Riotous Ren Faire Recap #Photo Filled Feature

Our fair faire is 25 and celebrating in fine fashion!   Bristol Renaissance Faire is one of our highly anticipated, annual, family favs.   In fact, we hope to get back there yet again next weekend.   We just can't stay away!



We hit all the new shows we'd never seen before (& a few old favs--like MooNie--we couldn't stay away from while we ate our traditional mile high chocolate crepes!)   There are so many fun, frequently changing acts throughout the run of the faire, that it's always a new fest, even if you're a frequent guest!   

This time around it was a joy to catch:

Sirena (July 7 thru Aug 19 ONLY) (NEW)

Travel back to the time of mythical gods, shipwrecked lovers, and the ethereal women whom all sailors both fear and adore--the Sirens. Straight from the depths of the sea, Aglaope, Legeia, and Raidne bring you a show filled with drumming, dancing, and all-original music. Their songs will hypnotize you and their stories will touch your hearts, but hold on to your souls, or you might find you've lost them to the hands of the Sirens!

Visit Sirena's Facebook Page

Gypsy Geoff – Fire Circus Show (July 7/8 & 14/15, Aug 18 thru Sept 3 ONLY)
A showman who is devoted to expanding upon the wonderment of children, Gypsy Geoff: Juggler,
physical comedian, and variety entertainer that is both mesmerizing and enchanting. Come witness
and be part of the master of mayhem and manipulation the flurry of fire that is Gypsy Geoff – Fire Circus Show!  Visit Gypsy Geoff's Website

Aerial Silk Fantasy (July 7 thru Aug 19 ONLY)

Lauryn Murray graces the floor and nimbly climbs the precarious heights of silk, appearing as though gravity were merely a suggestion, not reality.  Lauryn's beauty, grace and skill will awe the young and old alike as she floats effortlessly 30 feet above Shakespeare's Meadow near the RenQuest encampment.

Here's Sagezilla telling aerialist, Lauryn, that she'll have her job in 10 years!!   LOL.   Seriously, Sage WAS chatting her up, telling her that she takes silks, Spanish web, trapeze, lira, Chinese Pole, etc.....   all at the ripe olde age of 9.   Kid's got wings and she's ready to fly!

Tartanic (July 7/8 & 14/15 & 21/22 ONLY)

The roar of bagpipes and the thunder of the drums can only mean one thing. Tartanic returns to thrill audiences with a show that truly defines “Shock and Awe!” Taking tunes out of the session and into the sensational with their own brand of humor and theatrics. This is not just music... this is an interactive spectacle brought to you by... MEN WITHOUT PANTS! Visit Tartanic's Website

Street Painting through Chalk Art (July 7/8, 28/29, Aug 11/12, Sept 1-3)

Join Master Chalk Artist, Stacey Williams-NG, as she brings art to life with a mere pallet of pastels.

MooNie the Magnif'Cent (all season)
Enchanting audiences for over 20 years without saying so much as a word, MooNie is the undisputed master of Bristol’s Globe stage. MooNie presents a show that combines classic clowning, slack rope work and enough comedy to leave you gasping for breath. Enter the mind of MooNie. Visit MooNie's Website



.....and so much more!!

Of course, we couldn't keep our pirate maiden, Sage, from storming the castle walls and back flipping on the Bungee Catapult here.   She mastered the highest castle wall climb this year!   Ren Faire is truly a gymnast kids' mecca.

The costumed crowds are also at least half the fun.   So dress up...dress down....break out your best Renaissancie duds and join the game.    I'm always amused at the hodgepodge of traditionalists, gamers, steampunks, fantasy ware wearers, and anti-costumers all cavorting and having a jolly olde English time together.

Be sure to snag discount coupons at Walgreens before you go.   Also, check out  Bristol Ren Faire's main site right here, for advanced tickets, specials and must see events.   Then head out of town and back in time for some merry olde adventures at Bristol Renaissance Faire.    The fair runs through Labor Day Monday, then there's a special 25th anniversary bash September 14th & 15th this year.    Huzzah!!   

Kids Free This Weekend at Ren Faire & New Acts Announced

*Click here for a printable coupon for adult discount tickets.   Kids 12 and under are free this weekend and kids under 5 are free all season.

Join us as we kick off the 25th Celebration!
Save $4.95 off each Adult Admission and All kids 12 & younger are free!  (July 7 & 8, 2012 only. Coupon must be presented at Box Office.) 

Bigger, bolder and more boisterous than ever, this summer’s 25th annual Bristol Renaissance Faire promises patrons an unparalleled celebration, filled with all the first-rate revelry Faire-goers have come to expect over the past two-and-a-half decades and a queen’s ransom of special surprises. More than 200,000 visitors are expected to attend Bristol’s special anniversary celebration, which begins July 7 and runs for nine weekends through Labor Day, Sept. 3. 

“We’re going to party like it’s 1599,” said Linda McFeters, producer of the Bristol Renaissance Faire, promising streets brimming with a commedia del arte kaleidoscope of frolicking fools and masquerading merrymakers who will sweep patrons into a world far removed from the stresses of the 21st Century. 

  

Sagezilla rocks the Steampunk Invasion weekend at Ren Faire 2011



Complementing a perennially popular array of jousting knights, swashbuckling swordsmen, mud beggars, rope-walkers, period dancers and musicians, the season will be one of the most extensive line-ups of special entertainment the Faire has ever assembled, including limited-engagement appearances by many of the most sought-after performing groups on the national Renaissance fair circuit. Travelling to Bristol for the first time this summer will be the explosively-entertaining steampunk bagpipe group, Klaxton, and juggling juggernaut London Broil. Also announced, the all-female Seelie Players will lure audiences with their debut of “Sirena: From Down Below We Sing,” an original musical tribute to the Sirens of Greek legend, featuring tribal drums and staffs, lithe dancing and all-new music.

Among favorite guest headliners returning to Bristol on select weekends to help celebrate the Faire’s 25th anniversary are Doktor Kaboom, with his side-splittingly funny scientific diversions, Celtic rock phenomenon Tartanic, and the Clan Tynker family circus, an enchanting cacophony of music, juggling, magic, sword-swallowing, fire-eating and dangerous stunts. Also returning this summer is a performer who literally turned heads during her 2011 debut, aerialist Lauren Murray, who suspends herself from the treetops above the Faire in a graceful and gravity-defying silk act.

For 25 years, the Bristol Renaissance Faire has been captivating visitors with an incomparable spectrum of experiences, from unabashed revelry to first rate people-watching.  For those who want to check their inhibitions at the gate, there’s ample opportunity to whoop and holler at jousting knights, get down and dirty with raucous, earth-clad mud beggars, or hurl a ripe tomato at a blustering braggart.  Those inclined toward more serene pursuits will find a comparable bounty of enjoyments, from watching glass-blowers create one-of-a-kind works of art, to joining in a round of 16th Century court dancing, or listening to the dulcet tones of world-class minstrels.

Among the most popular attractions at the Faire for the past four seasons, Bristol’s live action fantasy-play game, RenQuest, will return this summer with an entirely new storyline. RenQuest brings the worldwide phenomenon of multiplayer online role-playing games, like World of Warcraft, into the live action dimension of the Renaissance faire,  creating an interactive theatrical experience that offers gamers an unprecedented opportunity to test their mental and physical skills beyond the realm of their computer screens.

For the Faire’s youngest patrons (a.k.a. “nipperkins”), Kids Quests provide two daily opportunities to embark on their own, age-appropriate adventures. Kids Quests set out from the vicinity of Bristol’s Kids Kingdom, an enclosed play area filled with oversized sand boxes, a huge climb-aboard pirate ship, and an entertaining cast of Renaissance fairytale characters presiding over interactive games, crafts and other child-friendly activities. 

Festivities at the Faire take their framework from the summer day in 1574 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth visited the English hamlet of Bristol. Queen Elizabeth and other historically based characters are juxtaposed with fictional scenarios, such as the popular street-fighting escapades of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Faire streets are lined with game and ride areas, food vendors offering a palate-pleasing array of epicurean delights, and merchants selling everything from sterling silver jewelry to rare-edition books and hand-caned brooms. Strolling minstrels, jesters and other era characters mingle with faire-goers, many of whom come dressed in their own period costumes. 

Located on 30 wooded acres, just west of I-94’s Russell Road exit, near Kenosha, Wis., the Bristol 

Renaissance Faire will be open rain or shine, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday, July 7 through Sep. 2, and on Labor Day Monday, Sep. 3. Tickets are $19.95 for adults and $9.50 for children. Advance ticket discounts are available at renfair.com or (847) 395-7773.

Time Travel to Another Century-Ren Faire Opens This Weekend!

photo credit-Bristol Renaissance Faire

What's a quarter of a century old and centuries ago?   Time travel back like Dr. Who and steam punks do....to party like it's 1599.

It's 1 day...19 hours...20 minutes till the gates open for Ren Faire 2012!

Bristol Renaissance Faire has been an annual fav of ours for nearly 20 years.   We can't wait to do it again this weekend when Ren Faire opens for their 25th summer!   ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows will be there Sunday and we'll have a photo and video filled recap for you.    Check out a few links to some of our favorite past coverage here:

Steampunk Day 2011 at Ren Faire

Huzzah-2011 Photo Filled Adventures

Play Locally-Bristol Ren Faire Opens 2011


Lost:   Ren Faire 2010

Faire Weather Friends-2009

Now That's a Hat

Ren Fair Photo Filled Feature 2008 

Ren Fair Redux 2008

FAIRE FACTS

◆ WHO: More than 1,200 period artisans and performers including jousting knights, juggling jesters, willful wenches and a newly arrived cast of street-performing fools presiding over revelry of epic proportions.

◆ WHAT: A rollicking romp through Elizabethan England, complete with 16th century games, rides, arts, crafts, food, music and dance, recreating the summer day in 1574 when Queen Elizabeth visited the English hamlet of Bristol. This summer, Bristol commemorates its 25th anniversary with the biggest, boldest and most boisterous celebration to date.

◆ RENQUEST: Bristol’s live action fantasy-play game, which debuted in July 2008, returns with an all-new story line. Bristol’s RenQuest brings the worldwide popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, like World of Warcraft, into the live action dimension of the Renaissance fair, and offers gamers the chance to test their role-playing prowess beyond the realm of their computer screens.

◆ ENTERTAINMENT: Sixteen stages of nonstop entertainment featuring Faire favorites such as Dirk and Guido (“The Swordsmen”) *they've been friends of ours since my husband, Dug did the location sound for their DVD years ago, the Sturdy Beggars Mud Show and MooNiE the Magnif’Cent — Juggler, Ropewalker and Foolish Mortal. Also, many of the United States’ top touring Renaissance Faire performers will drop in to help celebrate this summer’s special anniversary. These performers include the Celtic fusion band Tartanic, steampunk bagpipe group Klaxton, the Clan Tynker family circus and sidesplitting Renaissance scientist Doktor Kaboom!

◆ MARKETPLACE: Nearly 200 artisans and crafters showcasing wares ranging from jewelry and leatherworks to tapestries and hand-crafted longbows. Demonstrations by potters, glassblowers, broom caners, forgers and other working artisans.

◆ FOOD AND DRYNKE: Roasted turkey legs, skewered shrimp, barbecued ribs, garlic sauteed mushrooms, steak sandwiches, grilled chicken, ice cream, fruit crepes and other delicacies. Thirst-quenching ales, fine wines, iced tea and fresh-squeezed lemonade.

When: Saturdays and Sundays, plus Labor Day Monday, July 7 through Sep. 3, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., rain or shine

Where: Kenosha, Wis., west of I-94 near Illinois/Wisconsin border (Russell Road exit)

Tickets $19.95 for adults and $9.50 for children (ages 5-12) at the gate.  (discount coupons at Walgreens)

*Kids under 5 are FREE!

RenQuest Info: participation costs an additional $10 per day.  

Discounts available online at renfair.com or by phone, (847) 395-7773.

Check out Bristol Renaissance Faire's Main Site here for more info

photo credit-Bristol Renaissance Faire