{"id":719,"date":"2022-10-06T18:18:53","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T18:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/?p=719"},"modified":"2022-10-06T18:44:39","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T18:44:39","slug":"ohio-renaissance-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/06\/ohio-renaissance-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Things To Do At The Ohio Renaissance Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s more than just geeks dressing up in the woods, Although that is one of the best parts\ud83d\ude09<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to share some of the must-do activities and must-see shows at the renaissance festival. If you were on the fence about attending, you\u2019ll be ready to go shout for your favorite jouster and rip into a turkey leg by the time you finish reading this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

More videos like this on my TikTok<\/a> and Instagram<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have been going to the Renaissance festival since I was 10 years old. That means for almost every year for the last 18 years I\u2019ve spent a day in Harveysburg Ohio having the time of my life. I can confidently say this trip is fun for all ages and has one of the most talented, creative, and welcoming communities of any event I\u2019ve ever been to. The festival runs weekends and Labor Day, this year from September 3rd \u2013 October 30th.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a 10-year-old I remember being given a rose, getting to try \u201cunicorn lotion\u201d, being serenaded, getting covered in mud, learning about medieval times, riding man-operated rides that seemed impossible, watching shows in wide eyed wander, and most importantly laughing a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year as a 28-year-old I watched the Mud Show for at least the 15th<\/sup> time, enjoyed cirque du soleil level feats, admired the artistry and craft of weavers, dancers, singers, and black smiths, screamed for my favorite jouster, and devoured a turkey leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It. Never. Gets. Old.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In fact, every year the event seems to expand, adding more shows, more shops, and more amazing food and drink. Here are some of my absolute must-see  (and why) when you visit the Ohio Renaissance Festival:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mud Show \u2013<\/strong> Spoofs on classic literary shows preformed in a mud pit by grown men. It\u2019s dirty, it\u2019s hilarious, and its entertaining for all ages. Don\u2019t worry you can opt for front row seats to get in on the action or sit farther back and preserve your outfit. I highly recommend Beowulf and The Viking Show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Circa Brava \u2013 <\/strong>A cirque style ariel show with talent and humor that you can\u2019t miss if you want to gasp in awe at an amazing and humorous performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Circa Brava<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Full Armored Joust \u2013 <\/strong>Jousts take place 3 times a day and are completely unchoreographed. Your section of seating will be given a champion to cheer on and you will be taught memorable phrases used to shake your opponent\u2019s confidence. May the best knight win!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wheel Walker \u2013<\/strong> Ichabod Wainwright challenges death on a giant spinning wheel that he adds sharp objects and fire to. This is a newer addition to the festival and a must see! Ichabod also continues his dangerous acts with a Blade of Death show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Wheel Of Death<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Swordsmen \u2013<\/strong> Dirk and Guido put on a show full of sharp swords and sharper wit, they are staple of the festival and can be found on the Swordsmen\u2019s Stage of course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man-Powered Children\u2019s Rides \u2013<\/strong> These are located throughout the park and as a kid and a thrill seeker I thought it was incredible to see how one single man can power incredibly fun rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Turkey Legs from Rose and Crown \u2013<\/strong> Located on Wanderer\u2019s way full of shops and restaurants, find turkey legs and other assortments of food here. Everyone needs a turkey leg! But they\u2019re really big, thankfully my husband shares with me every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aleing Knight Pub \u2013<\/strong> One of my favorite places to grab a drink and listen to live entertainment, unfortunately it does tend to be crowded, there are plenty of other pub spots to avoid the crows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Royal Feast \u2013<\/strong> I have not done this yet, it\u2019s a fairly new offering, but it looks incredible! I will be trying this out next year when we stay for a full weekend. The royal feast requires an additional ticket outside of admission but you get a 5-course meal, drinks, a keepsake pint glass, and of course entertainment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is so much more than the above offered at the fair, and still things I haven\u2019t tried yet. Here is a map of the park to give you an idea of just how much there is going on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or visit their website: www.renfestival.com<\/a> and choose “The Event” to look through all the festival has to offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and for all the people like me who despise port-a-pots<\/strong>, I can only speak for the women\u2019s, but there are fully functioning clean bathrooms<\/strong> that, while looking port-a-pot-like on the outside, actually flush and provide running water to wash your hands! It\u2019s a small detail, but an important one, because you\u2019ll want to spend your entire day here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common Questions About The Ohio Renaissance Festival:<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Should I arrive as soon as it opens?<\/strong> The opening ceremony is fun but it isn\u2019t a must-see, in fact arriving after 11 could save you time in parking traffic and lines depending on the day. The good folks at the Ren Fest are always working hard to make the experience better and as of this year they amped up parking, opened more ways to enter the village, and parking is free now! If you do want to be apart of the opening ceremony (usually 10:30) I would recommend arriving around 9:30-9:45 to be able to get up to the front so you can hear the queen and have time to interact with the performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When is the best time to buy tickets?<\/strong> Follow Ohio Renaissance Festival on Facebook or Instagram, about 30 days before opening weekend they will run a sale on tickets. Buy them when they are on sale, and the best part is they\u2019re good for any day the entirety of the fair, so buying early doesn\u2019t lock you into a weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When is the best weekend to go?<\/strong> Each weekend is themed, so you\u2019ll get a slightly different experience in terms of small events or costumes most attendees are wearing, but otherwise there isn\u2019t much difference. In my experience opening weekend is the most crowded, and Saturdays are usually more crowded than Sundays. I have the best luck with coolest weather (there is a lot of direct sunlight at the faire) and least crowding during weekends in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do I have to dress up?<\/strong> Absolutely not! I would say, as I wander the park, it\u2019s about 50\/50 of people in street clothes or in dress. And of the 50% in costumes not everyone dresses in full regalia, there is a lot of variety. As I said before, this is one of the most fun and friendly communities so dress up or don\u2019t, you will have a great time either way! If you get in the spirit while you are there you will have a myriad of vendors to purchase items from as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the renaissance festival only in Ohio?<\/strong> Absolutely not! There are different renaissance festivals in every state, I\u2019ve only been to the one in Ohio (so far!) but I\u2019ve been told the following are some of the best in the country. These are in no particular order and dates are as of 2022, bear in mind most festivals are weekends only:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Texas Renaissance Festival<\/a> in Todd Mission, TX (10\/8 – 11\/27)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maryland Renaissance Festival <\/a>in Crownsville, MD (08\/27 – 10\/23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York Renaissance Faire<\/a> in Tuxedo Park, NY (8\/27 – 10\/09)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scarborough Renaissance Festival<\/a> hosted in Waxahachie, TX (04\/08 – 05\/29)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bristol Renaissance Faire<\/a> in Kenosha, WI (07\/09 – 09\/05)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arizona Renaissance Festival<\/a> in Gold Canyon, AZ (02\/04 – 04\/02)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minnesota Renaissance Festival<\/a> in Shakopee, MN (08\/20 – 10\/02)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carolina Renaissance Festival<\/a> in Huntersville, NC (10\/1 – 11\/20)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire<\/a> in Manheim, PA (08\/20 – 10\/30)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course, The Ohio Renaissance Festival<\/a> in Harvesyburg, OH (9\/3 \u2013 10\/30)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m always looking for renaissance festivals to go to on my travels, especially in spring and fall when the weather is the nicest to costume up and spend a day meandering around. If I missed one above, tell me all about it, my email is taysia@roadtripplans.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andy and I are toying with doing a Renaissance Festival Road Trip, so I\u2019m in the works making a plan for one next year. If that sounds interesting to you, or if you just want me to help you plan the best road trip ever, I have general plans and offerings here but I always customize these to your preferences so never fear, no generic plans are going to be emailed to you!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thanks for sticking around while I geeked out today,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taysia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s more than just geeks dressing up in the woods, Although that is one of the best parts\ud83d\ude09 I\u2019m going to share some of the must-do activities and must-see shows at the renaissance festival. If you were on the fence about attending, you\u2019ll be ready to go shout for your favorite jouster and rip into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/roadtripplans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Andy_urkeyleg.jpg?fit=151%2C201&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":729,"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719\/revisions\/729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roadtripplans.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}