The Carolina Renaissance Festival Returns October 1 & 2
8 Weekends of Fall Family Fun
The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 16-stage theater, a 25- acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament, and a feast – all rolled into one nonstop, day-long family adventure. The popular Carolina Renaissance Festival returns for 8 consecutive weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, October 1 through November 20.
Each Festival day is filled with an abundance of attractions. The 25-acre village of Fairhaven has sixteen stages packed with costumed performers offer a unique mix of continuous music, dance, comedy, and circus entertainments. Swimming mermaids, Birds of Prey Falconry demonstrations, and the popular Jousting Tournament with horse mounted armored knights battling three times daily are all examples of the endless entertainment options offered. The shows are always spontaneous, and you will never know what happens next, on stage or off.
The Renaissance Festival is the largest costume party in the Carolinas. Visitors can come as they are or to join in the spirit by visiting the village in costumes of all types. Each weekend has unique themes with many having costume contests with prizes and discount admission opportunities. Returning popular weekends like Halloween Daze & Spooky Knights, Pirate’s Christmas, and Time Travelers’ Weekend embrace visitors in non-renaissance costumes such as those dressed as superheroes (and villains) and characters inspired by Harry Potter, Games of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and more. Visitors can wear their own costumes or acquire them at the village costume rental shop located just outside the Festival gates. Also available for rent are wagons, strollers, wheelchairs. And new for 2022; motorized scooters.
Also new this year:
- New Entertainments: Four new musical artists, an end of Festival day drum jam, Songs and Stories by the Fairy Godmother, and Franklin Fertilizer’s Dung Show (aptly performed next to the Village Petting Farm).
- New delicious food items: Joining the Fairhaven village kitchens located throughout the grounds are Transylvania Chimney Cakes and Chateau Hibbele with charcuterie on a stick, drunken mushrooms, brisket macaroni and cheese, and from the new world, barbacoa tacos.
2 of 2 - New Ticketing: Festival tickets are now sold with date specific selections, available only online at www.carolina.renfestinfo.com, while supplies last.
- New Hours: The Festival now opens at 9:30 AM and closes at dusk. Arrive early!
The Artisan Marketplace with over 140 merchants is filled with returning favorites that include an extensive array of vendors offering jewelry, clothing of renaissance and medieval fashion, handmade art and décor, pottery and blown and torched glass demonstrations, and activities for children that include people powered amusement rides and countryside faire games such as the castle climbing wall, archery and tomato tossing at a fool.
The Carolina Renaissance Festival is the fall destination for quality entertainment in the Carolinas. So, bust out your sense of good cheer, leave your cares behind, and spend a day at the wildly popular and entertaining time machine known as the Carolina Renaissance Festival and Artisan Market Place!
Tickets will be available online only at Carolina.RenFestInfo.com.
General Information
What: The 29th annual Carolina Renaissance Festival!
Where: North of Charlotte between Concord and Huntersville. The Festival is located on Highway 73 at Poplar Tent Road (between I-77 and I-85). Carolina.RenFestInfo.com/driving-directions.
When: Eight consecutive weekends (Saturday and Sunday) from October 1 through November 20, 9:30 AM until 5:30 PM, rain or shine.
Event Sponsors: The Carolina Renaissance Festival is presented by Pepsi.
Additional sponsors include Harris Teeter, Atrium Health, Sunbelt Rentals, Valpak, Jersey Mike’s, Chick-Fil-A, Autobell Carwash, AAA of the Carolinas, Visit Lake Norman, Hampton Inn & Suites, Language Line Solutions, Charlotte Playsets, and Apex Technology.
Tickets & More Information: $32 for adults, $20 for kids ages 5-12; available only online at Carolina.RenFestInfo.com, or call (704) 896-5555. Children 4 and under always free. Parking is free courtesy of Harris Teeter.