The swath of eclectic family entertainment options in the United States is vast. Whether you’re interested in traditional theme parks, zoological gardens, water parks, museums, or any of the other recreational travel options out there, there’s no lack of things to do. Renaissance fairs are a perfect escape from the 21st Century, and the New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. will transport you to a village from the 1600’s England.
My group of adventurers and I got to visit the fair opening day 2024, on the 17th of August. We purchased our tickets online, which is the suggested method, but you can get them at the gate too. At the time of publication, ticket prices were $48.00 per adult, $20.00 per child ages 5 – 12, children ages 0 – 4 are free, $43.00 for seniors of the age of 62 and military members, and season tickets cost $275.00.
What’s a Renaissance fair anyhow?
A renaissance fair is a pop-up happening, or in the case of the N.Y. Renaissance Faire a static location, where guests are brought back in time to the age of the English Renaissance. Renaissance fairs generally would appeal to those who participate in live-action role-playing scenarios. However, if LARPing is not your thing, renaissance fairs still cater to those who want to be inactive participants and just take in all that the entertainment options have to offer.
Visitors of Renaissance fairs will encounter a number of different acts, shows, shops, and food options. Everything is themed around the period.
The New York Renaissance Faire’s origins and about
According to the ClassicNewYorkHistory.com article, “All About The New York Renaissance Faire,” the group responsible for the fair got their start in California. “Mr. Patterson and his wife Phyllis held the first Renaissance Faire in 1963 at the Paramount Ranch,” the article explained. “In 1966, Barbara Hope and Donald Gaiti, partnered with the Renaissance Entertainment Corp to acquire Creative Faires Ltd, the company that was running the fair. The new owners then held New York’s first Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo in 1977.”
Since 1977, the fair has been going strong, however was forced to close for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The New York Renaissance Faire features more than 125 performances on 20 stages, and over 100 craftspeople, all set within 65 acres of beautiful forest,” states the FAQ page.
In addition to the impressive amount of entertainment and shopping options, there are over 22 locations where visitors can get food. There are also over 12 different dedicated beverage sale locations, with two dedicated coffee shops to fulfill one’s caffeine needs.
The layout
The New York Renaissance Faire is laid out like a village, “within the Majestic Groves of Sterling Forest.” An impressive map covers the different roads and attractions contained within the 65 acre destination.
When we visited, monochrome printed on paper maps were available. If you’re not the type of person who likes looking at park maps on a mobile device, grab a paper one.
Like any other small village, there’s a personality to each road, byway, and turn.
Entertainment at the fair
The heartbeat of the New York Renaissance Faire are the many entertainers and acts that are distributed throughout the village. It’s nearly impossible to see all the shows and do everything in one day.
The fair’s FAQs states that guests should “plan to spend at least 5 hours to see most of the performances and have a chance to do some shopping. However, the Faire is open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for guests to enjoy a full day!”
On our most recent visit, we did get an opportunity to catch some of the most iconic of the entertainers as well as some of the lesser known ones.
Most of the shows are family friendly, with some noted to be “R” or “PG-13” rated. However, bawdy innuendos and double entendre sewn into different acts will leave most normal adults laughing, with the punchlines going over the kids’ heads.
We can be assured that someone at some time in history was offended by something said by one of the performers…but you can’t please everyone. If you have a poor sense of humor, some of the more in-your-face undertones might not be appreciated. Roll with the punches? Most everyone’s for you! Keep an open mind and you’ll be fine.
Here’s a partial rundown of some of the entertainment options:
Vince Conaway
Conaway is a hammered dulcimer musician. We caught him as we were entering the village, just off the side of Spende Penny Lane.
Courtly Dancing
The Courtly Dancing is held in the Maypole meadow. There a Maypole dance is performed.
Arsene Dupin Magikhana Show
We caught a few minutes of the Arsene Dupin show. The act is a melding of mime work, juggling, vaudeville, and magic.
Boom Boom Shake – World Class Music and Belly Dance
The entourage of Boom Boom Shake is a musical group with belly dance performers. On opening day, the group was down one of their performers, but that did not dissuade them from delivering a top notch performance.
Aaron Bonk – Fire, Whips, and Swords
Aaron Bonk is one of the headlining acts at the New York Renaissance Faire. Bonk can be found performing at the Sherwood Forest Stage. By traveling past the speed of sound, Bonk’s whips whirl and crack while the audience is mesmerized by the skillful entertainer.
If you’re going to be visiting the NYRF, Bonk is a must-see performance. Bonk has broken five Guinness World Records and expertly entertains with, you guessed it; fire, whips, and swords.
Bonk is known for his lean, muscular, and manly physique, however his sense of humor and subtle jokes also captivate audiences. Fellas, hold onto your ladies! Bonk’s whips aren’t the only things that are going to get flaming hot in the Shire!
Cirque du Sewer
The Cirque du Sewer show with Melissa Arleth and her “‘Rat’s ass-istant’, Vitaliy,” will keep crowds entertained and wowed.
“Melissa combines her skills with the talents of her rescue animals,” the Entertainment of the Shire page notes. Melissa created “complicated obstacle courses for the rats, dancing with cats, and balancing upside down on a half-inch slack rope.”
Much like Bonk’s, Arleth’s show is a must-see and one of the headlining entertainment options at the fair.
The Flaming Ginger
Jon Norton, The Flaming Ginger, has an eclectic act full of fire, juggling, and performing on a seven-foot unicycle. While juggling flaming clubs, or getting ready to scarf down some fire, Norton is sputtering jokes, often a shade or two off color, but still family-friendly enough for some of the little ones.
Some of Norton’s jokes are spot-on, while others are slightly cringe. You can tell that this is a performer who’s still actively cutting his teeth, but doing a very good job at entertaining in the process.
If time permits to see Norton in action. Stop by before he catcalls at you while passing by.
Stahr Power Presents – Tiny Girl, Big Show!
During this visit, we only got a chance to catch the tail end of Leah Orleans’ Stahr Power Presents – Tiny Girl, Big Show! Orleans is a big pile of fun and talent packed into a “tiny girl.” We’ve had opportunities to see the Tiny Girl, Big Show! several times in the past and were bummed we only caught some of the final bits of Orleans’ routine.
“Pushing the limits of capability, independence and charm, this original one-woman extravaganza is a rollercoaster ride of smarts, skill and sparkle,” biographical data states on her webpage.
Orleans is a lot of entertainment packed into one tiny person. She was born in Chicago into a family of entertainers so making audiences laugh is in Leah’s blood. Trained in acrobatics and contortion by coaches from Ringling Brothers, Cirque du Soleil, and Broadway, she blends classical technique with modern humor.
Orleans’ closing routine includes shooting a bow and arrow with her feet while doing a handstand.
The Jousters
The Jousters is your quintessential Renaissance fair event. Performers assemble at the Roselawn Tournament Field for a number of different jousting events throughout the day.
Our recent trip, we caught only a snippet of a portion of the 5:30 p.m. “Joust to the Death” show. On past visits to the fair, we’ve seen a couple of the shows from beginning to end, and they’re impressive.
One of the important things to note is the “PG-13” rating given to the Joust to the Death show. When we watched this one with our little adventurer a couple years back, we were not aware of the PG-13 rating. Not wanting to give any spoilers, so spoiler alert, when they get to the death part of the Joust to the Death, it’s impressive and a bit gory.
You don’t want to miss that final show of the day, it’s jousting on steroids.
Other areas of interest in the village
There are a multitude of other areas that are worth mentioning at the NYRF. There’s a Viking village, area for paddle boat rentals, the Enchanted Forest, Mystics’ Way, a maze, and plenty of other attractions to see.
From the entertainment schedule, the following stages and areas have events on the regular:
- Chess board
- Creekside Playhouse
- Fortune Stage
- Maypole Meadow
- Pageant Wagon Stage
- Queen’s Grove
- Sherwood Forest Stage
- Storybook Stage
- Teatro Del Sol Stage
- Tudor Rose Stage
- Wildlife Revealed
- Roselawn Tournament Field
The Gaming Glen, games, and rides
There are different games that visitors can play while enjoying their time at the fair. Most of the games are in the Gaming Glen, however the maze is not, the archery is on the outer perimeter of the glen, and there might be a few other games scattered throughout the village.
The games are cash only. So you’re going to want to pack a pile of 21st Century cash to be able to participate in the numerous games of skill. Most of the games cost around $5.00 per chance.
Games listed on the site include:
The Amazing Maze, Axe Throw, Cannon Balls, Chinese Crossbows, Coconut Shy, Defeat the Fleet, Dragonslayer, Gone Fishin’, Knife Throw, Lady Abigail’s Dungeon Museum, Leapin’ Lizards, Load the Pirate’s Cannons, Pluck-a-Duck, Ring Toss, Rotten Revenge, Royal Darts, Shatter-a-Platter, Star Throw, Sword Master’s Challenge, Test for the Chest, Test of Strength, and Test of Strength Jr, and The Tournament of Archery.
We always get sucked into playing a fair amount of the available games and plan on paying a small fortune in the process. Besides, with cool options like axe throwing, knife throwing, star throwing, and archery, how can you not?
Rides are distributed throughout the village. If you’re looking for a thrilling steel roller coaster, this is not your place.
Rides listed on the site include:
Barrel of Bedlam, The Last Ride, Royal Round-a-Bout, Sea Dragon Swing, Out to Sea with Ships, The Pirate’s Fleet, and The Whirly Burly.
Food
Getting something to eat at the NYRF is not a problem. There are food vendors everywhere. Like the games, food is cash only. The Greenfield Common, where a good number of food vendors are located, as well as seating areas, has ATMs for use. Shocking, there’s a fee to use them.
When it comes to meals and treats at the fair, you could just wing it and try to grab what you see and like. Honestly, if you’re planning on going to the fair in advance, take a look at the food and drinks section of their page. As mentioned earlier, there are over 22 food establishments and over 12 beverage locations. Having a path forward and knowing what’s served where will save you time when trying to decide where to dine.
We’ve always had a good experience with food for entrees, as well as treats along our journey.
Bring lots of cash
It’s been mentioned a couple of times through this review that many spots are cash only. Yes, there are ATM machines. However, those machines have nice sized service fees. It’s best to show up with some cheddar in your pockets, especially since priority parking is $20.00 (and worth it).
Overall experience
One of the most liberating and great things about these types of fairs and this one in particular, is it gives people an opportunity to be whoever or whatever they want. If you’re the judgmental type that can’t handle people who are different from you, this might not be the type of place to visit. If you have an open mind and an open heart, navigating the fair will come with ease, and hardly a thing will shock you.
Conduct policy
Squarely smashed into the code of conduct of the fair is a no vulgarity policy. While we might be walking about and seeing all kinds of glorious and bountiful sights, what might be pleasing and attractive is simply another person’s expression. Same goes for sights that we might not find favorable. The fair will eject visitors from the property who engage in vulgar language.
Will you have enough time?
The fair is supposedly able to be done in five hours, but it seems impossible to catch every show that’s on the schedule. If you go with a plan and map things out in advance, you’ll save some time. I could easily see spending two days at the fair, as visiting for only one has left my traveling guild wanting more every time.
Final deets
The New York Renaissance Faire is a top notch operation. When it comes to family entertainment, this is a safe and fun option that’ll keep the whole family entertained.
The fair runs for seven weekends from mid August to early September. For an up-to-date schedule, be sure to visit their website for more information. The 2024 season only just kicked off on August 17th, the date of our visit, and runs until October 6th. Plan your visit today!
The New York Renaissance Faire is located at: 600 NY-17A, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987
