September Revels

Susan here, with a tale of time travel — in the form of a day spent in a 16th-century English village, Revel Grove, aka the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

In the year 1537, King Henry VIII visits the village with his queen, Jane Seymour, and dozens of courtiers. A dazzling group in bright silks and brocades, they arrive on caparisoned horses and enter the village to blaring trumpets. The village, sprawling over 27 wooded and open acres, is filled with thousands of villagers and attendees–merchants, entertainers, jugglers, mimes, acrobats, players, musicians, knights and ladies, fairies and goblins, artisans and smiths and crafters, cooks and courtiers, guards and royalty–and thousands of, well, common folk too.

The day is packed with performances and concerts, plenty of delicious food, ale, and mead; there are jousts, archery, falconry, games, and even a few weddings taking place at the village chapel. There is so much going on, and such a throng of people and activities and things to see, that it is nearly impossible to take it all in. So the common folk and fairies and goblins return again and again – this village fair is open for nine weekends, August through October. It’s an amazing adventure in another realm that mixes history, fantasy, modern, and a wild assortment of crazy fun.

The Maryland Ren Fest is said to be the second largest of its kind in the country, easy to believe after one spends a day edging through crowds of thousands and walking the miles around the grove. We (the very patient husband and I) began going there in our college days with a group of friends when our local Maryland Ren Fest was a small festival just getting established. In those days, the path from the parking area to the festival grove ran through a woodland where one might be beset by forest outlaws who jumped out of nowhere–though when we were pushing baby strollers they were more tactful. Now, years after the festival moved to a more expansive location, we are still faithful attendees, and so are our now-adult kids. Over the years, we’ve brought infants to teens and beyond, and now they take their friends and children. Last weekend, we went with a family group from seniors to toddlers and had a great time once again. It’s familiar and yet new at the same time. We know where our favorite merchants, performers, events, and favorite foods can be found, and there’s always something fresh everywhere you turn.

The weekends are often themed, and this was Pirate Weekend. Huge numbers of people dress to the theme, or whatever theme they like–pirates, medieval knights and ladies, fairies, goblins, elves–our group included a three-year-old pirate and his pirate mom, and a nine-year-old Renaissance princess and her pirate dad. Many people were in costume, many of them very elaborate and imaginative. We saw medieval and Tudor folk, various Fey and elven folk, plenty of pirates of course—and even a pair of adorable elderly ladies in Regency gowns, bonnets, and gloves (looking kinda like they had time traveled into a Tudor village).

I love the history theme of the Renaissance Festival. It’s history lite, but captures the spirit and adds fun, and that’s what matters. A sense of time travel is right there if you give it a chance. The year is 1537, so they say, and the queen is Jane Seymour (who in September 1537 was in her confinement awaiting the birth of a prince; by October she was gone). But that part of history doesn’t matter here. Here, King Henry and Queen Jane are healthy, hearty, happy monarchs having a great time. The actors portraying the royal characters and their courtiers are believable and approachable. The king might pose for a selfie or even sit down to rest on the bench where you’re enjoying renaissance-ish food, such as a huge roast turkey leg or a hot apple tart (or you might have funnel cakes or ice cream or steak-on-a-stake if that’s your wont). Performances around various stages are excellent, whether acrobats, mimes, jugglers, musicians, actors and more. Every year I make sure to catch a show by “Shakespeare’s Skum,” a small troupe of gifted, very funny actors who parody Shakespeare in an outdoor theatre modeled on the Globe. This year we caught “Leave it to Hamlet” — Shakespeare as a sitcom complete with Queen Gertrude baking cookies in blonde wig and pearls, and answering the door to welcome that wacky next-door neighbor, Polonius and his crazy daughter Ophelia, who has a mad crush on oblivious teen Hamlet. It’s very funny stuff that skewers Shakespeare with clever dialogue and lots of slapstick, while making the plays very accessible. (Here’s a clip of “Macbeth in 20 Minutes or Less” if you have less than 20 minutes to watch it!)

With so many merchants and artisans in shops and booths that line the grove all around, there is not only great shopping (crafts, jewelry, clothing, books, and more—perfect for holiday shopping ahead of time) — there’s great research to be had, too. I’ve watched blacksmiths, potters, jewelry makers, glass-blowers. spinners, weavers, falconers, archers, and jousting knights (jousting, btw, is the state sport in Maryland) and tarot readers too. If you time it just right, the artisans and merchants are happy to talk about what they do and answer questions.

All in all, it was a fun, fantastic day. There was so much to see, and so much that I didn’t get to before we left, that I’m going back with a friend in a couple of weeks to fill in the gaps, do some holiday shopping, and do some research!

Have you gone to a Renaissance Festival in your area? If so, what’s your favorite thing to do? If you haven’t been to one—do you think you’d enjoy it?