If you don’t know what King Richard’s Faire is, then all you need to do is check out their website to get the skinny.
King Richard’s Faire is a vivid recreation of a 16th century English marketplace at festival time. Actors, dancers, puppeteers, jugglers, minstrels, mimes, magicians and musicians perform each weekend for the favor of his Royal Highness King Richard.
There’s a location in Massachusetts (the one I went to) and one in Minnesota. Both are only open for a handful of weekends in the late summer.
Dig in for more pictures (click for larger versions) and a breakdown of the day.
Some Events
First, I have to recommend that if you’re going to plan a visit that you get there at open and plan to be there all day. We ended up getting there a bit later and found that there wasn’t enough time to do and see everything.
We arrived and started looking around to get a feel for the place. My girlfriend hadn’t been there before and I hadn’t been for more than 10 years, so I didn’t remember much more than vague memories. After some wandering we ended up at the Tournament Field where there was a nice falconry presentation going on.
Later on, we saw the Mud Show (appropriately held at the Mud Pit), which was an amusing comedy act that involved, well, mud. There was also a set of gypsy dancers that were really fun and kept the crowd entertained through audience participation and a high-tempo dancing.
I’d say out of the shows we saw our favorite was Paulo Garbanzo. I’ve seen a great many performers over my years but Paulo puts on a spectacular show and is really on the top of the list. If you ever get a chance to see Paulo perform, you won’t regret it.
The end of the day brings the joust. For most people, this is the event that they wait for. There were 4 armored knights that enter into a “fight to the death”. Prior to the fighting there’s a small display of skill – where the knights ride by their squires and lance rings they’re holding. A bit later they catch rings thrown in the air on the lances. The action is probably about 3/4 speed, but the performers are very skilled. Their jousting, fighting and horseback riding skills are all as professional as it gets and they put on a great show.
(check out the sparks on the bottom-center picture!)
Participation
While there’s a bunch to see with all the events going on all day, there’s also plenty to do. There’s target practice with bows & arrows, throwing knives and throwing axes. There’s plenty of things for the kids to do too – swings, a joust game and events that try to keep the kids involved through the many “help from the crowd” tricks that performers do.
There’s also plenty of people, places and things to get your picture taken with.
Many people show up in costume. While there’s a huge blend of which period people are actually aiming for, it’s all in good spirit and adds a lot to the experience. There’s even costume rentals if you don’t have your own.
Hawk Your Wares
Beyond all the things to see at King Richard’s Faire, there’s a bunch of stuff to buy. You can get wooden swords and shields for the little ones and high-quality hand made weaponry for us bigger kids.
In addition to tools of destruction and maiming, there’s tons of jewelry, medieval wares and period clothing for sale.
Like any amusement park, however, expect to pay a pretty penny for most things at the faire.
The Experience
If you’re within driving distance to the faire and enjoy the ren faire experience, you should certainly check out King Richard’s Faire at least once. We had a great time and may go back for another trip before the season ends if our schedules permit.
