The Renaissance Festival is a great escape from modern times
The Renaissance Festival is an extremely fun time, full of people dressed in costumes that play their character to a “T” (even if some aren’t paid to do so), and food that takes an old-fashioned twist on some of today’s more modern favorites. My personal favorite was the frozen cappuccino (That actually tasted more like frozen hot chocolate), which was the perfect way to cool off in 90-degree weather.
Besides the food and drinks, the workers there added to the enjoyment of the festival, talking animatedly to visitors and performing in skits and music groups. It was next to impossible to walk through the park and not hear some type of Celtic tune or old accent as you move through the shops and games. The actors also encouraged the audience to get involved, especially in the pirate skit that I saw, in which they stated it was okay to heckle them, but they’ll heckle us back. True to their word, the pirates dished out what the audience served, trading clever jests throughout the show for less elegant attempts at poking fun.
There also was a three-part joust that took place throughout the day, and I only saw the second, but that part alone was extremely entertaining. The, for lack of a better phrase, Renaissance version of a cheerleader, helped amp up the crowd before the joust, having us prepare our cheers and boos for the knights. In the section of the hill overlooking the fighting area that I sat in, he also had us chanting for “blood.” Surprisingly enough, they actually had a bit of blood spew out during the fight, earning, of course, enthusiastic cheers from our section.
This may be sounding a bit gory and as though it is not appropriate for younger children, which is true at certain events due to, as described, some graphic moments, and there were some innuendos present in the skits. However, they will likely go over a child’s head. If there are concerns though, there are numerous activities there more specifically geared for children. They have these rides that act as a miniature version of The Pirate Ship at Kennywood, and easy-to-win games. For adults, and children that won’t hurt themselves, they also have knife/axe/star throwing, plate breaking, vegetable throwing and my personal favorite, archery. At the events, participants get stickers declaring them a champion and at the archery, theyreceive a beaded necklace also.
If you don’t want to do an activity, aren’t hungry, and don’t feel like watching a show, there also are shops running throughout the park. They are full of Renaissance-themed objects, such as tiaras, jewelry, pottery, clothes, and numerous other cool knick-knacks. I personally like the jewelry, which is all hand-made, lead-free, and very ornate.
Altogether, the Renaissance Festival is a great time for people of all ages, and if you haven’t gone to it yet, there’s still two weekends left: September 19th-20th and the 26th-27th.
Posted: Wednesday, September 16, 2015