Tennessee Renaissance Festival Celebrates 32 Years

The annual Tennessee Renaissance Festival has been enchanting festival-goers for over 30 years and the amount of excitement shown hasn’t lessened since the festival first began in the late 80’s. Experience 16th Century England at the Village of Covington Glen in Arrington, TN.

The Renaissance Festival is a lot to take in once you walk into the front gates. You are immediately thrust into the world of the Renaissance with the multiple shops selling everything from homemade weapons and jewelry to authentic costumes and things for your home. You can come and enjoy the live entertainment and interact with the several cast members walking about taking photos and commenting on the day’s events.

You would think that something that has been around for so long would eventually lose some of its appeal, but year after year the grounds are swamped with hordes of people. “Good family fun,” is the best way to describe the festival in three words according to Buckle and Swash Pirate Show actor Ryan (insert last name). He goes on to say that the festival “lets people get away from their normal lives and inhabit another reality for a couple of hours”.

“There’s a little something for everybody”, he says about the continual success of the festival. And he’s completely right. There are fun activities for children of all ages, various kinds of entertainment such as the family-friendly interactive comedies and the more adult-friendly acts like Axel the Sot. Some come just for the food – like the always popular giant turkey leg – and some just come for the experience of it all.

There is genuinely nothing else like the Renaissance Festival that comes around t

o the Tennessee area. For $22 you gain access to an entire other world for a day: watch the jousting competition, experience the Birds of the Gauntlet exhibit, get your fortune read or your hair braided, shop for weapons, jewelry, tapestries, home décor and more, and even get to tour a real-life castle at the famous Castle Gwynn. You can also enjoy new experiences every weekend with the different themes. On the opening weekend, you can let kids and grandparents in for free with the purchase of two adult tickets. Enjoy the handmade crafts and demonstrations on Artisan and Crafts weekend. Participate in the Pirate Costume Contest and watch out for swashbucklers on Pirate Invasion weekend. And lastly, break out your kilts and bagpipes for the ever-popular Celtic weekend to close out the festival.

The Tennessee Renaissance Festival will be open until Monday, May 29th. You can check out a list of vendors, artisans, events, prices, and even the daily entertainment schedule at http://www.tnrenfest.com/index.htm .