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The Window Seat

Every Renaissance Faire in the US

Renaissance faires run somewhere in the US in every season, from the Texas festival that pulls half a million people to the two-day one in a field you’d defend to the death. We track 208 of them across 50 states: this is where they are, when each one runs next, and how to reach the nearest city by bus or train.

Chiku jousting on horseback
208
faires listed
50
states with a faire
4
seasons — faires run year-round
Dates verified — last updated August 10, 2026

Find a faire near you

Search a city or ZIP, use your location, or browse by season and state.

208 faires · soonest first

  • Get to New York →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Lancaster →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Cleveland →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Kenosha →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to South Lake Tahoe →Official site ↗Dates from a directory — not yet confirmed
  • Get to Seattle →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Pittsburgh →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Flint →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Minneapolis →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Pueblo →Dates from a directory — not yet confirmed
  • Get to Bozeman →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Kingston →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to New London →Official site ↗Dates from a directory — not yet confirmed
  • Get to Baltimore →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Little Rock →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Columbus →Official site ↗Dates from a directory — not yet confirmed
  • Get to Omaha →Official site ↗Dates from a directory — not yet confirmed
  • Get to Elko →Official site ↗Dates verified on the faire's site
  • Get to Erie →Official site ↗Dates from a directory — not yet confirmed
  • Get to Idaho Falls →Official site ↗Dates not posted yet

See the full list ↓

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Getting there

Renaissance faires aren’t usually in the middle of town. Most sit on fairgrounds or open land a little past the edge of the city, which is good for the jousting and less good for parking. The dependable way in: a bus or train to the nearest city, which we link on every faire, then the last few miles on the faire’s own shuttle or park-and-ride if it runs one (Minnesota and Texas both do), or a short rideshare if it doesn’t. We list the nearest city on every faire; you’ll have to sort out the last mile yourself.

Coming up next

The next faires to open the gates, wherever they are.

The big ones

The long-running, well-known ones, most on permanent grounds they’ve built up over decades. If it’s your first faire, start here — each note is what’s worth knowing before you go, including how to actually get there. Not a ranking.

Know before you go

A few things the regulars already know:

  • Bring more water than you think you need. Most faires are an open field in late summer, and the shade is a rumor.

  • Carry cash; plenty of the food and drink stalls don't take cards.

  • Buy tickets ahead for the big ones, which sell out, sometimes weeks out.

  • Theme weekends (pirate, Celtic) are the most fun and the most crowded.

Come hungry. The turkey leg is a cliche because it’s correct.

The full list

Every faire we track, by state.

Alabama2
Alaska2
Arizona4
Arkansas1
California22
Colorado3
Connecticut4
Delaware2
Florida12
Georgia1
Hawaii1
Idaho4
Illinois4
Indiana7
Iowa3
Kansas3
Kentucky2
Louisiana1
Maine1
Maryland2
Massachusetts4
Michigan8
Minnesota1
Mississippi1
Missouri3
Montana4
Nebraska3
Nevada4
New Hampshire3
New Jersey7
New Mexico7
New York4
North Carolina4
North Dakota1
Ohio8
Oklahoma2
Oregon6
Pennsylvania10
Rhode Island1
South Carolina2
South Dakota1
Tennessee5
Texas10
Utah3
Vermont3
Virginia4
Washington5
West Virginia1
Wisconsin8
Wyoming4

Questions people actually ask

When does renaissance faire season start?

There isn't one season. The spring circuit runs March through May, summer faires fill June to August, and the biggest wave opens in the fall: New York, Minnesota, and Maryland all start in the back half of August and run into October. Florida and Arizona keep a few going through winter. Labor Day weekend is the one stretch when most of the big fall faires are open at once.

What is the biggest renaissance festival in the US?

By attendance, the Texas Renaissance Festival, at around half a million people over its fall run. Minnesota's is the other giant and claims the title too; "largest" is more a rivalry than a settled fact.

What is the oldest renaissance faire in the US?

The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire near Los Angeles, going since 1963. It more or less invented the American ren faire, and everything else on this list came after it.

How many renaissance faires are there in the US?

We list 208 across 50 states, running in every season. That counts events rather than organisations — a faire with separate spring and fall editions, or a Yuletide run on the same grounds, is listed once per edition — and it takes the wide definition, so medieval fairs, fantasy festivals and even a Victorian Christmas fair sit alongside the renaissance faires proper. Any on hiatus say so on their entry. Small faires start and fold every year, so the list moves, and we re-verify it each season.

Are renaissance faires and renaissance festivals the same thing?

"Faire", "fair" and "festival" all mean the same event, and which one a given faire uses is just what its founders picked — Texas and Minnesota are festivals, New York and Bristol are faires. This page lists all of them together, however each one spells it.

Can you get to a renaissance faire without a car?

As far as the nearby city, usually yes. Most faires sit near a town with bus or train service, and we link the closest one on every listing. The last few miles are the catch: plenty of faires are out on their own grounds past the edge of town, so you finish on the faire's park-and-ride shuttle or a short rideshare.

Do you have to dress up for a renaissance faire?

No. Half the crowd's in jeans; the other half has been in full armor since the gates opened. It's all larping, and this is the one place where that's not an insult.

How much do renaissance faire tickets cost?

Free at a surprising number of the smaller ones (Alabama's Renaissance Faire, the Medieval Fair of Norman in Oklahoma), and up to about $50 for an adult day pass at the big festivals. Bring cash on top of that: a lot of the food stalls are cash-only.

Made it to a faire? Tag @wanderu!

Last updated August 10, 2026 · 208 faires listed

Dates marked TBD haven’t been posted by the faire yet — we show the typical window and never guess. We re-verify the whole list each season.

Something off, or a faire we don’t have? Let us know