Mom, can I get a sword? Please! Please mom, pleaaaaase??
Plain wooden swords whack your best friend as heartily as fancy swords.
Look at that, we haven’t gotten through the intro and I’ve already given you my first tip on how to survive ENJOY the STL Renaissance Festival with kids.
This year’s festival is happening every weekend from Sept. 14 to Oct. 14, 2019 in Wentzville’s Rotary Park.
It’s not easy adventuring through the Medieval woods of far off Saint Charlesland with two ten-year-old boys in tow. Especially when the very first thing you see are…
Wooden. Swords.
The sword merchant had a collection large enough to arm every child at the fest, plus several of grown-ups. He had wooden daggers, full-sized katana and a few Thor worthy hammers.
I convinced Mitch the plain sword was better because he could paint it later and wrap it in duct tape. The boys settled on $12 swords, which were about in the middle of the price range.
Holsters were extra, so I made the young squires carry their blades in hand the rest of the day. They didn’t mind and defeated every tree and imaginary pirate in the woods.
Note: I know you put a sword in a scabbard, not a holster, but these were simple one-sized fits all leather blade holders on a string. I’m sticking with holster on this one.
Bring plenty of Cash, for the webs of Cyberspace doth not Reach into the Woods.
Ah hem, I was really getting into character there.
You’ll want to bring plenty of cash to the St. Louis Renaissance Festival–some of the vendors are equipped with chip readers, but the cell signal at Rotary Park was pretty weak on our visit. I tried to buy the kid’s swords with my debit card, but the signal couldn’t get through and I had to use cash.
MOST of the food and drink vendors DO NOT take plastic. The coin of the realm is most certainly CASH, and you’ll save yourself a lot of waiting if you plan accordingly.
They only have THREE (portable) ATM machines at the festival. Lines grew insanely long around noon as people find out they need cold hard cash to buy lunch.
Food is a Princely Sum at the Renaissance Festival
Food and drink cost what you expect at a festival–expensive, but not as crazy as stadium prices. Soda was around $3 a bottle, beer and wine $5-6 a glass, and funnel cakes were a steal at $4.50.
The food we had was really good and made to order!
No Coolers Shall Pass
You can’t bring a cooler–or any food and drink–inside the festival gates. If you’re feeling frugal you can get your hand stamped and walk back to your car for a tailgate picnic.
Games and Extras
Your ticket price includes entrance to the festival and all the shows. But like any carnival, expect to shell out for games. The games are pretty cool–the kids did some knife throwing and a (free) scavenger hunt. Next time I’m planning on some archery!
The year we went there was a petting zoo operated by an animal rescue that only asked for donations. In exchange: you get to hold their more interesting friends!
Mitch wanted to hold Goldie the python–and I had no problem donating to charity for the privilege. They also had some smaller snakes and a kestrel, plus sheep, goats and ponies to pet.
Take a Break, see a Free Show
There are lots of little stages where comedy acts, jugglers and singers perform. These shows are included with your admission, so sit down and enjoy a few! It’s also a great way to take a break without missing any of the fun.
The Mermaids and Unicorn aren’t real–but bring a Camera anyway
Yeah, I know you were hoping right? But they are hilariously fun! We had a great chat with a pirate outside the mermaid pond, and good chuckle at Magic the Unicorn. Bring your camera, because these places are excellent photo ops.
Bring a Bag of Holding
You’re bound to pick up a few trinkets as you wander the faire, and I was sadly ill equipped. I started searching the merchants for a nice souvenir bag and could only find one place. Guess what the vendor also sold? Wooden swords.
Wear Walking Shoes or Hiking Boots
The St. Louis Renaissance Festival is very popular and draws a big crowd. If you don’t arrive early expect a good walk through an open field converted into a parking lot…then more walking around the festival itself.
The Fest tries it’s darnest to look like a Medieval village in an ancient forest, which means a lot of meandering mulch paths. Wear a sturdy pair of shoes, not sandals. And for the love of dragons, no heels.
Dress According to your Era of Choice
Visitors to the faire are welcome to wear costumes if they choose. I have friends who went in “full garb” and had tons of fun. We saw barbarians and fine ladies, a fairy, a few elves and hordes of pirates. If you are the costume sort, remember that prop weapons are ok, but anything metal needs to be peace-tied. And no firearms of any era.
Remember this is not Disney–not everyone in costume works here. But people put a lot of effort into their costumes, so if you happen to see a really cool princess or knight, they’ll probably be happy to take a selfie with your kid. Just ask nice.
A huge number of merchants sold costume pieces, so if you feel like buying a fancy hat, a bodice or a cool pair of elf ears you won’t be disappointed. There’s also lots of affordable fantasy style jewelry if you want a souvenir you can wear in the real world.
There’s also a spot in the German camp where kids could try on pieces of real armor…the guys liked that a lot!
Plan Ahead for Jousting
Jousting is the biggest–and most popular–live show at the festival and something you do NOT want to miss. You need to plan ahead and get to the jousting arena at least 20 minutes before the show. Have part of your crew hold down seats while someone makes a beverage run and you’re set!
Jousting was held three times a day, at 11:30am, 2:00pm and 4:00pm.
The jousting show is more than just guys running at each other on horse back. There’s a full interactive story line for the crowd.
When we went, a herald divided the crowd into two groups, one to cheer on each Knight. Favors (ribbons) were handed out to a few women in the audience to give to the knights on cue.
Each knight showed off their skills with a lance, then took a few runs at each other. Once a knight was unseated from his horse they fought on foot with swords. It was heavily choreographed, but still pretty awesome–and convincing to the kids!
Renaissance Festival Ticket Prices
Adult – $19.95
Senior – $16.95
Child (5 – 12) – $12.95
Under 4 are free
Discount Tickets
Plan ahead and you’ll find there’s lots of ways to save on your Festival tickets.
Plan ahead! Tickets bought online are discounted:
Adults: $16.95
Children (5-12 yrs): $10.95
Free Tickets for Crafty People
The St. Louis Renaissance Festival holds an annual Fairy House Competition! All ages are invited to enter and each contestant will get two free tickets. Fairy Houses need to be all weather–they’re displayed outside–and are not returned. Fairy Houses are accepted the first three weeks of the fair. See details here.
(Need tips on building a fairy house? Check out our milk carton house!)
The last weekend is Fantasy Mask weekend! Submit this form to enter and receive free admission when you wear your HANDMADE mask. You’ll be asked to show off your mask at a competition too!
Check out the promotions page for info on other offers, like BOGO for military and public service people, student discounts, can food drive discounts and free tickets for blood donors.
Friends of the Fest
Les Amis is a VIP package you can get that includes a free t-shirt, snacks, lemonade and access to a private shaded garden.
Parking is Included
Parking is free! It’s in a big field, but it’s free.
