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The Texas Renaissance Festival
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The Texas Renaissance Festival (TX RenFest) is held every year in Todd Mission which is just northwest of Houston. In 2022 the festival dates are October 8 – November 27. This festival began in 1974 and was founded by brothers George and David Coulam. At first, the festival was located on fifteen acres of land with only three small stages and now it has grown to fifty-five acres and is considered to be the largest Renaissance festival in the nation. Approximately half a million people visit this Renaissance Festival every year. It would be a great place to camp out in an RV rental! In fact there are over 200 acres of camping facilities. To Rent an RV near TX RenFest visit our featured listings.
The Texas Renaissance Festival is held over eight weekends during the Fall with each weekend having a special theme. The themes for the eight weekends include Oktoberfest, 1001 Dreams, All Hallows Eve, Pirate Adventure, Roman Bacchanal, Barbarian Invasion, Highland Fling and Celtic Christmas.
During Oktoberfest, people can listen to polka music and dance the day away while enjoying traditional German beers. Wizards, fairies and elves take over the Renaissance festival during the 1001 Dreams weekend and guests can participate in many contests. All Hallows Eve is the festival’s take on Halloween with spooky decorations and contests. Pirates will be found in abundance on Pirate Adventure weekend and the sea related games and contests are quite fun.Â
Roman Bacchanal weekend will have everyone dressing up from the Roman time period, so guests should be prepared to see a lot of togas that weekend. Guests will want to work on their barbaric cry and pie eating abilities for the Barbarian Invasion weekend. Bagpipes, Scottish kilts, food and drinks is what the Highland Fling weekend is about and Christmas music and decorations will be readily available at the Celtic Christmas weekend.
All of the performances during these weekends can be found among seventeen different stages throughout the entire day. Everyone will also be able to see how many Renaissance trades are done with the help of artisans doing demonstrations. Guests will be amazed at the skills of these artisans as they forge armor, make candles and perform glassblowing. Many of these items are also available for purchase at the numerous shops throughout the festival grounds.
The most popular event at the Renaissance Festival is the Joust. The Joust is a reenactment of a real medieval joust and the performers dress as armored knights and hold real weapons while riding costumed horses. A few of the other larger performances are the Barbarian Bombshells, the Birds of Prey show, the Fire Whip show and the School of Sword.
While people do not have to dress up to attend this festival, it does change the experience and make it more fun. Guests do not need to worry if they do not have costumes available at home, because they can be rented from the Belrose costume rental shop at the festival. Everyone is encouraged to inquire about costumes before their arrival to ensure availability.
The Renaissance Festival offers an After Dark experience on Saturday evenings from 8:00 until 1:00 in the morning. This event takes place in the Fields of New Market Campground next to the festival and is for guests over the age of twenty-one. This event is a great way to continue the fun of the day and meet new people. There are certain themes for each of these events and they include the Grande Masquerade, Fantastique, Lucky Devil, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Night of Burlesque, Heroes, Villains and Vixens, Funky Formal and Naughty is Nice Ball. Each Saturday night, there will be live entertainment as well as dancing with DJ Suave. There is also an hors d’oeuvres buffet and drinks available for purchase.
At the end of the Renaissance Festival each night, everyone is invited to attend the Royal Finale. Many of the different entertainers and musicians from the day join together and perform on stage. The evening then ends with a wonderful fireworks display.
Anyone who wants to experience a full weekend at the festival including the After Dark experience will want to rent an RV and take advantage of the campgrounds at the Fields of New Market. The campground opens at 8:00 in the morning on Friday for camper rentals and everyone needs to leave by noon on Monday. There are rental sites available for both RVs and tents and each site is available on a first come first served basis. People can pay for their campsite online or at the campground entrance and they need to have a festival ticket in order to stay there.
The Texas Renaissance Festival is definitely a great place for family and friends to spend a day, a weekend or multiple weekends each fall. No day will ever be the same at this festival and the fun will never end.
