Maryland Renaissance Festival: 10 Things You Must Do

ByChristine Updated on

Considering going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival but not sure what to expect? We can guarantee a visit to the Maryland Ren Fest will be a ton of fun. We’ve been numerous times and it’s always a memorable time.

We’ve created a list of 10 things you must do to get a well-rounded awesome Ren Fest experience! If I had to pick my top two, it’d be eating the festival food and watching the joust!

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1. Dress Up

For starters, get into the spirit of the day by dressing up. You’d be surprised what you might already have at home that could double as a basic medieval dress or tunic.

If you’re just starting out, you can easily accessorize that or even regular clothes with a small purchase at the Maryland Renaissance Festival shops or a homemade flower crown or some braids and ribbon.

Alternatively, you can rent a costume for a day. They have several different options. I think the prices for costume rental at the Maryland Renaissance Faire are actually very reasonable. They are located just inside the entrance and are first come first serve.

If you find you’re really enjoying the festival you should definitely upgrade your costume with something from the shops or online at some point because it only adds to the fun when you feel like you’re really immersed in the time period!

I bought my costume here at the Maryland Renaissance Fair and have since been able to wear it at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, and even as a Halloween costume.

2. Enjoy the Victuals

I’m told that’s food and drink in medieval terms. Get yourself a turkey leg, a scotch egg, and cheesecake on a stick. Those are pretty iconic. If that’s not your thing there are plenty of other options of foods on a stick and fried desserts.

Drink a pint of ale or some mead to wash it down. Your step to level up this experience is to buy a wood or pewter ale tankard or wine goblet to drink out of which is way more fun than those plastic cups.

If you want something even more unique, buy yourself one of the giant pickles and then head over to the honey shop. They’ll pour a taste of the flavored honeys right on top for you to sample. I was skeptical when my friend showed me this for the first time, but it’s surprisingly good!

3. Cheer For Your Favorite Knight

You must make it to a joust. Of all the entertainment, this is the biggest and most iconic. You’ll see knights on horseback riding toward each other each attempting to land a blow with their lance.

It’s loud and exciting and lots of fun, and the Maryland Renaissance Fair does this performance really well. Each section of the audience is given a knight to cheer for in the tournament so make sure to cheer your knight on!

4. Clap Along To Your Favorite Bawdy Singers!

Now I’m not saying all the singers are bawdy, but you can expect several to be! Wander through the medieval village of Revel Grove until you hear some music that gets your feet tapping or hands clapping and sit and enjoy it for a bit.

You’ll find all kinds of variety, big boisterous drum and rock performances, Celtic musicians, comedic songs, big band brass, bag pipes and other traditional instruments, and much more.

5. Catch a Show On The Prettiest Stage

A man and woman stand in front of a medieval stage at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. She is dressed in period costume while he wears modern clothing.

There are numerous stages at this Renaissance Fair in Maryland. Catch as many shows as you can, but catch at least one at the Globe Theatre, and the Royal Fox Theatre after that. The Lyric Stage is also really neat, with a façade like an organ.

You can watch short plays, acrobatic shows and other stunts, storytelling, magic, juggling, comedy, birds of prey, weaponry, archery, sword swallowing, and so much more, all designed to entertain, amuse, and thrill you.

6. Explore the Shops

There are of course all sorts of neat shops, but your task is to find some of the iconic things to browse. Find an armory to check out swords and other weaponry. Check out period clothing and accessories. Look for metal, leather, glass, stone, or wood artisan goods.

7. Watch the King, Queen, & Royal Court

Catch the Royal Court at the Welcome Ceremony if you arrive first thing or at the Royal closing ceremony if you stay until the end.

In between you can see them a few other times but keep an eye out for any processions through the village as they really know how to dress the part and it is fun to watch.

8. Take a Picture on the Bridge

Share a kiss or take a picture on the “kissing bridge.” I’m not sure if it’s called that but it’s a picturesque little bridge. It’s between the Fortune Stage and Jousting Field I believe.

9. Climb the Castle Walls

There’s a cool climbing wall in the shape of a castle wall. Kevin climbed the tower route and thought it was quite challenging. It’s also harder without rock climbing shoes. See how high you can get!

10. Throw an Axe

Pick a game to try. Axe throwing seems very on theme. Give it a go. Fingers crossed you get a bullseye!

Things to Know

Location

Located just outside Annapolis, Maryland at 1821 Crownsville Road, Annapolis MD, 21401.

Dates

The Maryland Renaissance Festival takes place during the months of August, September, and October on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 7 pm. 2025 dates are August 23 to October 19. 2026 dates are still TBD.

Tickets

Tickets can be bought online in advance. They are not sold at the gate. Kids 6 and under are free. In 2025, ticket prices are $26 for adults and $14 for children (7-15) from August 23 to September 7. From September 13 to October 19 these prices go up to $32 for adults and $18 for children (7-15).

On the special themed Children’s Weekend, one kid 7-15 years old is free with each adult ticket. You can also buy annual multi-day passes (4 day, 7 day, and 19 day) but we’ve seen these sell out so buy them early if you want them!

Parking

There is parking onsite in a free lot.

You May Need Cash

Beverages and games are paid with cash. Not all vendors may take credit cards. Bringing some cash is a good idea. There are ATMs but who wants to stand in more lines?

How Long Will You Need?

Set aside at least several hours if not the entire day to get the most out of the event. Truthfully you’d need to come more than once to see it all but you can get a feel for all of it in that amount of time.

Visiting With Kids

There are plenty of kids at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. It is a family friendly event.

However, some of the shows are market PG or PG13 on the schedule for your awareness so you can choose which shows you think are appropriate for your kids.

There is a knighting ceremony by the King that you should try to catch with kids.

Five of the bathroom locations have baby changing/nursing stations. Check the map you’re given upon entry if you need to find these.

Where To Stay

Annapolis, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. are all nearby making this an easy day trip. Lodging in any of those regions would work well.

Save this post so you can make sure you check off all your Maryland Renaissance Festival to do list items! Have a great time, huzzah!

Christine is the co-founder of Never Stop Adventuring, and an avid traveler who started traveling the world as a child growing up in a military family. She even lived in Germany for numerous years. Since then she has been to 48 U.S. states, 17 countries, and traveled the U.S. in an RV for over 7 years.

With her 3 kids, the adventures continued family travel style. She has planned and coordinated travel with kids for the last 10 years and shares family travel tips and tricks, destinations, costs and even the mistakes so you can be empowered to take your own family trips with confidence!