Maryland Renaissance Festival

1821 Crownsville Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA

Related:	annapolis mall movies
Address:	1821 Crownsville Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA
Phone:	+1 410-266-7304
Site:	rennfest.com
Rating:	4.6

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Alice Wang

For my friends birthday, we headed to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. It was my first time, and I wasnt sure what to expect. We arrived around 1pm and waited to buy tickets. Tickets were $24/adult, since were in the "high season." Afterwards, we headed into the village. I was in awe of how large the village was. Just when we thought we had explored most of the village, there was another turn to more entertainment and vendors. Theres an astounding number of artisans, everything from glassblowing, pottery, leather goods, bubble wands, clothing, furniture, to flower crowns. And of course, food. Apple dumplings, turkey legs, steak on a stake, crab cakes, fried pickles, mac and cheese on a stick, ribs, fajitas, sandwich wraps, soup in a bread bowl, waffles, pretzels, caramel apples, etc. I wanted to eat everything under the sun. Theres also a lot of games and activities to participate in like dart/knife/stars/axe throwing, archery, riding an elephant or camel, rock climbing, maze, and more. BRING CASH! Most vendors are cash only. There are some ATMs around but bring the cash to avoid the hassle. For stage acts, we watched Blades of Death with Ichabod and Samantha; Hilby, the "skinny German juggle boy"; the London Broil with AJ, Louie, and Matt; and Renaissance Rumble. We also watched the jousting match. Renn Fest is really unique, and I think everyone should experience it at least once. Most people dress up, but they do not allow any weapons on festival grounds. They also only allow one factory sealed water bottle per person (no other drinks can be brought into the village). However, they do allow you to carry empty water bottles which you can fill up once youre in the village and they also allow food to be carried past the main gate (but no coolers).

A Private User

Save yourself the aggravation. Yesterday we spent an extra hour in traffic (to go the last few miles) to go the fair. My daughter and her friends got out of the car and walked the last few miles, and they beat us there. (Its pretty lame when when kids on foot can outpace an automobile.) Then, at the fair, foot-traffic was so thick that it was practically impassable. (If there had been an emergency, we would all have been sunk.) Lines were way too long, to buy overpriced, greasy, unpalatable food from surly vendors. (I had to beg for catsup for my fries, and waited almost 10 minutes more for it.) Nowhere to sit to eat your food, nowhere to sit in the shade and rest when your feet were tired, nowhere to sit at the performances. Long, long lines for the disgusting port-a-potties. Drunks everywhere. Shops too crowded to even get in past the doorway. How is this worth $18 a person and a day of your precious time? It just isnt. And to add insult to injury, it took us over an hour to get out of the parking lot at 7:00 p.m. And we didnt move one inch for that hour! Literally. We could not get out of the lane of parked cars and onto the main "road" toward the exit. No staff were there to direct traffic or at least explain to the angry guests what was going on. We were, literally, trapped. Again, if there had been any sort of emergency, we would have been dead ducks. Surely one exit in and out of the fairgrounds must be a safety violation with crowds that large. My advice to you, if you must go, is to change your plans. Just dont go. Theres no way the attraction outweighs the upset. Use that money to go someplace you dont have to struggle to get to and from, and someplace where youre truly welcome. I promise youll have a better time.

Dawn Lamond

The renn faire is always a lot of fun :) Great shops, food, a fun opening ceremony with the king and queen on horses. A lot of people come in costumes, and they have a costume rental place thatll hold your clothes for you while you walk around (along with your ID) that you can rent from for around $30 bucks. (Its more fun when youre dressed up ;) ) Theres a lot of fun shows for all ages held at different little stage areas spread throughout the park, including a jousting tournament daily. They hand you a schedule and a map at the gate, and you can buy tickets ahead of time online. Extremely kid friendly. I wouldnt say that its handicap friendly, however. The ground is generally very uneven with the roots of trees and small hills all over. The trees really add to the great renn faire atmosphere though, and provide comfortable shade over a large portion of the area. The jousting event has no cover at all, so bring sunscreen anyway. They also sold shade umbrellas (parasols) around the park. Getting a seat to eat can be a little tough, but theres certainly a wide variety of foods (and beer/mead/wine if you have your ID) that you can eat while walking around. My hubby and I snagged half a picnic bench by me sitting at it while he went to get the food. We had excellent chicken club sandwiches and a loaded brownie sundae for dessert. Recommend getting there early for the opening ceremony, and saving purchases for when youre just about to leave unless you want to carry stuff around all day. Buying stuff, watching shows and eating are the main attractions - aside from walking around in your costume and enjoying the atmosphere :)

Trista C.

Always a fun day! I love dressing up and going at least once with my daughter for fun and games, and once with just friends each year! If you go before noon you may spend about an hour in traffic getting into the fair ground. The last 5 years Ive headed there about 1pm and had a full speed ride straight there with no issues (just a tip). They are open until 7pm, so that provides plenty of time to indulge for my tastes. The only issue is since about 2013-2015 when geek and nerd cultures became "acceptable and cool" there was a flood of street clothed people that attended and the fair was not prepared for the numbers. It was also rare to see a person dressed up and so it kind of ruined the experience as I was treated as staff with questions and photos, which I was polite and helpful with, but it took from my good time with friends and family. It also took about 45 mintues in ANY line (food, drink, games, bathroom, ATM, even vendors), so needing something was a dedication of your time there. It made the experience for me not what it had been in the years before. I can say that so far that in my 2016 experiences, this has seemed to die down very reasonably almost to the normal 5 mintue wait time for items, services, and games again! I dont know how they did it, but...WAY TO GO RENN FAIR, THANK YOU! If you go, please dress up, youll have a much better experience, they have washed costumes for rent as well if you feel the need to look around and "dip your toe in" before dressing up. But (in my strong opinion) youll dumb down your experience and that of others if you dont hop into a character and enjoy

Colin Abernethy

I dont know what the gripes about traffic are about as Ive never had any issues with it. Not to mention the fact that the website tells you that the earlier you can get there, the better. That said, of all the Renaissance Festivals Ive been to over the years, the MD fest is the best Ive seen. Most of the time, Renfests are held in some farmers field with temporary tents serving the vendors and no shade anywhere to be found. The MD fest is a permanent fixture in Crownesville and has TONS of mature woods in and around it, offering shade and comfort even in the hot weather we tend to get in the DC area. The food is good and not too pricey, Alcoholic beverages abound, and the selections are far better than the usual overpriced domestics you find at similar events. People are polite, vendors are informative, the entertainment acts are usually top notch (Go for Albannach if you get a chance!) and theres always something going on. In short, if you want to have a good time for a day (or multiple days throughout the season) and see some cool things, people dressed up in awesome period garb, knights jousting, really good bands, and eat and drink yourself silly for less than the price of a day at Nationals Park, go to the MD Renaissance Festival. As for traffic, this is DC people! Ive seen worse traffic just going to the grocery store, quit your crying and read the advice on the website. Get there early, especially on "Theme" weekends like Oktoberfest and Scottish Weekend.