If you enjoy everything about Renaissance, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival held in Shakopee is the real deal. Minnesota is recognized as the Mecca of renaissance festivals and it has a lot to offer. The festival was inspired by the 16th century English village and it has been around since 1971. It is actually the largest festival in the United States with an average of 300,000 visitors every year.
If you’re interested in checking it out, here’s some essential information.
Similar to the 16th century England, the nucleus of the village is the marketplace. The marketplace provides you with an opportunity of buying period-inspired artisanal wares, plus you’ll also have the chance to dine like a prince or peasant. The dishes range from turkey legs and meads to authentic and modern such as chipotle salads and coconut shrimp.
They also provide vegetarian fare with a twist of Renaissance such as a falafel on a stick. After you’ve satisfied your appetite, you can choose to slip into the tent of a fortune teller or have a fancy hair weaving. You can also take your kids on a ride and the good thing is that the marketplace is a great place to pass some hours alone because there’s a lot to explore.
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival offers a lot of world-class entertainment opportunities. There are dance groups, hypnotists, live music, story tellers, and wacky chickens, among many others. There are also daily events that you can check out.
Although some events in the festival only take place during special days or on the weekends, you can also find a lot of fun things to do daily. If you buy a ticket to the Feast of Fantasy, you’ll get your fair admission covered, you’ll get a six-course meal, 2 hours of entertainment, and you will also get 2 gifts.
Royal events are also held in the festival such as pub crawl and wine tasting, and there are also special activities for families such as caricature drawers and face painters. You can select a weekend theme for the best experience. The Oktoberfest this year is set for September 21st and 22nd, and it will have the beard competition.
The good news is that this is a festival that is always evolving, since every year they add new things, and this year won’t be any different. You’ll have the opportunity to see a live mermaid, as well as hear a captain talk about the story of how she was captured. You can also expect a fairy competition and patrons of the fair are allowed to participate.
Are you now ready to book a ticket to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival? If you need more information you can check out their website or keep checking back on this site for more updates.
