Renaissance Festivals are outdoor gatherings that imitate a historic time for the joy and amusement of the people attending. There are many of these fairs and festivals held all over the United States, and most have grown to be a very popular attraction for families and people of all ages. Set in 325 acres of woodlands, The Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, North Carolina is one of the largest and most unique Renaissance fairs nationwide. I Spoke with Matt Siegel, Marketing Director for festival held October 4-November 23 this year, to find out what makes this particular Renaissance Festival so unique.
RAL: Tell me a little bit about the festival.
MS: The Festival opened in 1994 as a six-acre Renaissance themed village and has grown, over its 21 years, into a 22-acre fairytale land. It is nestled in autumn woodlands so you really feel like you have entered a storybook. You will find a wide array of attractions such as 11 stages of live entertainment featuring professional circus stunts, cultural dances, live music, juggling, magic tricks, comedy shows, storytelling theater, and more. As you walk through the village, the festival becomes an interactive theater as you are greeted by over 500 costumed characters, some fictional and some actual people from renaissance history. The Village Marketplace has over 100 vendors featuring artist demonstrations of crafts such as pottery, hand-blown glass, jewelry making, and blacksmithing; with the opportunity to purchase completed items. Visitors should come hungry because the feasting is an attraction in itself. The food here is spectacular and it’s not like your usual fried affair. We have slow cooked, high quality, culinary menu items such as premium meat served on sticks, stews, sweet and savory crepes, scotched eggs, and fish and chips. The list just goes on and on, but it’s all fantastic! We also have a variety of games and rides throughout the Village that are powered by pushing peasants, rather than electricity! The whole Festival is really hard to put into words. It is a must see!
“Supporting the Festival and the vendors within is supporting the livelihoods of a great community of actors, artists and crafters making a living in an age of Walmart, television, smartphones, and online shopping.”
RAL: It sounds like this event would be fun for everyone, but what is the demographic you typically attract?
MS: We attract a little over 180,000 attendees over our eight-weekend event and those attendees are typically families, but we also appeal to young adults and seniors. The event honestly appeals to all ages as the attractions we offer cater to everyone.
RAL: Take me through a day at the festival, what can I expect as an attendee?
MS: It’s really up to you as to the type of journey or adventure you want to take. Upon entering the village gates, you receive an event program that details the entertainments of the day. If you want to take the children along a “family-friendly path” for a more Disney-type experience, you can spend time visiting fairies, seeing a magic show, and watching the numerous live music and cultural dance performances. If you come without children, you can have a wonderful adult experience where you’re grabbing a couple beers and watching a comedy shows or shop the village market. The program and performers inform you of shows that rated LC, which stands for loose cannon, for jokes featuring adult innuendo that goes over the heads of children (don’t worry, there is no profanity). So it really depends on the adventure you want to go on; we really offer something for all age groups!
RAL: This event sounds really exciting! I imagine a lot of people travel to the area for the festival. What can they find for local lodging?
MS: Yes, many do. Exit surveys suggest that approximately 30% of our attendees travel over 100 miles to attend the Festival with many staying overnight in area hotels. The Festival is located equal distance between the town of Concord and the Lake Norman area (Lake Norman is comprised of 3 towns – Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson). Both areas have many hotel accommodations to choose from and are less than 10 miles away from the Festival. Comfort Suites of Huntersville is our host hotel partner and they offer great discounts each year that include admission to the Festival so we suggest checking them out.
RAL: What does this event mean to the community?
MS: From an economic standpoint, the impact of this Festival is pretty significant for our community. Hotels see an increase in occupancy and many local restaurants and gas stations report an increase in business. Many businesses offer specials and discounts to those who stop in with their costumes on or with their ticket stubs in hand.
RAL: Does your festival support any special causes in the community?
MS: Yes, multiple causes. We work with several nonprofits and charitable organizations such as United Way of the Carolinas, the American Cancer Society, and many more. Each year we donate $10,000 in admission tickets to various organizations for use in various fundraising programs. We also waive $40,000 in child admission costs when families donate to certain causes. For example, we host a two-day school supply drive where we encourage families to donate school supplies at the Festival and receive free child admission. The supplies are then donated to Classroom Central in Charlotte which distributes them to needy schools throughout the Carolinas. We also do a similar program for canned food items with Second Harvest Food Bank of the Carolinas. This occurs the weekend before Thanksgiving with food items going to needy families and the shelters for the holidays. These are just some examples, we work with a lot of organizations.
RAL: That’s great, definitely a reason to support your festival. Why else should people attend your event?
MS: Well, the Carolina Renaissance Festival is first, one of the largest and most unique attractions in the Carolinas, and second, it is a daylong experience of high quality entertainment that you can’t experience at one venue anywhere else in the Carolinas. You are going to be exposed to an incredible amount of history, culture, and art – both performance art and creative arts. Supporting the Festival and the vendors within is supporting the livelihoods of a great community of actors, artists and crafters making a living in an age of Walmart, television, smartphones, and online shopping. You get to help keep their craftsmanship alive, which is really great. I also think that coming to our festival is like escapism. When you enter the festival, you feel as though you have traveled into a simpler time where you don’t have to worry about the news, politics, or your daily cares and worries. It’s really cool. The value is tremendous; you can spend the entire day at the Festival and still not see it all!
To find out more about the Carolina Renaissance Festival, visit the event website.