My favorite festival is back in town, the Georgia Renaissance Festival.
The Georgia Renaissance Festival
Know Before You Go:
- Buy your tickets in advance. You can check out their Website, Walgreens, Goldstar, Groupon, and even Mac Kid for money saving discounts.
- Choose which weekend you want to attend. You may just pick one that fits into your schedule but you can also pick one based on the theme. Every weekend is a different fun theme.
- Get There Early. The sooner you arrive, the better parking spot you will get. We arrived 15mins before the gates opened and had up-front parking. Other times, we were so far away, the kids could barely walk back to the car at the end of the day. You also get less of a crowd and cooler temps the earlier you go. And you’ll have more time to enjoy all the festival has to offer. We have been known to go from opening to closing. There is also a pre-show before the gates open.
- Dress Up. Adults and kids alike dress up in their favorite Renaissance/Medieval/Fairy/Royal/Sci-Fi/Pirate/Knight/Gargoyle/Gypsy and just-about-anything costume! If you don’t dress up beforehand, there are costume rental shops, as well as wings, headbands, elf ears, swords, and more accessories for sale. There is also hair-braiding, henna tattoos, and face painting to get you into character.
- Wear Comfortable Clothes & Shoes. I don’t dress up. I wear what’s comfortable. My daughter dresses up, but she wears comfortable costumes. No one wants to be in a thick, heavy costume in 90 degree weather! I prefer closed toe shoes as it’s a lot of dirt and rocks but wear what you’re comfortable walking in for long periods of time.
- Bring Singles. You’ll need singles to tip performers, pay nominal fees for certain rides & activities, as well as pay for food and beverages. There are ATMs available, but you don’t want to incur any extra fees.
- Wear Sunscreen/Sun Hat. They do sell parasols if you’re in need. There is hardly any shade and the Georgia Sun can be brutal.
- Bring car snacks and/or a picnic for before or after the festival, but be realistic about planning to buy food at the festival, too. There are lots of unique foods (like macaroni & cheese on a stick and turkey legs), as well as it’s a whole day excursion, so you will find yourself hungry in the middle of your outing.
- Grab a Daily Program/Map at the entrance, and take a few moments to plan a loose itinerary. There are so many shows, you’ll want to look at the entertainment schedule and decide which shows you want to see in your allotted time. The Map will also help you locate restrooms, ATMs, and Food Courts. You can even get the Program autographed by the show performers as a memorable souvenir.
- Don’t be committed to your itinerary. If the kids get tired or hungry and need a break, take it. If there’s an impromptu interaction with cast members, go with it. If you change your mind about a show, that’s ok.
- Set a Budget. Now this is hard to do, especially for your first time, but trust me, you can easily overspend at the RenFest. If you’re planning on buying the kids souvenirs, give them a set limit so they can make a wise choice. My daughter spent $35 on wings, and still thought she could buy more stuff.. um, no.
- Bring a camera/portable battery for your phone. There will be so many photo and video opps, you’ll want to capture it all.
- Have Fun. The Renaissance Festival only comes around once a year. You can visit more than one time during the festival season, but most of us don’t. If you don’t get to see and do everything, that’s ok. Have fun and enjoy doing the things you can.
Check out these Freebies: 
- Parking.
- Photo Opps. Take a photo with show performers, festival cast members, costumed mascots, or any of the numerous photo props scattered throughout the festival area.
- Autographs. We love collecting autographs from the show performers .
- The Map/Program is a perfect souvenir, even better with autographs.
- Juggling School. Learn to juggle with professionals.
- The Petting Zoo, where you can even see a Unicorn.
- Kid’s Kingdom has a playground with slides & swings and free arts & crafts.
- Shows, Shows, and more Shows.
Upcoming 2016 Themed Weekends
May 7 & 8: Romance Weekend
May 8 – Free Mother’s Day Flower to 1st 100 Mom’s thru the Gate
May 14 & 15: Highland Weekend
May 14th is Deaf Awareness Day
May 21 & 22: Pirate’s Weekend
May 28, 29 & 30: Memorial Weekend
June 4 & 5: Final Weekend
Address: 6905 Virlyn B Smith Rd. Fairburn, GA
Admission at The Gate: Adult $22 / Child Ages 6-12 $10 – Children Under 5 are FREE
Thanks to The Georgia Renaissance Festival for Sponsoring this Giveaway
We’d love to. Win tickets to Renfest.
We went to the Renaissance Festival a few years ago and enjoyed it. We would love to go visit again.
My family and I have always wanted to go to a Renaissance Festival. This will be our first year and we are so excited!!
Would love to go to the GA Renaissance Festival
So thankful to find this site! We’ve always wanted to go to the Renessaince Festival and now I feel like I have a good handle on what to expect.
We are a homeschooling family and your site is packed with useful info for planning educational trips. Thank you!
Love all the tips when visiting the festival! Looks like tons of fun!
Would love to win free tickets!
I took my oldest a few years back and had a blast. We’d love to take the younger two now! Love the atmosphere!
Cool Angie!
Didn’t know about your blog!
We LOVE Ren fest! Would love to win!
Great insight , thanks for the advice!!