I’ll never forget the first time I discovered the Renaissance Festival here in Ohio. My dad had gotten some free tickets, and while it wasn’t something that had ever been on my radar before, it sounded like a lot of fun. My teenage self was not disappointed.
The Ohio Renaissance Festival in Waynesfield is not just a few tents and temporary stages put up among some Ohio cornfields. It’s a permanent site, enclosed in a fence and the entrance is a castle wall. At the opening of the day, there are squires and bards to entertain until Queen Elizabeth comes out to see the crowd and decides whether or not to let them in.
The people there are just as into it as the Festival itself; tunics, corsets, swords, and fairy wings abound. There’s a fun mix of fantasy, medieval, renaissance, pirates, and some sci fi and steampunk thrown in. Any aesthetic and costume is welcome, and there’s more people dressed up than not.
There’s food, from turkey legs to dole whip, fun shops with handmade wares you won’t find many places, fair rides and games, performances and shows, live chess, and many other events and things to do.
If you’ve ever wanted to see what jousting looks like, you’re in the right place. People gear up in full armor and protective gear and actually drive real horses at each other. The first year I went, one of the riders knocked the other off of his horse on their final pass of the joust.
The festival runs until the end of October, with lots of fun themed weekends.
Look here for more information: https://www.renfestival.com , and stay tuned for an article on OWU students’ own experiences there this year.
