Minnesota Renaissance Festival
Encyclopedia
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair
, an interactive outdoor event which focuses on recreating the look and feel of a fictional 16th Century "England-like" fantasy kingdom. It operates during weekends from mid-August until the final week in September on a site near the Minnesota River
in Shakopee
, a suburb of the Twin Cities.
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival began in September 1971 on a 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) field in Jonathan, Minnesota
. More than 25,000 people visited the two weekend grand opening of the festival then named “A Celebration of Nature, Art, and Life!” It was later moved to its current site in Shakopee where it continues as one of the oldest and largest Renaissance fairs in the United States. It has played host to the early careers of such national acts as the magicians Penn & Teller
and The Flying Karamazov Brothers
juggling troupe, and it currently hosts acts such as Zilch the Torysteller, Twig the Fairy
, Puke and Snot, Johnny Phoenix, The Tortuga Twins, The Danger Committee and Vilification Tennis. On 19 August 1975, Penn & Teller did their first show together at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
The festival features over 700 entertainers, 275 crafters, and 120 food booths.
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is one of several such events in the United States
owned and operated by Mid-America Festivals.
This picture shows The Court Revelers, one of the many musical acts at the Festival, performing here with Queen Margaret, of sainted memory.
Renaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
, an interactive outdoor event which focuses on recreating the look and feel of a fictional 16th Century "England-like" fantasy kingdom. It operates during weekends from mid-August until the final week in September on a site near the Minnesota River
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
in Shakopee
Shakopee, Minnesota
Shakopee is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Scott County. Located on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the thirteenth largest...
, a suburb of the Twin Cities.
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival began in September 1971 on a 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) field in Jonathan, Minnesota
Jonathan, Minnesota
Jonathan, Minnesota is a homeowners' association that is a remnant of a planned community development within the city of Chaska, Minnesota in Carver County. It was named for Jonathan Carver, for whom Carver County also is named. In 2008, it is the largest homeowners' association in the State of...
. More than 25,000 people visited the two weekend grand opening of the festival then named “A Celebration of Nature, Art, and Life!” It was later moved to its current site in Shakopee where it continues as one of the oldest and largest Renaissance fairs in the United States. It has played host to the early careers of such national acts as the magicians Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and comedy. Penn Jillette is a raconteur; Teller generally uses mime while performing, although his voice can occasionally be heard during their performance...
and The Flying Karamazov Brothers
The Flying Karamazov Brothers
The Flying Karamazov Brothers are a juggling and comedy troupe who have been performing since 1973. They learned their trade while performing as street artists in Santa Cruz, California...
juggling troupe, and it currently hosts acts such as Zilch the Torysteller, Twig the Fairy
Twig the Fairy
Twig Oaklyn Flewinia Thistlebottom, better known as Twig the Fairy, is a fairy character at Renaissance fairs around the United States. A "charmer of children", Twig entertains passers-by with jigs and airs played on a double-piped aulos. She occasionally offers a glass stone glittering with...
, Puke and Snot, Johnny Phoenix, The Tortuga Twins, The Danger Committee and Vilification Tennis. On 19 August 1975, Penn & Teller did their first show together at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
The festival features over 700 entertainers, 275 crafters, and 120 food booths.
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is one of several such events in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
owned and operated by Mid-America Festivals.
See also
- Renaissance fairRenaissance FairA Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
- List of Renaissance fairs
- Reenactment
- JoustingJoustingJousting is a martial game or hastilude between two knights mounted on horses and using lances, often as part of a tournament.Jousting emerged in the High Middle Ages based on the military use of the lance by heavy cavalry. The first camels tournament was staged in 1066, but jousting itself did not...
- Society for Creative AnachronismSociety for Creative AnachronismThe Society for Creative Anachronism is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century...
- List of open air and living history museums in the United States
External links
This picture shows The Court Revelers, one of the many musical acts at the Festival, performing here with Queen Margaret, of sainted memory.