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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Themed Weekends

Like all Renaissance Festivals, the Georgia Renaissance Festival has themed weekends to give people the opportunity to come dressed for the occasion. The last two weekends are:

May 27-29 – Memorial Weekend: This weekend is dedicated to those who have passed defending the freedom of our country. During this weekend, all active military members, veterans, and First Responders and their immediate families will receive special discounts on Memorial Day Monday at the Box Office.

June 3rd-4th – Flights of Fantasy: Be ready to see members of the fairy realm come to visit the Georgia Renaissance Festival. This is the final weekend and your last opportunity to attend the Festival for their season.

Tickets

When you go to purchase your tickets, online is the way to go to save some money. All tickets are good for one festival day. Adults are considered anyone 13 years of age and older. Adult tickets online are $26.95 – $28.95*. If you buy them at the Box Office adult tickets are $30.55. Child tickets online for ages 6-12 are $13.95 – $15.95*. If you buy them at the Box Office child tickets are $16.56. Children 5 years of age and under are free!

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

Please note that all tickets are non-refundable. Ticket prices do not include sales tax and processing fees.

Per the Georgia Renaissance Festival website: IMPORTANT! If you are unable to print your ticket, we suggest you take a screenshot of your ticket and save it on your phone for scanning – there is very poor cell reception at the Festival site and you may not be able to retrieve an email once you are at the Festival.

Entertainment

The Georgia Renaissance Festival brought on for this season some truly great entertainers you can see through the last two weekends. Here are just a small sampling of the entertainers you’ll be able to see:

The Reelin’ Rogues: A bardic band of rebels entertaining through Celtic songs.

The Puppies of Penzance: Take a trip with a pirate ship manned by pups!

Birds of Prey: Bird show including hawks, eagles, owls, and vultures.

The Lady Victoria: Wonderful performer of Celtic and Early music on the Hammered Dulcimer.

Boom Boom Shake: Middle Eastern style dancing with a modern vibe. One of my favorites to watch.

Rota Temporis: An Italian heavy metal band with bagpipes and drums that plays Celtic music. Energy galore and not to be missed.

Washing Well Wenches: Comedic entertainment, highly interactive, and watch out of the splash zone!

Cast in Bronze: 4 tons, 35 bells, and amazing music generated from this Carillon played by Carillonneur Charlie St. Cyr-Paul.

DeBracey Joust Productions: Knights battling on horses, chariot, and the ground 3 times a day. Such amazing fight scenes and stunts!

And so much more!

Food and Drink

All great Renaissance Festivals have solid food offerings and this one definitely delivers. Here are some of the great food and drinks you’ll find at the Georgia Renaissance Festival:

Snacks: Giant pretzels, fruit and cheese platters, cheese bread, and more.

Entrees: Smoked turkey legges, Feast of Fowl Chicken Sandwich, Steak on a Stake, and more.

Desserts: Root beer floats, ice cream sandwiches, ice cream sundaes, and more.

Drinks: Water, milk, iced tea, Coca-Cola products, Budweiser products, Wild Leap Local Blonde Ale, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Fat Tire IPA, Monks Mead Dragon Nectar and Bacchus Pink Lemonade, assorted wines, and more.

Shopping

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Renaissance Festival without seeing so many artisans available selling their crafts! You can see the Festival’s artistans page at https://www.garenfest.com/artisans-market which includes a link with a PDF of the full vendor list.

Overall, the Georgia Renaissance Festival offers a huge variety of entertainment for your weekend, so go check them out before they close out their season! For even more details, visit their webpage at https://www.garenfest.com/.

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Themed Weekends

The festival also announced the themes for the weekends listed below.

June 17th-18th: Magical Fantasy Weekend – This weekend is dedicated to the faeries, mermaids, unicorns, and anything else magical. There will be a costume contest at 12 PM at the Rose Stage.

June 24th-25th: Ale and Art Festival, Military Appreciation Weekend – Celebrate the arts and the art of beer crafting. Adults can take part in a free beer tasting. Prior and active duty military members can buy tickets at the Festival box office for buy one, get one free. Children under 12 of military members get in free.

July 1st-2nd: Children’s Weekend – This weekend is dedicated to the kids. Children 12 and under get in free and can pick up their tickets at the Festival Box Office. There will be a Prince, Princess, and Pirate Costume Contest, the Royal Quest, knighting ceremonies, and photos with the King and Queen.

July 8th-9th: Celtic Weekend – Come join in the fun of Celtic and Scottish musicians throughout the weekend. There is a Men in Kilts contest at the Rose Stage at 12 PM.

July 15th-16th: Pirate Weekend – A weekend filled pirates and Captains with a costume contest at the Rose Stage at 12 PM.

July 22nd-23rd: Wine and Revelry Weekend – Dedicated to the Nectar of the Gods, join in for the Grape Stomp at the Rose Stage at 12 PM plus free sampling from area wineries.

July 29th-30th: Renaissance Romance and Masquerade Weekend – Time to celebrate love and romance with Romeo and Juliets and the renewal of vows on Saturday and Sunday at 12 PM on the Rose Stage. Plus, join in on the Wooing Competition throughout the day.

August 5th-6th: Time Travelers Weekend and Final Huzzah – Come dressed up as people from the past, present, or future and celebrate the final weekend of the festival. Costume contest will be held at the Rose Stage at 12 PM.

Tickets

Tickets go on sale on Friday, May 19th online. Pricing through Etix is Adults $26.50 and Children ages 5-12 are $11. Kids under 5 years old are free. Tickets are single-day admission and non-refundable.

Starting on June 1st, you can pick up tickets at your local King Soopers supermarket, which is also a sponsor of the Colorado Renaissance Festival. Pricing through King Sooper is Adults $25 and Children ages 5-12 are $11. Kids under 5 years old are free. Tickets are single-day admission and non-refundable.

You can also purchase tickets on the festival days at their Box Office. Pricing through the Festival Box Office is Adults $28 and Children ages 5-12 are $12. Kids under 5 years old are free. Tickets are single-day admission and non-refundable.

Entertainment

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

Arsene of Paris – comedy and magic combined into one.

Celtic Legacy – prepare for Celtic rock and comedic renditions of your favorite songs.

Cy the Sword Swallower – dangerous acts and comedy.

Dragonfire – dangerous acts of fire manipulation and a huge crowd favorite

Jacques Ze Whipper – the comedic French-ish-man and whip tricks will leave you wanting more. He is personally one of my favorite performers.

The Knights of Noble Cause – jousting and combat three times a day that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Fantastic performers and another personal favorite of the entertainers.

The Washing Well Wenches – clean fun and wet women and full of attendee interaction.

And there are many, many more!

Food and Drynk

The Festival offers a large variety of food from various vendors. Some examples of these tasty bites include Turkey Legges, Chicken Teriyaki Croissant, Pizza by the Slice, Yakitori Chicken, Lasagna, Steak on a Stake, Popcorn Shrimp & Chips, and so much more. Desserts include Cinnamon Rolls, cakes, pies, Cheesecake on a Stick, ice cream sandwiches, tea, coffee, and more!

On the drynk side, beers include Sam Adams, Coors, Coors Light, Heineken, Blue Moon, and Killians. You also have options such as Mikes Hard Lemonade, mead, wines, margaritas, and more. And for non-alcoholic there’s water, Pepsi products (another sponsor of the Festival), and lemonade.

Shopping

And we can’t forget all the wonderful artisans that will be there selling their wares and crafts. Everything from wood crafts to leather to metal to clothing and so much more.

You can find more information at the Colorado Renaissance Festival website at https://coloradorenaissance.com/.

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