Georgia Renaissance Festivals enjoys a resurgence
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Hundreds of thousands of Medieval knights, pirates, vikings and fairies are swarming to the Georgia Renaissance Festival and more than 300 other fairs in America this fall.
What we're hearing: "After COVID-19, there has been a huge resurgence of people wanting to go to renaissance fairs and numbers have skyrocketed across the board," The Renlist's Greg Gilbert told Axios.
The big picture: Credit the growth in geek and nerd culture and an ever-growing desire for family friendly and escapist experiences, Jennifer Spickler, a regular at Georgia's marquee festival in Fairburn, told Axios.
State of play: That surge in popularity is visible by the longer lines on Virlyn Smith Road to park at the festival grounds and larger crowds in the medieval village jockeying to watch jousters, jesters and blacksmiths, she said.
Yes, but: More people means more improvements to the festival, said Spickler. And that means a better experience for the everyday visitor and the regulars who dress in "garb" — don't call them "costumes" — as medieval characters.
Zoom in: Spickler got hooked during her first visit in 2018 because she felt transported into the stories of kings and castles she read growing up.
- Now she makes the 90-minute drive every weekend from Columbus, where she works as a pharmacy technician, during the festival season.
If you go: The festival is in an old-timey village in the woods in Fairburn. It's open every Saturday through Dec. 7.
- Tickets are $9.95 for children and $17.95 for adults online.
Zoom out: Most popular renaissance fairs, including Georgia's, are on "hard sites" — meaning, they're not torn down when the festival ends — with year-round programming. In the off season, the Fairburn property has hosted a haunted house and film shoots.
Here are some pro tips on how to make the most of a fair visit here from Spickler and elsewhere from Renlist's Gilbert.
💰 Bring cash
The renaissance fair is one place that isn't going totally cashless.
📝 Plan ahead
Festivals can be huge. Check websites, maps and plan your day. Have a parking plan, too.
🧚 Wear literally anything
Spickler says anyone can come dressed as a "muggle" (term of affection for people not wearing garb) or the character of their choosing. Don't stress.
- "No one cares what you wear and you can dress as everything. These are open and inclusive," said Gilbert.
Greg's suggestions include:
- For the Lords: A loose white shirt paired with green cotton or gauze pants that are breathable.
- For the Ladies: Put on a dress and "wonky pieces together." Corsets, leather are acceptable.
Pro tip: Wait until you arrive and park to put on the corset, Spickler said. "It's a time-honored tradition at any festival that you go to that you always finish getting dressed in the parking lot."
🍗 Eat the turkey leg
Enjoying a turkey leg isn't historically accurate to medieval times, but they're always good. Ordering mead drinks is another must-try.
🏇 Watch the jousting
"Some are staged, but a few are real," Gilbert said, noting that hard-sites usually house the real ones.
Spickler's favorite: The "pub sing" music sung by performers and musicians at the end of the festival day. "Almost every single day, at the end of fair, I'm like, in happy tears," she said.