The Renaissance Festival is an event that signals the end of summer and it's kind of a big deal in Minnesota. We have one of the largest festivals in the country and it's chock full of amazing sights, events, and people. I've been to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival many times but this year was my first time going with kids! I've partnered with Oriental Trading to share some of our favorite Renaissance Festival activities for kids and why I think you should take your family to your local renaissance fair.
When we talked about going to the Renaissance Festival this year, I had some hesitation. Would there be things for our kids to do? The last time I went was with my husband about five years ago and we had a lot of fun as a young married couple. We watched stunt shows and (raunchy) comedy acts, ate a variety of delicious foods, and shopped at little artisan booths. However, I wasn't sure we'd have the same experience with our young kids. After checking out the Minnesota Renaissance Festival website, I decided there were enough kids' activities to give it a shot. I'm so glad we did! We had a blast and spent the entire day there - our kids didn't want to leave at the end. I wanted to share our favorite parts of the adventure with you!
Dressing Up for the Renaissance Festival
As soon as we decided to go this year, I knew I wanted to dress up. The Renaissance Festival is the perfect place to express yourself through costume and I am delighted that Oriental Trading agreed to partner with me by outfitting the whole family. Side note: I just learned that Oriental Trading carries costumes (in addition to their amazing party supplies) so you should definitely check out their huge variety with Halloween right around the corner! I headed directly to the historical costumes on the site to find outfits for the festival. We received our costumes within just three days -- fast shipping alert!
Classic Robin Hood Costume
My husband picked the Classic Robin Hood costume and he looked awesome! The whole ensemble made him fit in with all of the other ornate costumes at the Renaissance Festival. It came with everything you need besides boots, and my husband just wore brown shoes under the boot covers. The capelet is removable and he did take it off for some of the fair because of the heat. The boot covers are a bit large around the calf area so we use safety pins to attach them to the pants which holds them up.
Renaissance Princess Costume
I chose the Renaissance Princess costume and it was LOVE! I found the dress to be super flattering in all the right places and despite the heat I stayed comfortable all day. It was light and airy while still feeling more like a real dress than a costume. There is a bit of scratchy material near the elbows so I put Band Aids on my inner arms to protect them (like I would do on my feet with new flats). Problem solved! I did notice that the seams at the waist were pulling apart by the end of the day so I will probably reinforce those. I felt like a renaissance princess in the dress, though, and the color was unique compared to many of the other dresses I saw. The sleeves were so elegant and the dress was just the right length.
Regal Queen Costume
Our daughter is four and she looked adorable in the Regal Queen costume from Oriental Trading. The size small was a little large on her but I actually prefer that so she can grow into it. The dress has beautiful details on the arms and the corset-like front perfectly fit the renaissance theme.
We were going to have her hair done at the fair but I didn't want to spend $50 on braids (gasp!) so she got a flower garland crown instead. I love the rich dark purple of this costume-it's so regal, just as the name suggests!
Brave Knight Toddler Costume
Our little guy was the star of the show in his Brave Knight costume. The outfit comes with a black shirt that has faux chain-mail sleeves, a metallic-look chest piece, a soft helmet, and boot covers. Everyone thought he was the cutest running all over the festival. In true toddler fashion he refused to wear the helmet for any amount of time, but the rest of the costume was adorable without it.
The front piece of the helmet was pretty large and when we tried it on him, it would not have stayed in place using the Velcro. It would have been simple to safety-pin it to the helmet, but since he wouldn't keep it on anyway we didn't bother. Not a huge deal, but worth mentioning.
Overall, we felt awesome in our costumes and got many compliments on our family ensemble. If you're going to a Renaissance Festival, I'd highly suggest dressing up to get the full experience.
Transportation
Before we get into the fun activities at the Renaissance Festival, let's talk transportation. There's usually a lot of walking that goes into these events, and little legs get tired. We decided to make our Step2 Whisper Ride Touring Wagon into a little chariot and boy did it get attention! People took photos and made comments like "best seats in the house!" and "I wish I could ride around in a chariot all day!" It was a great way for the kids to get around and also became a place to dump our diaper bag and souvenirs.
Renaissance Festival Activities for Kids
Now, not all of these activities will be available at ALL Renaissance Festivals. But if you're considering taking your family to a fair, these are some things they may be able to do. You can check here to see if there's a Renaissance Festival close to you (and if there's not, it's worth traveling to one!). These were some of our favorite activities for young kids!
Ride an Elephant. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was not cheap, but it was worth it to let our kids experience this (and for us, too!).
Make a Wax Hand. This was way cooler than I expected. Our daughter really wanted to get a wax hand as her souvenir. They usually suggest being age 5 or older and they were impressed by her calm demeanor as they dipped her hand first in ice water and then melted wax. But she did great, and she loves her pink, sparkly wax hand!
The weather went from partly cloudy to torrential downpour during the wax hand process-so crazy! We were lucky to be under a roof while the rain came down, and then it cleared right back up again!
Mermaid Cove. The MN Renaissance Festival added Mermaid Cove a few years ago, and it's awesome. You should have seen our daughter's face when she saw the mermaids and their tails! Plus, each child gets a mermaid scale on their way out.
Fairy Wing Forest. Just enchanting! Seeing the fairies and their houses was such a treat for the kids (and us!). Plus, our daughter got to chat with a fairy and receive a special wish!
The Joust. I think this is a staple at any Renaissance Festival, but correct me if I'm wrong! The joust is one of the main events and since they only do three performances a day, the crowd fills up quickly. Of course the whole joust is for fun, but to the kids it's an exciting brawl!
Petting Zoo. Our kids LOVED the petting zoo. We bought a food cup and they got to feed cavy, goats, sheep, a llama, and more. They even had a 'unicorn' and red kangaroos. Plus, I got to hold a baby goat!
Herpetological Petting Zoo. Similar to the regular petting zoo, but much more slithery! Our kids had so much fun learning about the various snakes and had to pet every. single. one.
Family Friendly Shows. The Renaissance Festival boasts a large number of shows by incredibly talented people. We caught a few throughout the day (the child-appropriate ones, because there are certainly a few "R" rated shows!) and always threw a few dollars in their hats for the entertainment.
Interact. This is probably the best part of the festival. There are tons of workers who are just there to make the rounds and talk to guests. While some banter or make fun, most are merry and want to make sure you're having fun. Our kids loved chatting with people in all different types of costumes (and even a dragon!).
Renaissance Festivals really do have something for the whole family. I'm so glad we brought our kids and I plan to take them each year from now on. We got home, and our daughter said "Can we go to the festival again tomorrow?" If only it wasn't two hours away and only on the weekends! But it was absolutely worth the trek and I can't wait to dress up again and go back next year.
Don't forget to check out all of the great costumes from Oriental Trading, whether you're planning a trip to a Renaissance Festival or just need something for Halloween. They have tons of options from infant through adult sizes!
Have you attended a Renaissance Festival?
What was your favorite part of it?
Disclosure: I received costumes from Oriental Trading in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Dorothy Boucher says
This place looks amazing, I want to go.. I love going to places like this , I think for me its part of the time and just being able to let go and have fun!.
@tisonlyme143