Maryland Renaissance Festival
Encyclopedia
The Maryland Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair
located in Crownsville
, Maryland
. Set in a fictional 16th century English village named Revel Grove, the festival is spread over 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) and is the second largest renaissance festival in the United States
. The festival usually runs from the third week of August to the third week of October every year and includes a celebration of the autumn harvest
.
As of 2008, American Renaissance festivals were much larger in scale than their European counterparts. Consuming History specifically mentions the Maryland Renaissance Festival for its high attendance, along with the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
, which draws 250,000 visitors over three weeks, and the Bristol Renaissance Faire
, which reached a peak in 1990 with 400,000 visitors in seven weekends.
village is 25 acre (0.1011715 km²) of woods and fields. There are more than 130 craft
shops and 42 food outlets. Each season, more than half a million beverages are served at the Festival's eight soft drink
stands, five beer
stands, and five tavern
s.
Carolyn Spedden, the entertainment director for the Festival, leads a troupe of performers called "Shakespeare's Skum" in performances of short parodies of Shakespeare plays, such as "Macbeth in 20 Minutes or Less", "Richard III: Just Misunderstood", "Henry the Vee", "Shakespearean Jeopardy", "Tag Team Romeo & Juliet", "Othello: Having a Bad Day", "Leave it to Hamlet", "The Shrew Variations", and "Oh That Lear".
Renaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
located in Crownsville
Crownsville, Maryland
Crownsville is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,670 at the 2000 census. It hosts the Anne Arundel County Fair each September, as well as the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival for several summer weekends. A state psychiatric hospital...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Set in a fictional 16th century English village named Revel Grove, the festival is spread over 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) and is the second largest renaissance festival in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The festival usually runs from the third week of August to the third week of October every year and includes a celebration of the autumn harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
.
As of 2008, American Renaissance festivals were much larger in scale than their European counterparts. Consuming History specifically mentions the Maryland Renaissance Festival for its high attendance, along with the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is a Renaissance fair occurring over 12 weekends from early-August through late-October on the grounds of the Mount Hope Estate and Winery in Manheim, Pennsylvania...
, which draws 250,000 visitors over three weeks, and the Bristol Renaissance Faire
Bristol Renaissance Faire
Bristol Renaissance Faire is a Renaissance fair held in the village of Bristol, Wisconsin, near Kenosha, Wisconsin, that recreates the visit of Queen Elizabeth I to the port city of Bristol in the year 1574. The Faire plays in a permanent park with most buildings permanent year-round structures,...
, which reached a peak in 1990 with 400,000 visitors in seven weekends.
Revel Grove
The English TudorTudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
village is 25 acre (0.1011715 km²) of woods and fields. There are more than 130 craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
shops and 42 food outlets. Each season, more than half a million beverages are served at the Festival's eight soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
stands, five beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
stands, and five tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
s.
Entertainment
There are generally 600 people employed by the fair every year and over 1,300 participants working in the various concessions and shows.Carolyn Spedden, the entertainment director for the Festival, leads a troupe of performers called "Shakespeare's Skum" in performances of short parodies of Shakespeare plays, such as "Macbeth in 20 Minutes or Less", "Richard III: Just Misunderstood", "Henry the Vee", "Shakespearean Jeopardy", "Tag Team Romeo & Juliet", "Othello: Having a Bad Day", "Leave it to Hamlet", "The Shrew Variations", and "Oh That Lear".