The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is a grand adventure that takes you back to Europe's famous Renaissance era. Enter the 15th and 16th centuries by enjoying period-appropriate entertainment, music, costumes and food. Visitors of every age can enjoy the Renaissance Faire's charming atmosphere, lively characters and exciting activities.

If you've ever wondered what life was like in Europe following the Middle Ages, have an interest in history or enjoy fantasy, you'll appreciate all that the Renaissance Faire offers. The Renaissance Faire is a perfect opportunity to show off your best Renaissance-era costume, partake in old traditions and embrace a delightful atmosphere. Learn more about the Lancaster County event here!

What Is the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire?

The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is a special festival that takes place at the Mount Hope Estate and Winery in Lancaster County. On weekends in late August, September, and October, visitors can enjoy activities, entertainment, food, drinks, and arts and crafts related to the Renaissance period.

The Renaissance is known as a period of rebirth after the Middle Ages, often associated with historical figures such as William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I. Put simply, the Renaissance was a celebration of literature, art, and philosophy. The Renaissance Faire highlights various fun, magical themes that are relevant to the period — from trying your hand at archery to tasting delicious turkey legs, you'll surely have a grand experience.

Who Should Visit the Renaissance Faire?

The Renaissance Faire is enjoyable for everyone. Whether you're passionate about history, fantasy, dressing up, or simply attending a good festival, you'll surely appreciate the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire's unique charm and exciting authenticity.

Attendees of all ages can enjoy the atmosphere, activities, entertainment, and food. The Faire embraces all who wish to enjoy a great time, and well-behaved dogs are also welcome!

Things to Do at the Renaissance Faire

The Renaissance Faire's Old England atmosphere and charismatic characters are enough to fill your day with merriment and excitement, but you'll find so much to see and do when you visit. Experience authentic activities, demonstrations, performances and shopping related to the Renaissance era.

When you attend the Renaissance Faire, you can enjoy the following activities:

Archery

Try your hand at archery at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. Whether you're an experienced archer wanting to show off your skills or simply want to try something new, you'll surely enjoy this exciting sport. At the Renaissance Faire's archery booth, a staff member will instruct you on how to use a bow and arrow, and you'll have the opportunity to shoot at targets in a small field. This activity is grand fun for all ages.

Demonstrations

If you'd rather watch archery than practice it, you can enjoy long-range archery demonstrations throughout the day. You can also witness live blacksmithing demonstrations and purchase a weapon if you want to take an authentic sword home. Watch a blacksmith forge iron over a 2,500-degree fire to create beautiful stage-combat weaponry.

The Renaissance Faire features glass-blowing demonstrations and allows attendees to blow glass and create their own unique art pieces. When you sign up for a glass-blowing class, you can learn the art of glass blowing and try your skills before taking your unique creation home with you.

The Blue Thistle Pottery booth allows you to glaze your own piece of Raku pottery to take home. You can select a piece to glaze, and the staff will use an ancient Japanese firing process during the demonstration to create gorgeous effects.

Dueling

The Renaissance Faire offers the perfect opportunity to challenge a friend or family member to a friendly duel. Dress up as knights complete with helmets, armor and chainmail as you show off your best sword-wielding skills. A staff member will attach balloons to each participant's armor, and you'll swordfight until one of you loses all of your balloons. This is a safe, fun way to participate in a medieval swordfight.

Games and Rides

At the Renaissance Faire, you and your friends or family can also enjoy fun carnival-style games. If you bring children along, they can ride human-powered amusement rides for an exciting time. From spinning to swinging, the Renaissance Faire rides offer fun and thrills for all little ones who visit.

Special themed weekends also offer unique games. Visit during Oktoberfest to participate in an entertaining Bar Olympics tournament or join the lederhosen competition to show off your finest German fashion. The Faire's Shamrocks and Shenanigans weekend features exciting highland games and a kilt competition.

Shopping

The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire offers a unique shopping experience that includes everything from Renaissance-era clothing to authentic weaponry and plenty of fun trinkets in between. At the Renaissance Faire, you can purchase unique arts and crafts, jewelry, decor, crowns, and unique accessories — add a hand-made corset to your wardrobe or purchase a full Renaissance outfit.

No matter which shops you visit, you're sure to find a wide selection of items that will serve as the perfect gift for yourself or someone else.

Entertainment

The Renaissance Faire offers plenty of fun entertainment. Visit the giant chess board to witness a human chess match performed by professional actors for a unique experience. Watch as members of the Royal Court command human “chess pieces” to move to different spaces and enjoy the suspense as the game unfolds.

You can also attend hilarious comedy shows performed by cheeky jesters or watch an improvized mud fight. A comedy show can be a great way to ease into the Faire's activities if you've never attended before. During mud fights, actors improvise their way through a Renaissance-era play in the mud for a hilariously good time.

There are shows for various age groups, from children's and magic shows to suggestive poetry readings and comedy shows. Special shows change each year based on the year's theme and plot line, so you can attend certain performances to learn about the year's characters and storyline.

The Faire also presents musical performances throughout the day. Enjoy performances and parades featuring traditional Renaissance-style music, and join the lively crowd and actors in dancing if you wish. For a unique adventure, you can make your way through the Majestic Maze and navigate the fabric walls to reach a tower overlooking the puzzling pathways you conquered. There's something fun around every corner at the Renaissance Faire.

A Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire fan favorite is the jousting tournament. Join the crowd as you witness an exhilarating joust, a famous Renaissance-style sport. Cheer and shout as knights riding horseback attempt to dismount each other using jousting sticks, and enjoy an entertaining staged performance by the royal court. A canon and fireworks follow this exciting performance for additional fun.

Eating and Drinking at the Renaissance Faire

Eating and drinking at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire are sure to bring you joy and merriment. While the roasted corn and smoked turkey legs are classic favorites, you can also enjoy other incredible savory and sweet selections around the Faire.

Just make sure to bring cash along with you when you attend the Faire. Many arts and crafts vendors accept card payments, but most food vendor booths only accept cash payments.

When your adventuring begins to build your appetite, you can enjoy delicious food options such as the following:

• Assorted cheeses
• Steak on a stick
• Turkey legs
• Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Cheesesteak sandwiches
• Beef jerky
• Funnel cakes
• Ice cream
• Pickle on a stick

The Faire is also a great place to enjoy adult beverages. Visit one of the festival's various Pour Houses to enjoy the following drink options:

• Wine
• Beer
• Ciders
• Cocktails

Be sure to sample Mount Hope's unique wines and ales when you visit. Special themed weekends such as Oktoberfest also feature unique drink options. If you wish to enjoy a sit-down lunch or dinner with table service, you can visit the Anchor and Mermaid Tavern. The Tavern offers a menu full of delicious options and a memorable atmosphere to make you feel like you're in an authentic English tavern.

Should You Dress Up for the Renaissance Faire?

Dressing up for the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire isn't required, but it does increase the fun. The choice to wear casual everyday clothing or a fun costume is entirely up to you. It's a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the festival's themes and ambiance, but there's no pressure to wear anything special when you attend.

Think of the Renaissance Faire as a giant costume party for all ages, where everyone can enjoy the thrill of becoming a unique character. Dressing up allows you to take your wardrobe back in time for the day and enjoy a truly unique and authentic experience. Feel free to be as casual or as eccentric with your costume as you wish.

You can also get discounted access to the Faire if you arrive in costume and purchase your ticket at the gate, so dressing up can save you some money on admission. You can certainly enjoy fun and merriment in your everyday clothes at the Faire, but wearing a costume allows you to be part of the experience.

Does Everyone Dress Up at the Renaissance Faire?

Many people attend the Renaissance Faire in regular casual clothing, but most visitors arrive in costume. From villagers to royalty and plenty of magical creatures in between, you'll see a wide variety of costumes at the Renaissance Faire. Dressing up enhances the experience and allows people to add to the Faire's atmosphere while expressing their creativity and originality. The more attendees who dress up, the more authentic the Faire feels to all visitors.

At the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, wearing costumes and expressing individuality is welcomed and celebrated. Some attendees put so much effort into their incredible costumes that they blend in with the Faire's hired staff and actors. If you dress up for the Faire, you might receive some compliments from impressed employees and visitors.

What Do You Wear to the Renaissance Faire?

The Renaissance Faire is the perfect place to wear what you want. While many visitors wear historically accurate Renaissance period costumes, others dress up as fantasy creatures and characters. From knights and pirates to monks and orcs, the Renaissance Faire is a fantastic opportunity to dress up as your favorite fantasy persona. Some visitors even dress up in unique steampunk-themed outfits.

During special weekends at the Faire, visitors are encouraged to dress according to various themes, such as pirates, fairies, wizards, heroes, villains, time travelers and Vikings. You can wear a simple Halloween costume that fits the weekend's theme or create an elaborate Renaissance outfit. It's your opportunity to be creative, so wear something that will help you have fun and make you feel comfortable.

Can You Cosplay at the Renaissance Faire?

When you visit the Renaissance Faire, you get to be who you want to be for the day. Cosplaying is welcome, and it can add extra joy to your adventure. If you have a character in mind you'd like to dress up as the Renaissance Faire is an excellent place to bring that character to life.

Book a Stay at the Warehouse Hotel to Experience the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire

The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire allows you to travel back in time to experience the Renaissance's merriment. You can practice archery, dance to lively and traditional Renaissance-era music, shop for Renaissance-inspired accessories and experience exciting live entertainment. Whether you want to wear your best Renaissance clothing and challenge friends to a duel or enjoy a smoked turkey leg while watching a show, you'll surely have a fantastic time at the Faire.

The Warehouse Hotel offers a Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire package with overnight accommodations for up to four individuals and two general admission tickets to the Faire. Our modern-style rooms and suites are newly renovated and offer a comfortable stay. Booking a room at the Warehouse Hotel also grants you full access to the facilities and activities at the Spooky Nook Sports complex, giving you so much to do beyond the Faire when you're in Lancaster County.

Join the Queen and villagers in the Shire for a fantastic time and participate in bringing the make-believe to life. Book a stay at the Warehouse Hotel to start your Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire adventure.