Ready to encounter knights, fairies, and other mythical creatures? Head over to the Texas Renaissance Festival, where the King and Queen will welcome you to their magical kingdom for endless frivolity and entertainment. This year’s Ren Fest, running every weekend from October 12 to December 1, plus Thanksgiving Friday, is creating even more immersive experiences for adults and children. With 21 stages, The King's Feast, jugglers, bards, acrobats, games, rides, restaurants, pub crawls, and more than 400 shoppes and artisans, there is something for everyone.
The Texas Renaissance Festival is the nation's largest and most acclaimed Renaissance-themed event. Established in 1974, the event attracts over half a million visitors each year. Come to celebrate its 50th anniversary!
Bring the Whole Family
To make it an affordable destination for families, kids 4 and under are FREE every day. No ticket is necessary. Their presence will be accounted for at the gate. Kids 5-12 are half the price of the adult ticket on Saturdays and Thanksgiving Friday. Kids 5-12 are FREE every Sunday. No ticket is necessary. Their presence will be accounted for at the gate. Tickets are available online and at the gate. Buy your tickets.
Stay and Play
With so many things to do at the festival, losing track of time is easy. Plus, if you’re there on a Saturday and want to party, you may want to stay and enjoy the Texas Renaissance Fair After Dark Club. Instead of returning home, pitch a tent and stay at The Fields of New Market Campground. That also makes it easy for you to continue to enjoy the festivities the next morning. This year, Ren Fest is introducing exciting new "Stay and Play" packages that offer a great value for patrons and families who stay for the weekend. These packages include:
- Festival admission for both Saturday and Sunday
- Weekend camping pass (Thursday to Monday) at the Fields of New Market
- Access to special Fields of New Market events, including fun activities for kids at the Apprentice Gazebo
MORE DETAILS on camping.
Pick Your Theme
Every weekend, there is a different theme at Ren Fest. It kicks off with Oktoberfest and follows with others like 1001 Dreams, Pirate Adventure, All Hallows Eve, Heroes and Villains, Barbarian Invasion, Highland Fling and Celtic Christmas. Pick what interests you, wear a costume, and head over to enjoy the entertainment-packed schedule. In case you’re wondering, you don’t have to go in costume, but believe us, you'll want to.
Eat & Drink
If you’re going to spend a whole day exploring this expansive magical kingdom, you’ll surely need to eat and drink. Thankfully, food options are plentiful at the festival. In true Renaissance Fest fashion, we suggest you have a turkey leg and a funnel cake at least once. Also, try Polonia restaurant for hearty real Polish food. They have a sampler platter that has pierogies, cabbage rolls, bigos (a kind of sauerkraut stew), mashed potatoes, and delicious kielbasa sausage. It may be the best value in terms of food because it can easily be shared by at least two hungry people or three to four light eaters. Feel like having a drink? The kingdom’s taverns, pubs, and inns offer the King’s brews, wine, mead, and more.
Regarding late-night food, when you want to soak up some of the mead, the Greek Agora has a few restaurants that are open late and serve hearty portions. Their souvlaki is excellent, and the hummus is a good late-night snack. Another good option is the Queen’s Pantry, where you can get pub food-style treats like Scotch Eggs. It’s also a great place to grab a coffee on cold nights or to perk you up for a long drive home before you leave.
Shop Around
Make sure to bring back some souvenirs from the Kingdom. Jewelry, clothing, shoes, pottery, and keepsakes are among the goods you’ll find at the festival’s many shops.
Insider's Tips on Visiting with Children
Not all Renaissance Fest performances are apt for little ones, but there is plenty for them to do. Weaving, printmaking, and broom-making demonstrations are just some of the activities you can choose from. There are also many kid-friendly performances and rides.
For younger kiddos, most weekends are relatively tame throughout the day, and they become more adult in the evening. Weekends that are probably best tailored for young children would be Heroes and Villians when kids can dress up as their favorite superheroes, and Celtic Christmas, a joyful celebration of Renaissance Christmas when Santa wanders and will take pictures with kiddos for a small tip if you catch him outside his official duties.
Don’t feel pressured to stay a full day out of fear that the kids will miss something. There is programming all day long, and you can get a pretty good sampling of activities from when the park opens until mid-afternoon.
If you are coming with small kids, bring your full-sized stroller with rugged wheels. It’s a bit harder to navigate shops and some lines with a large stroller, but the ease of not having to carry your small kids everywhere quickly makes up for it. It’s also an excellent way for kids to get a nap and stay out of the sun.
When to Arrive
Most visitors arrive between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. To avoid long lines, try to arrive early so you can be at the gate when the King and Queen declare the festival open with the cannon at 9 a.m. Alternatively, arrive after 2 p.m. and stay for the Royal Fireworks Show sponsored by Top Dog Fireworks.
Parking
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There’s plenty of parking, but some can be a bit of a trek. The later you get to the fest, the further back you’ll be, but the walk is manageable, even from further away. They have general parking, Preferred Parking, and Valet. And, of course, they offer handicapped parking as well.
View details on parking, buy it now, and download the map here.
Buy your tickets here.
Photos: Courtesy of Texas Renaissance Festival
