Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire

If you’re coming here go all out! 1. Dress up 2. Get drunk on wine 3. Viciously eat a turkey leg.
One of my favorite things to look forward to for the beginning of Fall is the Faire! My hubby got me to go when we first started dating and came in with jeans and a t-​shirt and felt like such losers amongst all the elaborate costumes and accents! So ever since then, we have made it a tradition to attend and dress up for the occasion.
They have shows going on throughout the day, but the better ones are before 4 pm. They also have half priced admission after 4 pm ($ 15) but know that only leaves about 4 hrs to enjoy your time, which is not terrible. We generally like to make a whole day out of it, because it is a good 1.5 hr drive from home and about 2 hrs of make up & hair for me.
The food and drinks alone are enough reason to attend the Rennaissance Fair! Wine tasting here is free which is super awesome because you can literally go down the list and the attendents generally give you a great tasting. Some of my favorite for the Fall season is their warm Holiday wine, especially for those colder Fall days. As for food, get a giant buttery pretzel from the German stand, and while your there add some potato pancakes and apple fritters. Skip the polksa sausage and bitter potato salad… ew. OBVIOUSLY you HAVE to get a turkey leg while your here too! All that delicious smoked meat, yum. If you have room, I also recommend a soup bowl, they are decadent and perfect for sobering up before a long ride home.
So if you don’t know whether to dress up or not, no one makes you feel out of place and you will surely have a great time! This last year it seemed like the fair was way more well attended but less people were in costume. I’m just one of those people that loves any reason to extend Halloween, so I will always be dressed up! I also love that for families it gives kids a reason to come in costume and enjoy the shows. This is a tradition that we love to maintain!

I had an amazing time and everyone was super friendly! The crab dip was absolutely what I was craving the entire time! The only thing I wish was the corsets were cheaper but they were all gorgeous and my goal next year is to have the money saved up for one! The wine and beer was amazing! It was awesome seeing the jousting. The only downside of the entire day was the rain but that was out of the hands of anyone!

If you’re looking for some good olde fashion fun head on over to the PA ren fest! We’ve been going the past two years and the worst that’s happened is the lack of the Kamikaze Fireflies! We love the shows and the jousting! The bread bowls and turkey legs are the foods I look forward to! Some of the potty mouth shows aren’t so entertaining, just tiring, but to each his/​her own. There’s literally something for the whole family! The fact that the characters stay in character cracks me up every time!

PRF is the greatest place on on Earth! (sorry Disney)
The Swashbuckler brews are top notch. They should bring back the Tiger Pie!

I always knew the PARF was amazing & fabulous fun; we’ve been going every year since 1999. We love the acts, we love the joust (& we sit on the side of the forces of darkness), & we wait with anticipation each year for the faire scenario to come out & for the announcements of the cast. (One of us attends in garb and the other in street clothes; you guess which is which.)
But it took moving away and getting to come back to make us realize how much the Faire family is not «them», onstage and safely behind the fourth wall; everyone is welcome in to whatever degree you are willing to jump in. It’s every audience participation, every street interaction, every photo with the Queen, or the Lady Mayor, or the Mud Squad, or the Rat Catcher. It’s seeing pirates and gypsies and Jedis quaffing local brew (we highly recommend the Irish Red, yum!). It’s getting your hands henna-​ed & telling the Queen where the booth is while she explains to her ladies-​in-​waiting that she’s seen this done… because she’s very in touch with the peasants and their customs, of course.
Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again!

So much fun! What most impressed me was the amazing fun of the actor employees who were so lively, some silly, all fun fun fun, friendly and engaging w kids and adults who stopped to talk. I have so many videos where I was laughing out loud at their friendly fun and silliness.
Not only the employees but a lot of the customers dress in period attire. Employees are required to use the Irish accent. There is entertainment scheduled at various stages throughout the day including music, singing, comedy, human chess, and their biggest performance — a jousting act complete with 4 horses explosions and a battle…
After the jousting don’t miss the dragon auction– they raffle off little hand made dragons but the experience of chanting hurrah and dragons under the direction of the 2 auction leader women and that fun is worth staying even if you don’t want a dragon.
There are so many little shops where you can buy jewelry, even handmade boots that I have on my list to design — then they will size fit and make for you (takes a year but the quality craftsmanship and unique look would make it worth it .) food food and so much food so don’t eat before coming … Pickles on a stick were delicious and we saw many people walking around with the giant foil covered drumsticks.

I’ve gone to the PA Renaissance Faire every year for at least that last 15+ years and it does not disappoint. Sure, ticket prices have gone up (as expected), and you’re paying higher-​than-​Wawa-​prices for some lunch, and sometimes the crowd can be a bit excessive, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the most unique experiences around.
Over the years they’ve expanded the faire and added more shows. I’m disappointed to find that this year one of my all-​time favorite shows appears to be missing (the Duo of Woo) and I’m hoping that some of the other adult-​themed shows can fill their shoes. Or at least I’m hoping that those two actors are at another show. They are really exceptional. And hilarious.
I don’t have children, but I see other kids having a great time there (and they dress up like little princesses and pirates and you should probably take yours if you have some). I personally go to have a great time as an adult — I love the funny shows and educational exhibits from weapon making to glass blowing. And also the shops are very unique and you can find small gifts for anybody.
Every year we seem to find friends to take who have never been before and they always have a wonderful time! Go expecting to do a LOT of walking up and down hills, bring appropriate sun protection as the shade seems to be little and far apart, and bring money to spend — paying for admission will certainly not be the last time you take out your wallet.

This was our first time to a faire. From the very entrance we were welcomed by medival characters and this continued on until we left. Not only from the performers from the faire but from people who came dressed up. Very fun and not too corney.
The grounds here are absolutely beautiful; there are lovely flowers, bushes and trees everywhere… which also means the occasional bees so dont go smelling fruity or sweet! The archeticheture of the different shops are very creative, imaginative and have interesting details– the more you look the more you noticed. In fact I would rate the overall layout and acting a 4+.
## Skits and Extra
Skits were a little corney. The mud show was funny but found only myself entertained everyone else got bored. The other shows even I started fidgeting.
I was impressed with some of the huts like where you could get a henna tattoo, massage, acupuncture etc…
## Food
However the food was blah: We hunted down the turkey legs after reading some tips on Unilocal but we’re very dissapointed (had better at SixFlags);
Mac n Cheese — blah;
Chili Dogs with slaw — blah;
Funnel Stick Snickers –ok;
Corn Dogs — ok;
Cheese Steak — –didn’t like
Chocolate Bacon — liked it
## Drinks
Honey Meade Wine — Lovely! Great! Sweet and cold!
Stout Beer– — Hubby Liked, Excellent!
IPA Beer — After trying to force it down, hubby threw it out he said it was aweful.
## Warning.
Besides the bees I would note that there are a few inclines so bring comfortable shoes/​sandals, I would not recommend heels. Also lots of adult humor and witch/​weird «dark side» items/​functions sold (or maybe you like that) .
Overall, enjoyed ourselves and really feel that if they just make give the skits a little better content and enhance the food a little it would easily be 5 stars.

I have wanted to go to the PA Ren Faire for years and finally went this past Sunday. I have to say, I was extremely disappointed. When we first got there, we decided to grab something to eat. My friends went to a walk up counter at a German place called The Swashbuckler and they got kielbasa, sauerkraut and hash browns. They were expecting the kielbasa to come on a roll, but it was just kind of served next to the sauerkraut. No frills. They said the flavor was just ok, nothing special. I got take out from the place next to them which was a sit down restaurant called The Anchor & The Mermaid. I ordered the corned beef and cabbage which was listed as $ 13 and a super small coke and somehow it ended up costing $ 19.65. Can’t think that a small soda, not much larger than a shot glass could cost an additional $ 5, but ooook. That tricky price thing happened again. I’ll mention that in a minute. But, getting back to my food, the tiny piece of corned beef was unnecessarily salty. I mean, REALLY salty. They gave me a very small amount of cabbage on the side with a weird white, creamy gravy on it and an even smaller amount of mashed potatoes with the same strange gravy on it. It was not even close to being worth $ 20. It was a complete ripoff. So, eat before you go because the food is not worth the money and will leave you wishing you would have eaten prior to going into the Faire. Now, the Faire itself was also a huge letdown. The few shows they had were lame and board line offensive with the off colored humor that some of the acts have. Especially the jugglers that have the pet pig. He made gay jokes, feminist jokes, used foul language with an audience full of young kids etc. I was surprised. That act was rated PG13 at the least. If I had kids there, I would have complained. I was expecting to see cool stuff like jousting, real performance acts, etc. Nope. All the stores had themed gifts/​souvenirs, nothing out of character from the Faire. All fantasy/​medieval type of stuff. There was one stand selling jewelry that was half decent, but my wallet stayed in my pocket. I wasn’t tempted to buy anything at all. Getting back to the tricky ways they charge for things, my friend ordered a funnel cake stick which were $ 3 each or two for $ 5. She ordered one and the guy said, that’ll be $ 5. She said I thought they were $ 3, and the guy says, oh yeah, ok $ 3. He said it in a very fishy way. I personally think he was trying to rip her off. The only plus for this whole experience is that they didn’t charge you for parking and our tickets that day were buy one, get one free. Thankfully. The whole experience was bad. I’ll never go back to one of these things.

Everything to the organized parking and then to the end of your stay where you are going home carrying a case of wine and smell like roasted turkey legs, was absolutely fantastic. The sights of the town, townspeople, shows, shops and the smell of the food is incredible. I used to frequent the NY Ren Faire in Tuxedo, NY but I will come here from now on. The games are very reasonably priced ($ 2 for 3 throwing axes) kind of thing. Now yes the shops can be somewhat of a bit pricey but sometimes you have to distinguish what you can purchase anywhere for twenty and then buy here for forty so choose wisely. Other than that, a memorable visit to Lancaster!!! ¹²⁄₁₀ Would raise my cup to a passing maiden while the girlfriend squeezes my hand!

One of the ultimate Renaissance festival experiences! We’ve been attending off and on since 2001 but in one day (yesterday) of the 2015 season, we’re re-​hooked on attending this huge event which lasts a full three months.
There are folks who’ll object to the $ 30.95 gate admission but if you’re smart, you can find online deals all over the place. For this past weekend, it was BOGO, as it is next weekend. $ 15 per person for this kind of exciting entertainment, food, beverages, games, treasures and friends? CHEAP!
The best part this season (so far) has been the cast. Rarely do you see a cast of actors who also sing and dance and do all three professionally! The sheer pageantry of the costuming and the fresh look on all the buildings of the shire make this a beautiful summer place.. .. I can’t wait to see it later in the season when the leaves turn and start to fall.
Higher alcohol prices keep a lot of the drunken riffraff out that you might find at other faires with cheaper ale prices. Plus the craft brew served is much, much better than the less-​extravagant commercial beer-​flavored water.
Better food, better drynke, better service and wonderful shows. THIS is why we go to ren faires.
HUZZZAHHHHHH!

Beautiful grounds. The thought and detail placed on the grounds are astonishing. You really do feel like you have been warped into a other era. The arquitechture in the replicated structures had a lot of thought put into it. The buildings are all permanent and used each year so they are aged and gives it authenticity. Love it!

Aw yis.
In need of a change of scenery, I and my sibs and a few friends elected to make the trek a bit further afield for last faire season. Having heard good things, we ended up at the lovely Mount Hope winery, dressed to kill and itching for some good olde-​timey fun [not to be confused with timey-​wimey fun, which involves more running]. From the outset things looked good, the parking was well-​organized and gravelled in, which is probably better for everyone involved if it should rain. Also good on that score were the permanent buildings and paved paths that only a permanent site can boast, and the bathrooms [and they are a glory] each with an attendant to direct traffic, clean and restock supplies. The site itself is utterly massive, I got lost twice but received helpful [if deliberately period-​garbled] directions from costumed staff who are both eagerly interactive and delightfully energetic about their characters.
The shows we saw were new [to us] and highly entertaining, and the novelty of that many new shops kept me entertained for hours, but the available merchandise was affordable enough I didn’t leave feeling like I’d made horrible financial choices or like I’d left without getting what I wanted. The food was good, the hot cider and mulled wine were –amazing– [the weekend we went was cold], the staff are awesome, I can’t say that enough… We’ll definitely be back again and with more people in tow, and we may come up for some of the other events that make use of the site.

I hate to do it, but I have to be honest and critical of my go-​to «happy place» and knock it down a couple notches. We usually go 3 times a year and this was our last visit of the season. We were hoping for a great send-​off until next August.
The beer was fresh as ever, and the shows were entertaining as always. 5 stars!
I understand this was one of the busiest weekends of the season, but that is no excuse for bad food and piss-​poor restrooms (pardon the pun).
I know the food here can be hit or miss much like an amusement park, but I have come to expect better. Seriously. Our usual Scotch Egg was fine as were the chicken and chips we had for lunch at the Swashbuckler Public House. Unfortunately the BBQ Beef Brisket sandwiches we had from Sir Williams Hall for dinner were cold, dry, and stringy with very little flavor. Maybe that’s why there was no line and the food was ready in less than a minute. Maybe they forgot to heat it up in sauce or it was just sitting in the wind for an hour. The fries and beans on the side were served hot and tasted fine, but they dropped the ball with the sandwiches. Going back to pizza next time.
The restrooms or «privies» as they call them, were a horror show. Quite fitting as this was during one of their Halloween Knights and Spooky Daze weekends. There is usually someone at the exit of the restrooms with a tip box and we tip well, usually, but I didn’t even see an attendant in any of the men’s rooms. In one men’s room there were soap dispensers not working, another privy area (the men’s porta potty section) the paper towel dispensers were empty, and my wife reported stalls in one of the ladies rooms without toilet paper. Thankfully a Royal Flush attendant was there to replenish it. Yeah I know, it happens, especially when there are crowds with long lines at the privies. But sheesh, someone needs to keep up with it in ALL of the restrooms. I’m just glad I had pocket hand sanitizer with me.
This is not to say we won’t be back again, we will be again and again and again! We just hope they improve some of the things holding them back from being the 5 star operation we have come to know and love.
I don’t want to detract anyone from going here either. Please go, enjoy it! just be prepared for the hits or misses until they «right the ship» once more.

Turkey leg turkey leg! Mmm yom om yoomm. I had to be a pig and order 2 to split bw 3 adults and one child. OOPS! Next time, I’ll just order one, but boy oh boy was it delicious. So moist and flavorful. And HUGE!!! Long lines to get one, but it moves very very fast, so don’t let the long line scare you.
As for the faire itself… I thought it was a tad of a rip off. You need to pay to get in, and then you have to pay for EVERYTHING else. Like $ 2 for this small museum, and $ 3 for this ride that is isn’t mechanically operated, and more and more money. I thought I would just be paying for food and a few things here and there, but It was crazy that they charged you for everything. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very nice faire and I had a lot of fun.
Shows were ok. The first show we watched (I think it was water wenches??) was really funny. The dog one was a tad boring. We only caught the ending of it though. Some of the musical performances were pretty cool. I wouldn’t really say a lot of the shows were kid friendly though.
The hit of the entire fair was definately the food. Like I stated above, the turkey leg was awesome. I also had a hot pickle on a stick. That was really good as well! Scotch egg was different and interesting.
Overall: I will definately be back next year and try more food items. I do hope they reduce ticket prices though.

We made our first trip to the faire this year and I must say it was a lot of fun! I was really surprised at the amount of people in attendance who were dressed up in character and I don’t mean the actual employees at the faire. Just lots of people really having a good time and enjoying themselves. I think being in street clothes you were certainly outnumbered by those dressed up. Maybe next year we will don some apparel. Lots of cool things to see and do and almost all of it was included in the ticket price. Just a few things here and there that cost additional but I’m talking $ 2-​$ 4, so definitely not breaking the bank. All the food was good including the Scotch Eggs and the macaroni can cheese! Great atmosphere and just a ton of fun. I hope to make this an annual event!

This year was my first time visiting the faire and I had an absolute amazing time here.
Scotch eggs, turkey leg, apple cider… life is now complete. Aside from the food, it was the perfect place to bring the little one. Entertainment of all sorts, clean, and lots of open space to run around.
One thing I noticed for sure was for a place that has so many visitors I was quite impressed with the parking situation. It was SO organized. People were not driving all about trying to find a parking spot.

Went with hubby and son to enjoy food, fun, & festivities. Picture perfect weather and the scotch eggs were delicious. Costumes both workers and guests wore were beautiful. Son got the kilt he had been wanting and looks great on him. A little pricy but products are of great quality. Lines a little long for bathrooms and does need to go smoke free are only issues.

As a Ren Faire virgin, this place had me stumped. I imagined it would have been a lot of fun if I were 1) dressed in period gear, and 2) really drunk. Five stars in that case.
Alas, I was in my August shorts and flip flops, and stone-​cold sober. I doubted the historical accuracy. I winced at the faux English accents. Most importantly, I questioned the $ 30 price of admission.
For to enjoy Ren Faire is to live and breathe it, if only for an afternoon. Rent the costume, no matter how sweaty you get. Down pint after pint of whatever’s on tap. Let someone else be the designated driver.
Most importantly, abandon all skepticism nurtured in the centuries since England’s Elizabethan era. You’ll have more fun that way.
Parking is free. Little kids will be bored; older kids may appreciate the jousting demonstrations.

Great place to visit, lots of food and attractions and the cast is top-​notch. Everything is a production and a story, from the jousting to the royal parades to the big finale with song and dance numbers.
The food is good and affordable, and they brew their own beer. They had quite a few styles, including an American Pale, a stout, a hefeweizen, a cider and a kolsch. They also have refillable souvenir glassware.
There were a great deal of acts on the stage and the street – hypnosis, juggling, music, magic, and a little bit of everything else. Check out the Boar’s Head Brawl for a really good time, or Tartanic for some toe-​tapping bagpipe music.