The Bristol Renaissance Faire is back with new entertainment, a wacky “race” and more mouth-watering turkey legs.
The Renaissance Faire runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays plus Labor Day July 6 to Sept. 2 at Faire in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“We really do try to grab a little bit of something for everyone,” said Julie McMillin, social media director for the Faire. “We have the family-friendly shows there (and) the high-energy, action-packed shows. Adam Crack (Winrich) still holds nine Guinness World Records for whip cracking. We’re delighted he still calls Bristol home because he’s an incredible talent and an incredible performer.”
A new act appearing select weekends this season is called Mythic Madness.
“It’s a sword and sorcery show reminiscent of your favorite ′80s movie vibe,” she said. “We’re pretty excited about the high-energy they’re going to be bringing.”
Also new is the Craic Show, a group of magicians performing traditional Medieval, Renaissance and Irish tunes on ancient instruments and thunderous drums, she said.
“They are absolutely a crowd-pleaser,” she said. “We just welcomed them to our sister show in California and they had basically the equivalent of ye old mosh pit in the front of the stage. They have that high-energy, jump-out-of-your-seat-and-dance-in-the-aisles kind of vibe.”
They’re be at the Faire Aug. 3-11.
Returning this year is Shakespeare in the Shire, she said, a daily “impromptu Shakespeare jam session” where all the cast members gather to recite their favorite Shakespeare monologues, brief scenes or sonnets in the middle of the town. Audience members are encouraged to join in if they have something prepared, she said.
All the fan-favorite themed weekends are back, she said. Those include Steampunk Weekend July 13-14, Marketplace Weekend July 20-21, Cottagecore Weekend July 27-28, Pirate Weekend Aug. 3-4and RennCon Aug. 10-11.
Cottagecore is a celebration of the simple life, she said. While lots of people want to celebrate being kings, queens and knights, “cottagecore is far more about celebrating the peasants that live in the cozy little farmstead huts, just living their best life and not trying to go on grand adventures,” she said. “It’s a very DIY-vibe. You want to celebrate the bounty of the forest, the making-it-yourself and making it cozy and comfortable, first and foremost.”
People can go on their own self-guided “cozy crawl” of the vendors who specialize in cottagecore.
“It is honestly one of the most wholesome weekends,” she said.
A new initiative of Pirate Weekend this year is the Pirate .05K. No, that is not a typo.
“It is all the fun of race culture but with a Jack Sparrow saunter through the Faire site,” she said. “We’re super excited about that. There’s something about the .05K that brings so much joy to my heart.”
Naturally, registration comes with a finisher’s medal and free drink token.
Popular acts
In addition to Adam Crack: The Fire Whip, other acts people request include Barely Balanced, an acrobatic comedy trio.
“Sharp knives, stupid humans … they’re just hilarious,” McMillin said.
The Jousters are a perpetual fan favorite with their majestic steeds, lances and shields. Cirque du Sewer is another act that has become a favorite as well.
“She has trained cats and rats to jump through hoops and perform tricks and go through obstacle courses,” she said. “She’s been on ‘America’s Got Talent’ and comes to Bristol and our sister show in New York and she’s just phenomenal. And most of the time the cats listen and do the trick.”
The act called Dungeons and Shakespeare was a smash hit last year, McMillin said, making it easy to ask him back this season.
“Since D&D is turning 50 this year and with our proximity to Lake Geneva where D&D was created, we anticipate it’s going to be a slightly bigger draw for our nerd fandoms, which we love and I am also a member of,” she said.
“He rolls the dice and picks which Shakespeare hero and which Shakespeare villain are battling against each other and has the audience members come up to represent those particular characters. So you could have Hamlet squaring off against Othello. Due to it is all a roll of the dice, it’s a pure improv show with Shakespeare as your overall guide. There have never been two shows the same and it’s hilarious every single time. He is truly a genius for coming up with this.”
There will be musicians, of both stage and street, scattered throughout the fair.
If you get hungry, there are more than 50 food booths scattered as well, along with the roaming beef jerky, pretzel and pickle vendors.
“We’re delighted that food has been expanding over the years,” she said.
A new food stand will open across from the Midsummer Stage featuring Mexican cuisine.
“Is it 16th century Renaissance? No. But, it is something that our audience has asked for,” she said.
There are sweet, savory, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options for guests as well.
“We’re known for beer and turkey legs but we’re so much more than that,” she said.
There are between 125-150 vendors each weekend selling items like swords and daggers, soaps, lotions, candles, clothing and costumes, honey, tea, home décor, jewelry, leather, books, toys, art and much more.
“You can get your hair braided, you can watch blown glass demonstrations, you can get candles shaped like dragon eggs and once you burn them through there are little dragon figurines on the inside,” she said. “So much jewelry and costuming. We can outfit you from head to toe if you want to join in the Faire vibe.”
Pub Crawl
The Pub Crawl takes place four times on Saturdays and three times on Sundays. It’s an additional $65 for the 90-minute event where guests visit four pubs and receive a drink at each, she said. Along the way, the Pub Crawl Crew will regale the guests with bawdy songs, jokes, stories and riddles.
“It is absolutely the most rated-R content we can tell in 1574 while guiding you and 30 of your friends to all of the bars,” she said. “Pub Crawl has been one of our perpetual fan favorites since it started 14 years ago.”
If you’ve got young lads and lassies with you, the Renaissance Faire can be very family-friendly.
“Almost all of the rides are accessible and have no height requirement,” she said. “They do have an additional fee because those rides are individually owned and operated. We’ve got lots of rides and lots of games. A lot of the action shows don’t require English as a first language so it makes it accessible to a larger variety of people.
“Our Fantasticals are back in full force so you’ll have lots of fairies running around the site. They do not speak so they bring a different vibe, a different energy and we found that guests, especially those that are non-verbal, are able to communicate and make a connection with our Fantasticals.”
The Renaissance Faire is right in your backyard but also 500 years away, she said.
“We want to provide an escape from the modern world for people where you can go and experience life in the present. We’re not asking you to look at an app on your phone to make your next dining reservation,” she said. “We’re asking you to come and be present and just experience the world that we’ve created around you.
“It is a land of history and fantasy in blend where we want people to be able to see how people lived or could have lived. Place yourself there and come and have fun. That is the main goal of the Faire itself. We want to be your safe, accessible venue where you can have fun and make new memories.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Bristol Renaissance Faire
When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day, July 6-Sept. 2
Where: Bristol Renaissance Faire, Russell Road and I-94, Kenosha, Wisconsin
Tickets: $40 adults; $38 seniors and military; $15 children ages 5-12; ages 4 and younger free. Parking: $10-$25
Information: 847-395-7773; renfair.com
