the safety of our guests, vendors, volunteers, and staff.” Bristol Renaissance Faire was voted “Best Renaissance Faire” for the tenth consecutive year in 2021.

Tickets

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.  Pricing is as follows:

Adult ticket – $40.00
Senior (62+) – $35.00 (Box Office only)
Military w/ID – $35.00 (Box Office only)
Child (ages 5-12) – $15.00
Children 4 and younger are FREE!
Season Pass (all ages) – $225.00
Friends of Faire (VIP Garden) – $135.00

The Friends of Faire membership still requires single-day tickets or a season pass to be used. The membership does not include access to the faire. The season membership to Friends of the Faire includes:

A Friends of Faire 2023 Membership includes:

• A beautiful pewter FoF membership medallion especially crafted by Sheldon Pewter (issued in the Garden only)
• Access to the members-only Friends of Faire Garden for one adult and their dependent children (age 12 & younger) for the entire season:
  • Free Gatorade and water
  • Covered pavilion
  • Shaded tables and benches
  • Private dressing rooms
  • Clean, private, accessible-sized privies (port-a-johns)
  • Hot water for handwashing
  • Baby changing station
• The ability to purchase discounted general admission tickets at the will-call window: Adults $25, Children $10
• Two 25% discount coupons for the Renaissance Collection shops
• A members-only Facebook group
• Access to members-only merchandise
• Specialized classes and seminars about the Elizabethan period
• Special invitation to all FoF Events
• The opportunity to get to know other faire fans like yourself!

A Friends of Faire Day Pass  is $20 and grants access to the members-only Friends of Faire Garden and includes:

• Free Gatorade and water
• Covered pavilion
• Shaded tables and benches
• Private dressing rooms
• Clean, private, accessible-sized privies (port-a-johns)
• Hot water for handwashing
• Baby changing station

Themed Weekends

Bristol holds four specific themed weekends during their season. These are:

July 15th-16th: Steampunk Weekend – A weekend for time-travelers from all eras! Come join in the Steampunk Hand-Made Costume Contest and check out the pop-up Absinthe Bar.

July 22nd-23rd: Marketplace Weekend – Dedicated to the vendors, any attendees who spends $250 or more in the Faire’s Village Marketplace will receive two complimentary tickets to next year’s Faire. Tickets must be claimed on July 22nd or 23rd and receipt proof must be shown. Please note that this offer excludes admission, food, beverage, rides, games, and the Renaissance Collection Souvenir Shop. Limit 2 complimentary tickets per shopper.

August 5th-6th: Pirate Weekend – Bring your best pirate garb and eye patches for this dedicated weekend. Come join in the Pirate Hand-Made Costume Contest!

August 12th-13th: RennCon Weekend – An entire weekend dedicated to cosplayers! Come join in for the largest cosplay party in Bristol. There will be a Cosplay Maypole Dance at 10:30 AM Saturday and Sunday and Cosplay Hand-Made Costume Contest.

Entertainment

The Festival will have a variety of entertainers this year and the list announced so far looks solid. This year includes:

Adam Crack – All Season – Master of the whip and holder of 9 Guiness Book of World Records, his skills and wit will entertain the fans without a shadow of a doubt. And yes, audience participation will happen.

Arne Parrott – All Season – A whimsical musician who captures the essence of the faire through his songs.

Audience With The Queen – All Season, Sundays Only – Your opportunity to get time with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

Barely Balance – All Season – A trio of fantastic acrobats who add comedy and skill to entertain the audience.

Cirque Du Sewer – July 8 to August 20 – Come see the hilarious circus of trained rats and cats and the fun when the cats decided to be….cats! Definitely worth watching.

Clan Tynker – August 19 to September 4 – Amazing performances of juggling, dancing, music, and comedy all rolled up into one. They are a unique band of stage performers who will entertain you

Ded Bob Sho – July 8 to August 20 (PG-13) – Everyone’s favorite cadaver is back for more ventriloquist comedy fun.

Moonie the Manif’cent – All Season – Moonie returns for his 31st season at Bristol with three separate shows and all of them will be great fun. Don’t miss out on any of his performances.

And there are many, many more!

Food and Drink

The Faire offers a wide variety of food and drink options that quite impressive. Fully baked potatoes, coconut shrimp, steak on a stake, and so much more. You can find a full listing of food and drink options at https://renfair.com/bristol/the-faire/food/.

And you find more information on the Faire’s Pub Crawls under the Themed Weekends at https://renfair.com/bristol/theme-weekends/.

Shopping

And of course we can’t forget about the Marketplace! With a variety of options from renaissance faire clothing to boots to armor to swords and masks, the Marketplace has something for everyone. You can find a full listing of vendors at https://renfair.com/bristol/marketplace/.

RenQuest

If you’re looking for something different than the standard faire entertainment, check out RenQuest! Join in solving a series of fun puzzles where you are the hero trying to save the Order of Camelot who have been cursed. RenQuest costs $20 per day where you will find a Main Story and dozens of quests to tackle throughout the day.

The Bristol Renaissance Faire offers a large variety of fun and entertainment during their season. For full information on their faire, go to their website at https://renfair.com/bristol/.

The post REN FAIRE ANNOUNCEMENT: BRISTOL RENAISSANCE FAIRE OPENS JULY 8TH! appeared first on The Ren Faire Traveler.

The post REN FAIRE TRAVELS: COLORADO RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL – LARKSPUR CO – ATTENDEES GALLERY – JUNE 17-18, 2023 appeared first on The Ren Faire Traveler.

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.

The post REN FAIRE TRAVELS: BREVARD RENAISSANCE FAIR WEEK 5 – WICKHAM PARK – MELBOURNE FL – FEBRUARY 4, 2023 appeared first on The Ren Faire Traveler.

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.

The post REN FAIRE TRAVELS: GEORGIA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL – FAIRBURN, GA – MAY 27-28, 2023 appeared first on The Ren Faire Traveler.