Renaissance Fair Family Fun

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

12 Jun 2007 07:48 PM

Good Day my Lords and Ladies! We just returned from the Colorado Renaissance Fair. These festivals are held all over the country. I urge you to take the kids and go to one. They are great fun, and are even a little educational. You will see people dressed in period costume - knights, lords, ladies, fairies, pirates, and even dragons. The workers even talk in accents. None of it is perfectly historically accurate. I'm pretty sure they didn't have "Ye Olde Cash Machine" in medieval times. But all of that can raise a lot of questions about history. Why did people dress that way? Why are some knights armored and others aren't? Were there dragons? Were pirates real? How did people manage without electricity?

My boys were thrilled with the chance to see knights on real horses jousting. We went to all three of the jousting shows and cheered hard for the king's champion. We also got to see amazing acrobats, knife throwers, and even fire breathers. Some of the shows aren't appropriate for children since the jokes are a bit bawdy. Our fair lists which shows are appropriate for little ears.

For two dollars apiece the boys got to ride a wooden phoenix through the air while trying to spear a ring with lance. My oldest succeeded and was named Prince of Jousting.

A few things that will make your day more fun are sunscreen, hats or sunglasses, a couple of Band-Aids, and water bottles. Drinks tend to be expensive, and the sun is hot. Since outside food and drink aren't allowed, we left a picnic in the car. Going back to the car midday was actually a nice break from the crowds and saved quite a bit of money, too. Later we bought Italian ices and macaroni and cheese on a stick. We just had to see how that worked! Spending the day at the fair as a family was great fun. It gave us some fun family memories to share together and some history to read about this summer.

Also See:

Are You Going to Scarborough Faire?

A Unit Study Starter on Castles and Medieval Life

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

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Tristi Pinkston (10839) 12 Jun 2007 09:05 PM

I got to go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival about twelve years ago. That was so much fun -- what a great thing to do as a family. I didn't realize they did one in Colorado -- that's a lot closer to me now.

barefootbookslady (201) 13 Jun 2007 06:25 AM

We have several renaissance type fairs in California. Thank you so much for suggesting this for children! I had never thought of bringing my daughters to one of these festivals. We have several books about knights, dragons and princesses and I know the girls would love to see these characters "come to life". So much more historical and imaginative than an amusement park with big roller coasters. I'm looking for one this summer! Thanks! Kathleen von Raesfeld, Petaluma, CA

Lauri Griffin (2703) 14 Jun 2007 06:44 AM

These festivals really are fun. I'm glad you are both planning on taking the kids!