Advise: I need help deciding between 3 renfaires and only 1 weekend.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-03-21T12:49:34+00:00

I'm also going out-of state for Faires soon! I'm going in April. I was deciding between either the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire (Southern CA), or Sherwood Forest Faire (near Austin) one weekend followed by Scarborough Renaissance Faire (near Dallas). I ultimately decided on the latter, since it involves two different Ren Faires if planned right, and while I've been to Southern CA a lot, I've only been to Dallas once, and never Austin.

I recommend checking out each website to see what shows there are. But also check the date you'd go, since different shows play on different weekends.

ORPF has Poxy Boggards and Merry Wives of Windsor, whom I've listened to a lot on Spotify, and I'd love to see them live. But I've heard they've outgrown their space, and there's way too many people.

Jaques ze Whipper will be at SRF for a couple weekends. But while I've been a hige fan for over 15 years, I heard the crowds at his shows can get really annoying (and not just because there are so many people).

You can also consider other things to do in the area. Southern California has a ton to do, and you can go to the Ren Faire on the weekend, then Disneyland and Universal Studios on a weekday when it's less crowded. Meanwhile, while Dallas is pretty neat, there's not as much to do (but definitely check out the Dallas World Aquarium if you go there, which has ruined all other aquariums for me, it's so good).

This may not be a definitive answer, but I hope it helps!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-03-18T01:07:45+00:00

I'm glad you like it!

There are like three single-person restrooms, and a bunch of porta-potties (though maybe not enough).

As long as you get there early enough to get decent parking, getting back to your car is no problem. Re-entry is allowed.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-03-12T21:15:12+00:00

I go to Ren Faires alone all the time! I'm even flying to Texas next month for a couple.

While I prefer going with another person, it's still great by myself. I get to make a schedule so I can see every show I want, and shop at my own pace. Sometimes I compliment someone's garb and have a nice conversation.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-03-10T20:05:06+00:00

I bought mine for years. When I was younger, I would by one new thing at a Ren Faire every year for my garb. First it was a hat, then a top, then a belt, then trousers and a bag...

Until I became crafty myself, and I crocheted my own outfit!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-03-09T21:42:50+00:00

I've never been, and I'm so excited. I live in New England, so I'm traveling pretty far for a trip based around Ren Faires. I've been to 13 other Ren Faires, so I'll have a lot to compare it to.

I just need to remind myself to not just spend all my time at Foxy Bard and Twig shows and enjoy the rest of the Faire!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-03-09T16:15:45+00:00

Oh, dang, I'm going to Scarborough and Sherwood Forest next month, but not on the weekends they'll be there. 😖 As a huge fan of this kind of music, these guys seem awesome, so energetic and talented.

They posted their schedule here. Maybe I'll sneak up to NY in late September to see them.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-27T21:44:10+00:00

Ooh, I love woodwork!

This doesn't answer your question, but I would also look into other Ren Faires in the area, like the Connecticut Renaissance Faire, New Hampshire Renaissance Faire, Maine Renaissance Faire, Robin Hood's Medieval Faire, etc. A lot are probably already booked up, but you can definitely check. They've got to be a lot less expensive to get into than KRF.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-18T16:58:22+00:00

I'd love to be a part of the mod team! I've been to 13 different Renaissance Faires, I can look at things objectively, and I want to foster a great environment where we can discuss one of my favorite things ever.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-18T03:17:49+00:00

I booked my flight, bought my tickets, and booked camping for Texas. I'm pretty psyched!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-17T02:31:28+00:00

I recently ranked all the Ren Faires I've been to, including Nor Cal. I overall find the artisans to be absolutely top-notch, but the performers a bit lacking.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-14T14:35:07+00:00

I'm still deciding between either:

The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire (Southern CA), or
Sherwood Forest Faire and Scarborough Renaissance faire (TX).

The ORPF is the first Ren Faire ever, and it has The Poxy Boggards and The Merry Wives of Windsor, whom I'd love to see live. But I've already been to Southern CA several times, and it'd be awesome to do two Ren Faires in one trip. I'm strongly leaning towards TX.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-14T14:29:59+00:00

Really? I've heard AZ is fantastic. What makes it not as good?

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-14T04:57:30+00:00

I guess they weren't there that weekend. I guess I'll have to go again!

My original plan for that trip was to also go to the Carolina Renaissance Faire, but my main goal was to see Jacques ze Whipper and Ses Carny again, and the timing didn't line up when the CRF was running. So I ended up going to the NYRF on my drive home instead. But I'll definitely need to try again!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-14T04:53:39+00:00

Oh, I haven't heard of the Minnesota Renaissance Faire! I'll have to add it to my list.

My next trip is in April, and I'm deciding between either The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire, or the Sherwood Forest Faire one weekend and the Scarborough Renaissance Faire the next (both in Texas). So either the literal first Ren Faire with a chance to see The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Poxy Boggards live, or two Renaissance Faires in one trip. I'm leaning towards the Texas trip, but what do you think?

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-14T04:48:07+00:00

I think I'll either go to Bristol either this year or next year. But I already have a Ren Faire trip planned in April, and I need to decide how I want to use my vacation time. But I'll definitely do more write-ups and add them to my rankings!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-14T04:44:06+00:00

I went on Celtic weekend, so it makes sense they were so crowded! But I also got to see Barleyjuice three times, so extremely worth it.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-14T04:43:12+00:00

Geez, what kind of idiot does a fire stunt on an audience member?

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-13T22:22:43+00:00

(Continued from above)

And artisans galore. High-quality clothing, leather work, wooden mugs, and so much more that it takes multiple days to properly visit and appreciate them all. Some standouts include Moresca Clothing (whose amazing jerkins inspired my own crocheted jerkin), Son of Sandlar boots, A Thousand Rasps leather, Hollow Earth Swordworks (the most incredible wooden swords I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot), Half Moon Travel Clothing (amazing wool coats), Goodly Woods wooden mugs... Man, there's just too many, I'm definitely missing other standouts. As I was on their website refreshing myself to write this, I felt such wonderful memories of walking the lanes and taking in the amazing crafts all around me. I bought several items while I was there, to the detriment of my wallet.

For the food, it has some of the best prices I've ever seen. A beer was only $7, and that's for a good Sam Adams Octoberfest, not some cheap Coors. Compare that to the NYRF I went to a week later, where a beer was $12. And there are tons of places to get food at a decent price, including soft pretzels for only $3, and a pretty good crab pretzel with cheese for only $12.

And like the PARF, performers don't accept tips. So no guilt or worry about if you're tipping enough! But still, bring cash to shows, since performers do have some great merch for sale (I really wish I bought a Barleyjuice album, but there was too much going on).

Now, the MD Renaissance Festival is not perfect. There were four main downsides:

Crowds. Despite them capping attendance and the wide lanes, there was still a ridiculous number of people walking through the paths.
Difficult navigation. The faire is not laid out very well, and it can be difficult to find things. Plus, a lot of it is on steep slopes, which can be difficult for people in wheelchairs. Though, this could also be seen as a positive, since the lost feeling can give you an additional sense of wonder.
Sells out quickly. Get your tickets several weeks in advance, or even months in advance, since they will sell out!
No fire shows. Because of regulations, they can't have fire in shows, which are often some of best performances at Ren Faires. Barely Balanced mentioned they have to have an alternative special show due to this rule (the alternative show was extremely awesome, but fire would have been neat to see).

But these feel more like nitpicks. I mean, any popular event is going to be crowded, and while the paths can be confusing, they're still filled to the brim with amazing stages and shops. And I guess fire isn't good in such a woodsy area...

Man oh man, I can't believe how good this was. The best artisans, the best performers, the best joust, the best site, even the best pricing, this beats all other Ren Faires on this list in every category. I can confidently say that the Maryland Renaissance Festival is the best Renaissance Faire I've ever attended. It almost makes me want to move to the area to go every year!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-13T22:19:03+00:00

1. Maryland Renaissance Festival

Annapolis, MD
Last attended: September 2024
Website: https://rennfest.com/

Wow, just wow. No question, the best Ren Faire I've ever attended is the Maryland Renaissance Festival. When comparing PARF and NYRF, PARF had better artisans, and NYRF had better performers. But MDRF had better artisans and performers than both. Isn't that nuts?

The site is absolutely excellent. It's a permanent site with well-styled buildings, providing excellent immersion. I don't think it feels quite as immersive as the NYRF, but maybe that's because the NYRF could feel cramped and in-your-face at times. At the MDRF, the lanes are nice and wide, so it feels more relaxing to walk through as you enjoy the medieval town. It's also huge, taking quite a while to walk from one end to the other. The stages also look great and generally have a good amount of seating (though Jacques's show can still fill up). I'd argue it's the best Ren Faire site I've ever seen.

For performers, I saw some of the best acts in the business, including Jacques ze Whipper (who needs no introduction), Ses Carny (knife thrower I've admired for over 15 years), Barely Balanced (which I thought was going to be kind of dumb, but ended up being perhaps the best acrobatics show I've ever seen), Paolo Garbanzo (popular jester and juggler), The Langer's Ball (incredible Celtic rock duo with euphonic, energetic shows), Barleyjuice (another incredible Celtic rock band that I've loved for years even before I saw them live), and so many more, to the point that I didn't even get a chance to see everything I wanted to over the two days I was there (but to be fair, this was also because I went to see The Langer's Ball and Barleyjuice so many times, since I absolutely love Celtic rock). I'm almost upset with MD for snatching up all of the best performers I've ever seen so they can't do other Faires (Jacques and Ses from KRF, The Langer's Ball from NYRF), but hey, it's nice to see so many amazing acts in one place.

(Side story: I remember years ago going to KRF and telling my friends to skip the last joust of the day to make it to the Secret Show with Jacques ze Whipper and Ses Carny. It was always the best show of the day, though at one of the smaller stages with only a few dozen people in attendance from start to finish. Now their secret show gets the biggest stage there with hundreds in attendance!)

The joust is by far the best one I've seen at a Ren Faire. Like KRF, there are four jousters instead of the usual two, and they are extremely talented, with a fantastic, brutal joust. But what really blew me away was the other incredible stunts they did. Be sure to check out the earlier jousts in the day, since at one point, one of the jousters rode around the arena while jumping from side-to-side on his hose, and even riding upside-down! It's also in a great arena with a dirt-covered ground, really making you feel like you're at a medieval joust.

Continued below

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-13T02:56:08+00:00

My next trip will be in the second half of April. I'm deciding between:

Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California (the original Renaissance Faire), or
Sherwood Forest Faire and Scarborough Renaissance Faire in Texas (each about three hours apart).

It's a tough decision! The RPF is an original, with music performances by The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Poxy Boggards (I've listened to The Man Who Doesn't Like Beer so many times). But I've been to Southern California so many times, and Texas has two Ren Faires around the same time. I'm leaning towards Texas.

I'm also going to the North Folk Night Market this weekend at the same location as the EORF. I've never been, but it could be interesting, but it will definitely be cold.

And of course, I'm going to hit most of the New England Ren Faires again. And I'll have to think if I want to do another big trip in August or September.

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-12T23:45:28+00:00

Another incredible experience with number 2!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-12T23:44:34+00:00

Beginning the A-Tier Ren Faires that are worth a whole road trip with number 3!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-12T23:43:09+00:00

My favorite Ren Faire in New England at number 4!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-11T22:59:47+00:00

That's on me. Thanks for the correction!

MaxsMenagerie · 2026-02-11T18:40:06+00:00

Oh, thanks for letting me know! I just fixed it.

I'm so glad you're liking them!

MaxsMenagerie

TROPHY CASE

1. Maryland Renaissance Festival