Maryland Renaissance Festival
The Maryland Renaissance Festival is one of the largest Renaissance Festivals in the United States.
The first time I went to a Renaissance Festival was in the seventh grade, on a field trip. Back then, my middle school took all the gifted and talented seventh graders to a Renaissance Festival after we’d read the works of Shakespeare for the first time, and so they’d pile us all onto a bus and drive all the way to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival in Lancaster County. Why we didn’t go to the Maryland one was a true mystery, because we were in Baltimore, but oh well. I hadn’t been to another Renaissance Festival since that field trip, but had fond memories of my Legend of Zelda ocarina I had bought there and a very salty turkey leg, and so, after a decade, I felt my itch to go to one come back.
Cue my sister’s friend’s engagement. She had been engaged on a Saturday and wanted to go to the Renaissance Festival in Maryland in order to celebrate. I usually don’t hang out with my sister’s friends, but the itch to go to a festival was too strong, and so I bought my $28 ticket with them and at eight-thirty in the morning, we set off from suburban Baltimore all the way to the outskirts of Annapolis where this festival is held.
At nine forty-five am, fifteen minutes before the gates officially opened, the ambiance outside was absolutely electric. The parking was a massive field, and since that weekend had completely sold out, there were a lot of people waiting around already to get in. Many were in dedicated costumes and medieval garb, others were speaking completely in the dialect of Medieval England. As the smell of meat slowly drifted over the fake castle’s turrets, I knew I was in for a time.
An immersive theatrical experience in the spirit of Renaissance performance history.
The Renaissance Festival in Maryland employs over two hundred professional actors, and so if you’re bored, there’s always going to be a show going on at one of the many outdoor theatres. The festival is rain or shine, so if you read that correctly, yes all the theatres are outdoor. The terrain can also be very muddy if it’s recently rained, so I recommend wearing running shoes or a comfortable pair of sandals if you don’t mind your feet getting a little dirty. We started at a slapstick comedy show with two court jesters, one of whom could speak and the other who could. I will say, I’m not much of a humor person but this show did make me smile a couple of times. Mainly for the kid in the front row who really got into it.
That’s what made part of this festival experience so magical—everyone was very into the festival and into the roles they were playing, even if they were a random person cosplaying. At the 12 pm joust we attended, which ended up being standing room only, we were placed in the most rowdy section of the German warrior king Balthazar. We were right next to a guy cosplaying as a 1500s monk, and his commentary was spot-on. He was with a group of other drunk monks and they were truly passionate about our lord winning.
In another theatre show, a guy was very into interacting with the actors and they absolutely loved it and ran with it as part of the show. Also, in true Elizabethan theatre fashion, almost every show included interaction between actors and audience. I always loved seeing Shakespeare shows that were set in this traditional style, as it adds an element of intimacy that’s been lost in modern theatre. Sure we have immersive theatre experiences, but they don’t hit in the same vein of authenticity as they did in the past.
Renaissance Fairs: A Haven for Foodies
I’ll admit something sinful though: I came to this festival with the intent of not buying any of the food, and I didn’t. You can bring in one factory sealed water bottle and food items (I brought Belvita bars and an orange), but they honestly didn’t check bags at the gates, just your ticket. The one thing I was really surprised at was how affordable all the food items were in the fair. Most of them are cash-only, which is fair, but you could get a huge pretzel for $3, a soft drink for $1, a turkey leg for $7, etc.
You’ll find the classic Renaissance Festival foods here, like all the meads, beers, turkey legs, cheesecake on a stick, etc., but you’ll probably find a dish for everyone. I don’t really eat meat so I wasn’t as interested in the entrees (most were meat-based) offered, and quite a bit of the food seemed unhealthy (e.g. funnel cake fries or fried ice cream), but hey you’re not here to watch your diet. My sister’s friend got a crepe for herself and was shocked at how massive it was; she could barely finish it by herself.
If I were to go back with an appetite, I would probably get one of the desserts—the mixed berry tarts, drinks, and apple dumplings all caught my eye. I don’t think I’d get a beer because of the stench of beer and turkey legs that seemed to be everywhere. I do recommend getting food early on, as the lines got massive for the food stalls and I’d imagine they’d run out of things pretty quickly by the end of the day.
If you’re in Maryland or one of the surrounding states, this makes a stellar day-trip that you’ll get your money’s worth.
My personal favorite parts of this festival were the joust, the artisan shops, and the one performance where they get actors playing historical figures to gather around and just sing old-time songs. The artisan shops are all local vendors who make their goods by hand, and the prices of these products are steep. A wood picture that was hand-carved I was particularly enamored with was going for $1,200 USD. That’s a lot of money to drop at a fair, but I imagine people do that. While some things were pricy, others were not, but a lot of the products were just beautiful to look at.
There’s something magical about the vibes you experience while at these festivals. As I admired the actress playing Lady Jane Seymour, the doomed third wife of King Henry VIII, I was absolutely in love with the details and love that went into her costume specifically. She wore this beautiful blue Tudor gown with green jewels and it was absolutely divine. While we had the Tudor court dresses, we also had the common garb of the everyday people, making this not seem completely like a royal-dominated experience.
As a history nerd, it was even more fun for me to pick apart the references. At the singing show I loved so dearly, the actors were quipping about calling Mary the daughter of the king, which would’ve gone over most people’s heads. Mary was disinherited after Elizabeth was born, so when we see like Lady Jane Seymour on stage defending Mary, it would’ve been a scandalous and treasonous act in the eyes of the king. Little nuggets of history you’d miss if you’re not paying attention, but it amused me to no end.
I’d go back! Maybe not on a sold out weekend, because during now, COVID-times, not as many people wore their masks. Which is chill because it’s outdoors, but because shouting and whatnot is encouraged, I was a bit weary, especially as we were packed like sardines on wooden benches. But all in all this was a really enjoyable experience and I’d go every year! Maybe more when the tickets are cheaper—at the beginning of the festival, when it’s hotter out, the tickets are much cheaper than now in October. There’s so much to do, though, and so that $28 really stretches in entertainment, and an extra $5 can get you like some knife or axe throwing.
