A Renaissance or Medieval fair is an outdoor gathering that aims to re-create a historical setting—most often the English Renaissance—for the amusement of its guests.
The Michigan Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair, an interactive outdoor event that focuses on recreating the look and feel of a fictional English village called Hollygrove during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the latter half of the 16th century. A large number of patrons also regularly attend the festival in costume further fleshing out the streets with nobles, pirates, Vikings, wizards, rogues, wenches, and an assortment of fantasy characters. The festival also includes many nationally known Renaissance festival stage acts, juggling shows, sword fighting shows, lane acts, a two-hour feast performed twice daily, three full contact joust shows performed daily, and activities and games for children of all ages. The festival is owned by Mid-America Festivals.
The New York Renaissance Faire is a Renaissance faire located in Tuxedo, New York off New York State Route 17A. In 2022, the faire celebrated its 45th season. The 65-acre (260,000 m2) faire comprises permanent structures and has twenty stages and more than 100 shops. The fair runs seven weekends beginning in late August, plus Labor Day Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 fair to be cancelled.
The Bristol Renaissance Faire is a Renaissance fair held in a Renaissance-themed park in the village of Bristol in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Its 30-acre site runs along the Wisconsin-Illinois state line west of Interstate 94. It recreates the visit of Queen Elizabeth I to the English port city of Bristol in 1574. The faire runs for nine weekends from early July through Labor Day.
The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance-themed amusement park and Renaissance fair located in Gold Canyon, Arizona, east of the Phoenix metro area in Pinal County. First run in 1989, the Arizona Renaissance Festival runs from mid-winter to early spring every year due to the mild winter and spring weather. The fictional village of Fairhaven is open Saturdays, Sundays, and President's Day Monday.
The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is a Renaissance fair occurring over 13 weekends from early-August through late-October on the grounds of the Mount Hope Estate and Winery in Manheim, Pennsylvania. In 1980, the Estate was sold and converted to a winery.
The Maryland Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair located in Crownsville, Maryland. Set in a fictional 16th-century English village named Revel Grove, the festival is spread over 27 acres (110,000 m2). It is open from the last weekend of August and runs for nine weekends.
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair, an interactive outdoor event which focuses on recreating the look and feel of a fictional 16th Century "England-like" fantasy kingdom. It operates during seven consecutive weekends, from mid-August until the final week in September on a site near the Minnesota River in Shakopee, a suburb of the Twin Cities.
The Louisiana Renaissance Festival is a renaissance fair near Hammond, Louisiana. The festival takes place on a location that emulates a historical 16th century village (Albright) in England during the 1565 fall harvest festival. Renaissance fairs began in the 1960s in California. The Louisiana Renaissance Festival started in 2000 and explores Subcultural movements in Renaissance art, crafts, music, and theatre. Cast members are dressed as people would have been dressed during the 1560s.
The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a 25 acre renaissance themed amusement park. The festival is set in a fictional storybook village of "Fairhaven". The open air village and artisan marketplace contain permanent cottages and bungalows based on 16th century European architecture. Sixteen outdoor stages are used for comedy theater, dance, and circus-like entertainments. Featured, live-action shows include knights on horseback ; presentations of the art of falconry; and live swimming mermaids. The festival is held annually on Saturdays and Sundays in October and November. An average of 195,000 visitors a year attend the festival during its Fall season.
The Highland Renaissance Festival is a permanent Renaissance Festival located on former farmland in Eminence, Kentucky and set in the fictional early 14th century village of Briarwood in the Highlands of Scotland in the time when Robert the Bruce ruled. The year 1320, to be exact. It is in the center of a triangle created by the cities of Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati, and is the first permanent renaissance festival in the state of Kentucky.
The Ohio Renaissance Festival is an annual event that takes place on weekends from Labor Day weekend through the end of October. This Renaissance festival is held at a permanent site located near Harveysburg in Warren County, Ohio. It was voted Best Festival in Warren County in 2011.
The Texas Renaissance Festival is an annual Renaissance fair located in Todd Mission, Texas, about 55 miles northwest of Houston.
Scarborough Renaissance Festival, more commonly known as Scarborough Faire, is a renaissance fair in Waxahachie, Texas.
The Kansas City Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair held each fall in Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States, next to Sandstone Amphitheater. Each year the fair begins on Labor Day weekend and continues for seven weekends, open on Saturdays and Sundays as well as Labor Day and Columbus Day. The faire began in 1977 as a benefit for the Kansas City Art Institute, and became a stand-alone event in the late 1990s. Presently, the fair has 165 booths and 13 stages, entertaining 200,000 patrons annually on 16 operating days.
The Georgia Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair that recreates England's renaissance for entertainment purposes. The time period for the festival is set as the 16th century, during the reign of King Henry VIII. The festival is located near Fairburn, Georgia, United States and has been in operation since 1986. Situated on 32 acres (130,000 m2) of the land, the festival is open for eight weekends during late spring and early summer, plus Memorial Day and one Field Trip Day each year for Students to experience life in Renaissance England
A Dickens fair is a weekend or multi-day gathering open to the public which attempts to recreate a Victorian English setting reminiscent of the novels of Charles Dickens. Events may be outdoor, indoor or a combination of the two. Many are Christmas-themed, a reflection of the enduring legacy of Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. The fairs generally include costumed participants, musical and theatrical acts, and art, handicrafts, food and drink for sale.
The Northern California Renaissance Faire, owned by Play Faire Productions is a Renaissance faire in California located in Hollister about 90 miles southeast of San Francisco. The Renaissance Festival typically runs on weekends from mid-September to mid-October. It consists of five or six weekends depending on the year. It is set in the fictional village of "Willingtown" in Derbyshire, England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the mid-late 16th Century.
The Colorado Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair in Colorado located in Larkspur, Colorado, 39 miles south of Denver and 32 miles north of Colorado Springs. The Renaissance Festival typically runs between the months of June and August. It is based on a 16th-century Tudor village.
Sherwood Forest Faire is an annual Renaissance fair in McDade, Texas.
