Tennessee’s Annual Renaissance Festival (RenFest), which takes place in Arrington, Tennessee every weekend in May and Memorial Day, boasts loyal fans, some of whom have been attending since it began on the grounds of Castle Gwynn in 1980. These loyal fans turned out for the 2025 event despite the frequent chilly downpours on opening day, May 3.
Braving the chill and the mud were fairies and Vikings, knights and fair maidens, all enjoying the trip back to the 1500s. Queen Elizabeth I of England and her court had lunch in the Hammerbeam Inn instead of the Royal Garden, and the many entertainers made weather-related changes to their routines to keep everyone safe, but the show went on and the guests were greeted by a hearty “Huzzah” wherever they went.
Every year the event has a theme. The theme for 2025 centers around the 1591 competition between aspiring playwrights William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe as they vie for the title of Queen’s First Playwright, which includes a wealthy patronage. A number of scripted dialogues from the queen and her court center around these two real historical authors. Spotlighting a bit of real history is part of the fun of RenFest.
The festival offers a full day of entertainment. There are old favorites and some new acts. Favorites like musical group Empty Hats, comedy sword fighters Buckle and Swash, and Robin Hood and Maid Marion’s comical storytelling with audience participation are once again on hand. They are joined by Harry Roullier, the hurdy gurdy player, Vince Conway on his Hammered Dulcimer, and Rafferty the Piper.
Listening to the pipes, the dulcimer and the hurdy gurdy is like taking a giant step back in time. The hurdy gurdy is a thousand-year-old stringed instrument rarely seen in the United States. It could be described as a cross between a lute and an organ. A large version was originally played by two people in Gothic 11th-century churches before the invention of the organ. Roullier plays a smaller portable version.
Coming back to the festival is the Human Chess Match, which takes place on the Tournament Field Stage, as does new act Adamo Ignis, a fire eater and dancer, who will perform the first two weekends, and the Lost Woods Dancers, a music and dance troupe, that will perform the last two weekends of the festival.
Of course, the Jousting Freelancers are back on the tilting field with their breathtaking battles as armored knights compete daring-dos on horseback for riches and honor within Elizabeth’s court. Also returning is the Mermaid Cove with an opportunity to meet and greet magical mermaids in their enchanted grotto.
A blight killed a number of trees during the past year, so the forest around the events is not as dense; however, that has provided the opportunity to add new vendors. One fun addition is Viking Portraits, which offers the opportunity to have a professional headshot dressed like a barbarian of old, or another type of themed portrait.
Food choices have been expanded this year, and there are more booths available to purchase food spread around the grounds. Not to worry, there are still plenty of turkey legs and Scotch eggs, but this year there is also a booth selling ramen and another selling Mexican food. These new additions are tasty and filling!
Each weekend has a theme. There are rides and games, including Roll Your Destiny, a quest that takes place throughout the grounds, taking participants on a search for puzzles and a quest to uncover secrets.
Open from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in May, as well as Memorial Day, the Tennessee Renaissance Festival also offers trips to Castle Gwynn, the location of the original festival. There, guests can visit the grounds of the home of photographer Mike Freeman, who created the festival so visitors had the opportunity to visit his unique home, which has long drawn much interest from passersby.
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