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Every year on the first weekend of October, the Renaissance Festival circuit comes to Huntersville, NC. I go every year at least once. I am a sucker for an excuse to get all dressed up and do something fun with my outfit or hair or makeup.
For anyone who doesn’t know what the Renaissance Festival is, it is an event in which performers, vendors and artists come together to create a period experience. All employees are dressed in fun Renaissance inspired attire as are most of the patrons. Some people choose to do something different like characters from anime, “Star Wars,” video games and so on. There are all kinds of interesting and delicious and overpriced foods and so many awesome experiences and trinkets.
Every year, I have a list of shows I want to see, experiences I want to participate in, and foods I want to try.
Shows
To start off this year, me and my party went to see “Juggling Geoff” for his final season on the circuit. His show is self-deprecating and silly and involves child audience participation. He does a good job of making the audience laugh, especially with the help of the cluelessness of the children.
Following this, we saw the tail end of “Barely Balanced.” Usually, I try to make an effort to see their show but it didn’t work out this time. “Barely Balanced” is an acrobatic trio of Small, Medium and Large. As their names suggest, they are three people, one small, one medium, and one large. Small and Medium are a married couple with a friend, Large. Together, they make jokes at Medium’s expense and do balancing acts using hula hoops, sharp objects, and even fire. They always do an amazing job and I have yet to see an unintentional failure.
Next, we got to see “Don Juan and Esmerelda.” This show originally was a whip, knife throwing, and fire yielding duo known as “Don Juan and Miguel.” Sadly, in 2024 Miguel passed away. In his place, Don Juan has recruited his daughter, Esmerelda, from her own show to take his place. The “Don Juan and Miguel” show is and has been a classic of the circuit. The addition of Esmerelda has not diminished the show in any way. Esmerelda adds a different kind of twist to the show that is comical and silly.
We then moseyed over to see “The Craic.” “Craic” is an Irish term defined by having a good time. The Craic is a folk band taking in Celtic influences. The band is currently a five-piece group all with high energy and a very obvious love for the performing art. There is a drummer, a violin player, an upright bass player, a mandolin player, and the front person who plays a double necked six and eight stringed electric guitar as well as a bag pipe and vocals. This band is honestly one of the most energetic and passionate bands that I have seen at the festival.
Next, we made our way to see the “Washing Wenches.” The “Washing Wenches” are a duo of raucous launderers. This duo likes to do audience participation and humiliation. They often like to pick three audience members who have partners in the audience and put them through some kind of humiliation in the interest of getting a flower for their partner. It is always humorous and fun to watch.
Lastly, we made it to the last joust of the day. The joust is exactly what you think it is. It is two armored riders on horseback charging at each other with lances. The Queen (the mascot) and her royal family and company are in attendance and the last joust of the day is for the favor of the Queen. There are three rounds in the joust before a winner is declared. In the case of the last joust of the day, things tend to get more violent.
In the past, I have enjoyed other shows such as the “Hey Nunnie Nunnie!” show, “Snorkel the Dancing Stunt Pig” show and the “Rick the Hypnotist” show. The “Hey Nunnie Nunnie” show is two nuns performing a comedy act taking good natured jabs at Catholicism including a couple silly musical numbers. “Snorkel the Dancing Stunt Pig” was exactly what it sounds like. There was a mini pig who wore a little top hat and would perform tricks and dance for the audience. Sadly, Snorkel passed away in 2024 and I know that I personally am very sad about it. Lastly, there’s a hypnotist show. This show is not unlike many other hypnotist shows involving audience participation and making the hypnotized people do silly things.
Experiences
Every year, I have to get at least one Henna tattoo. I always get one and usually I try to do a combination of getting one and watching a show, as there is a stage right next door.
Some of the other experiences I have participated in would be getting fairy hair installed or participating in the fair games like archery. One of my personal favorites to see which I missed this year was the blacksmithing experience. It’s awesome to see everything that goes into blacksmithing and I think it’s wonderful to see people continuing the artform. On a similar note, there is also an area to watch coins being made.
There is also an aviary where you can see different varieties of parrots and other birds. It’s also possible to let one sit on your arm. One of the shows is also a bird show where we see a demonstration and an up close look at falcons and owls and such. The show is beautiful and demonstrates how powerful and how silent some of the birds are. Additionally, there is an area where you can see two mermaids. There is usually one in the tank and one sitting in a shell that you can pose with to take photos. I believe there are also fortune tellers, available in both English and Spanish, but that is an experience I haven’t tried.
Merchandise
I will say one of the biggest problems I have with the Renaissance Festival is that I can’t leave without spending way too much money. There are so many different shops selling all kinds of wonderful things. There’s jewelry, books, leatherware, knives and swords, boots, full renaissance attire, stonework, flasks, and so much more. I almost always get some kind of jewelry. I love little trinkets too so in the past I have gotten flower crowns, little stone statues, crystals, and candles that melt into lotion. This year, I happen to know that two of my party members got shot glasses made out of bone.
Food
Last but not least, I have to talk about the food. I always have to get a turkey leg. I like to get one for the joust so I can feel like what I imagine those who watched the jousts felt. I also always have to get a pickle too as I love me a good briney pickle. I know lots of people who enjoy the bread bowls and the corn on the cob. They do serve Scotch eggs but I have heard that they aren’t the best Scotch eggs so I haven’t had one since I was a small child.
They have a variety of soft drinks and such but they also have a couple places to get pick-me-ups. There are of course lots of places to get beer or ale and some spots to get other kinds of alcoholic beverages. On the other side of pick-me-ups, I love to get the frozen princess mochas every year. They’re a lovely sugary, caffeinated beverage that makes my day every time. And that is coming from someone who doesn’t really like mochas very much.
Overall, I can’t oversell the Renaissance Festival. It is so much fun, especially with their themed weekends. The warning I have is that I try to save up for the event but it really is a lovely place to be and a very welcoming and accepting place for people of all varieties.
–dj dragonfly
