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October Issue 2005
Carolina Renaissance Festival Begins 12th Year in Charlotte, NC
The Carolina Renaissance Festival in Charlotte, NC, is a medieval amusement park, a nine stage theater, a twenty acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast all rolled into one, non-stop day long adventure. The 12th annual Carolina Renaissance Festival is open every Saturday and Sunday, from Oct. 1 & 2 through Nov. 12 & 13, 2005, from 10am-5:30pm, rain or shine.
The festival stages are not the only venues of non-stop entertainment. This is one of the most interactive entertainment shows ever created with amusements and antics ongoing all around you. You can sit back and watch, or you can become a part of the action, surrounded by over 300 costumed characters roaming the festival grounds. The lanes of the 16 century village are full of peasants singing sea-faring songs and street entertainers surprising you with tall tales and tricks, each with a role to play.
The Festival is an opportunity to transcend time and shop in a medieval-style marketplace full of crafts and handmade goods that you typically would not find at the mall. Skilled crafters demonstrate the art of weaving and glass blowing. The crafts market offers an opportunity to put together a personal gift by creating a perfume just for you or your friend, or picking up some unique jewelry. The festival is also perfect place to shop for a new Halloween costume or to pick up a funky hat, a garland, a sword or prop to complement your current costume.
A day at the Festival is not complete without sampling the fancy fare. The smell of fresh baked pastries and cinnamon almonds waft through the air. Tickle your taste buds with fresh chocolates or gnaw on a spicy sheet of jerky. Be prepared to have a hearty meal including one of the festival favorites, steak on a stake, a giant roasted turkey leg or some fish and chips. Then wash it all down with a swig of ale or mead.
This event boasts a consistent tradition of improving and adding attractions each year. Over the past decade the festival has introduced new market shops each year and long running shows like the comedy antics of swordsmen Don Juan and his servant Miguel, the wacky tales of The Tortuga Twins - three unrelated guys, and attractions such as the World's Largest Rocking Horse, tomato tossing at Vegetable Justice and the Pirate's Assault Catapult, a human sling shot ride.
New shows, The Knotty Knickers, with audience participation tales told by two wacky washer maids, and the Master Hypnotist Franko join festival favorites. The jousting tournaments, held 3 times daily, complete with charging horses, clanging weapons and a great deal of braggadocio, are a featured attraction.
The Festival site is located just north of Charlotte between Concord and Huntersville on Hwy. 73 at Poplar Tent Road (between I-77 and I-85). Exit 25 on I-77 or exits 52 or 55 on I-85. Parking is free courtesy of Harris Teeter. Advance Discount Tickets are $16 for adults, $5 for kids ages 5-12, available at Harris Teeter Stores region wide. Children under 5 are always free. Tickets purchased at the gate are $1 more. Senior discount tickets (60 and over) are $15 at the gate. Also available online at (www.renfestinfo.com).
For more info call 704/896-5544 or toll free at 1-877/896-5544 or at (www.renfestinfo.com).
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