Let the Merriment Begin!

Owen does an armor inspection on a good-humored knight at last year's Ren Fest

There are some family events that I look forward to simply because I know my kids will really enjoy them. Then there are those I anticipate with the fervor of a tweener getting ready for a Justin Beiber concert, because I’m so excited to experience them myself.

Ren Fest is one of those events. It didn’t take knight and pirate obsessed kids to first get me there, either. Levi and I partook in the merriment even before Owen and Sasha came into our lives. Besides the amazing variety of entertainment — jousting matches, cheeky comedy shows, fire eaters and sword swallowers, juggling acts, Celtic music, and much more — walking among knights, maidens, pirates, and villagers in puffy shirts in a 16th-century village as you chomp on turkey legs and down cups of mead is an interesting little jaunt back in time that any age can enjoy (well, maybe not the mead).

So, as we count down the days until the start of the 2011 Maryland Renaissance Festival begins, I’m getting rather psyched — for both my kids and myself. Beginning this Saturday, August 27, and running weekends through October 23, the quaint hamlet in the woods of Crownsville, MD, will be buzzing with Elizabethan-era amusement as Ren Fest returns. I love the faire so much I wrote a pretty thorough post about it last year, so you can read more about what to expect there.

One-day tickets are $19/adults, $16/seniors, $9/kids ages 7-15, free for children 6 and under. You can also purchase a two-day pass for $28 that does not have to be used on consecutive days. If you plan to go by September 11, be sure to print out this coupon to bring with you for a discount on tickets. And note that admission for all kids is free the first weekend.

If you want to plan your visit around special activities or guests performers, be sure to check out the entertainment schedule. But no matter when you go, a fun, festive time is practically guaranteed.

Huzzah!