You have to LOVE the local for the Ren Fest. I mean, HOW cool is the knight slaying the alligator?Yeah, it's a Louisiana Thing, but it's unique!
Every weekend the Fest has themes-where the focus is on the theme and there are special events around the theme and participants act accordingly!
Upcoming themes: Weekend 3: Pirate Adventure,Nov 21/22 - Third annual "Dress like a Pirate" weekend! Activities include a pirate costume contest each afternoon and Free pirate eyepatches will be handed out at the souvenir booth while supplies last!.Weekend 4: Harvest Huzzah, Nov 27/28/29 - Celebrate the Harvest and Thanksgiving weekend, all kids 12 and younger get in free! Also some special shopping deals available for this weekend to help kick off the Christmas Shopping season..Weekend 5: Highland Fling, Dec 5/6 - Show your Celtic pride and celebrate the music, dance, and culture of the Celtic nations throughout the weekend with a variety of events.Listen to the sounds of traditional Pipe and Drum bands and sing along with our musicians as they perform Celtic tunes for your enjoyment.Wear your kilt with pride and join us for our Best Knees contest! Slàinte!.Weekend 6: ‘Tis the Season, Dec 12/13 - Join the villagers as they prepare to celebrate the Holidays, with sounds of carols filling the air and the Village decorated in true Holiday style including a Tree decorated by all the village residents and visitors.Each evening this weekend they will end the day with a Fireworks Finale over the lake, just after dusk!
There are plenty of activities to keep the kids occupied! Activities include panning for jewels, rides, mazes, arrow shooting, pony and war horse rides, and various other games!
Hobgoblin Hills Puppets they were a favorite of my daughter and all the kids there! Fantasy, Foolery, and Fairy Tales with hand-carved puppet, in a puppet theater as it was in the Middle Ages. Winner of the UNIMA Citation of Excellence for “Dance of Death” (the Oscar of the puppetry- had no idea there was such a thing, did you???) 4 different shows a day. My daughter's favorite show was THREE TERRIBLE TASKS: Two reluctant Russian heroes face monsters to win Princess Marya.http://www.hobgoblinhill.com/
(we skipped this one, as it scared my daughter!)
Madame Ghislaine traveled this year to South Africa and conducted exhaustive research on behalf of her beloved guests. She brought back wines of exceptional quality and value. She will serve wines according to geographic region. Madame also serves an elegant tasting plate of fruit, cheese, and bread. She and Scottish scoundrel Geoffrey will delight you with some special surprise tasting items selected to compliment the wines. Price includes 8 wines, food (plenty for lunch), entertainment and a souvenir champagne flute. Seatings sell out VERY quickly, so get your ticket online ASAP if you want to be involved in this one!Wine tasting tickets are $40 per person. Each date has limited seating available (festival admission tickets must be purchased separately) Wine tastings begin at 1:00 PM and last about 90 minutes.
Are you interested yet???? This is just a SMALL sampling of the various activites! But I hope it has peaked your interest, expecially if you live anywhere nearby!
There is SO much more than just dressing up at a Ren Fest- going back in time and seeing how things were done in Medieval times is a living history lesson for your children and should NOT be missed! I personally think all kids need to go at least once while they are still young enough to truly enjoy everything they see!
Disclosure: While I was given free passes to the Ren Fest by Rick Hight, I was NOT compensated in any way, by them, or any other company, to provide a positive review!
Upcoming themes: Weekend 3: Pirate Adventure,Nov 21/22 - Third annual "Dress like a Pirate" weekend! Activities include a pirate costume contest each afternoon and Free pirate eyepatches will be handed out at the souvenir booth while supplies last!.Weekend 4: Harvest Huzzah, Nov 27/28/29 - Celebrate the Harvest and Thanksgiving weekend, all kids 12 and younger get in free! Also some special shopping deals available for this weekend to help kick off the Christmas Shopping season..Weekend 5: Highland Fling, Dec 5/6 - Show your Celtic pride and celebrate the music, dance, and culture of the Celtic nations throughout the weekend with a variety of events.Listen to the sounds of traditional Pipe and Drum bands and sing along with our musicians as they perform Celtic tunes for your enjoyment.Wear your kilt with pride and join us for our Best Knees contest! Slàinte!.Weekend 6: ‘Tis the Season, Dec 12/13 - Join the villagers as they prepare to celebrate the Holidays, with sounds of carols filling the air and the Village decorated in true Holiday style including a Tree decorated by all the village residents and visitors.Each evening this weekend they will end the day with a Fireworks Finale over the lake, just after dusk!
There are plenty of activities to keep the kids occupied! Activities include panning for jewels, rides, mazes, arrow shooting, pony and war horse rides, and various other games!
Pluck-a-Duck and The Royal Fishpond- easy fun for the little ones.
Fish for a fish with a rod, or use a fish catcher to pluck a duck.
Darling daughter won a Princess crown, that matched her outfit, she was beyond thrilled!
Flying Dragon Attractions: Carasello- ride an old-fashioned see saw.
Definitely for older kids, but judging from the shrieks of glee- lots of fun!
(we skipped this one, as it scared my daughter!)
Queen Elizabeth I- Meet a Young Queen Elizabeth, as she presides over the Fest. And be sure to make it to the Knighting Ceremony daily at 230pm, so that your young lady or knight, can be knighted/honored by the Queen herself!
Children can be declared a Lady or a Knight, by her majesty Queen Elizabeth and her royal court. Happening once a day on the Royal Green at the Queens Pavilion next to the peninsula in the Lake.
The kids get a great certificate anointing them as a Lady or Knight. And I don't think any of the kids there are ever going to forget getting knighted via a REAL sword by the Queen! As you can see, even my 2 1/2 yr old was really into it= she couldn't stand still in line and was perfect when it came to kneeling in front of the Queen. I was shocked by how much she had paid attention. Just goes to show you how much kids can pick up in an afternoon!
The kids get a great certificate anointing them as a Lady or Knight. And I don't think any of the kids there are ever going to forget getting knighted via a REAL sword by the Queen! As you can see, even my 2 1/2 yr old was really into it= she couldn't stand still in line and was perfect when it came to kneeling in front of the Queen. I was shocked by how much she had paid attention. Just goes to show you how much kids can pick up in an afternoon!
Haggis Rampant-
Pipes, drums and family attitude. Enjoy bagpipe harmonies and connect with your clan in this show featuring down home Scottish music and fun. Suitable for all ages. Questions welcome, straight answers occasionally given. My daughter was entranced, but then she has a thing about bagpipes and has since last year! the show was great and there is alot of audience participation!
Wine Tasting- adult ONLY for this one!
Wine Tasting- adult ONLY for this one!
Madame Ghislaine traveled this year to South Africa and conducted exhaustive research on behalf of her beloved guests. She brought back wines of exceptional quality and value. She will serve wines according to geographic region. Madame also serves an elegant tasting plate of fruit, cheese, and bread. She and Scottish scoundrel Geoffrey will delight you with some special surprise tasting items selected to compliment the wines. Price includes 8 wines, food (plenty for lunch), entertainment and a souvenir champagne flute. Seatings sell out VERY quickly, so get your ticket online ASAP if you want to be involved in this one!Wine tasting tickets are $40 per person. Each date has limited seating available (festival admission tickets must be purchased separately) Wine tastings begin at 1:00 PM and last about 90 minutes. 
Jousting
A fully armored contact joust and hand-to-hand combat demonstration. This crowd favorite is a main attraction to the festival. It is held twice a day in the "Joust ARENA," which can hold up to 5,000 people.Pix courtesy of Ren Fest. LOTS AND LOTS of family fun here-plus you can RIDE one of the Percherons afterwards-how super is that???? http://www.warhorse.com/
Birds of Prey Display/Falconry Show
Falconry, the sport of Kings. Falcons and Hawks are on Display the entire day, every day. Hawks, owls, and falcons, are then released to majestically fly free. It is a very entertaining and educational demonstration. Stop by the ‘ Raptor ARENA‘ to see them up close and personal.
Are you interested yet???? This is just a SMALL sampling of the various activites! But I hope it has peaked your interest, expecially if you live anywhere nearby!
There is SO much more than just dressing up at a Ren Fest- going back in time and seeing how things were done in Medieval times is a living history lesson for your children and should NOT be missed! I personally think all kids need to go at least once while they are still young enough to truly enjoy everything they see!