Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
Encyclopedia
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
. In 1980, the Estate was sold and converted to a winery.
In 2009, the Faire was held on a 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) site with 90 shows performed daily on 12 stages, hundreds of costumed characters, and a recreation of a 16th-century English village with authentic Tudor buildings. Musical performances, Shakespearean plays, and other acts were offered, twenty-three "Royal Kitchens" served food and drink, and Renaissance merchants were on-site. The Swashbuckler Brewing Company was founded on the grounds in 2000, and its product is available at the Swashbuckler Brew Pub.
Little Buffalo Performance Center, and, in 1998, the Faire was named one of the top 100 motorcoach-accessible events in America by the American Bus Association.
As of 2008, American Renaissance festivals were much larger in scale than their European counterparts. Consuming History specifically mentions the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire for its high attendance, along with the Maryland Renaissance Faire
, which draws 225,000 visitors over three weeks, and the Bristol Renaissance Faire
, which reached a peak in 1990 with 400,000 visitors in seven weekends.
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...
occurring over 12 weekends from early-August through late-October on the grounds of the Mount Hope Estate and Winery in Manheim, Pennsylvania
Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Manheim Township is a township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania established in 1729, which southernmost border meets the city limits of Lancaster. The population as of the 2000 census was 33,697.-Government:...
. In 1980, the Estate was sold and converted to a winery.
History
In 1980, a two-day jousting festival called the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire was held in the winery parking lot to attract visitors. The event proved popular, and expanded in the following years.In 2009, the Faire was held on a 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) site with 90 shows performed daily on 12 stages, hundreds of costumed characters, and a recreation of a 16th-century English village with authentic Tudor buildings. Musical performances, Shakespearean plays, and other acts were offered, twenty-three "Royal Kitchens" served food and drink, and Renaissance merchants were on-site. The Swashbuckler Brewing Company was founded on the grounds in 2000, and its product is available at the Swashbuckler Brew Pub.
Praise
The Faire's music and storytelling have been praised by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural ResourcesPennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources , established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 117 state parks and 20 state forests; providing information on the state's natural resources; and...
Little Buffalo Performance Center, and, in 1998, the Faire was named one of the top 100 motorcoach-accessible events in America by the American Bus Association.
Business
As a privately-owned business, the faire is not required to report revenues to the public. In a 1998 interview, the owner, Chuck Romito, revealed that "Gross sales for wine purchases and tickets for shows at the Mount Hope Estates--including Christmas, Halloween, Roaring '20s and other theme performances--hover around $4 million," while the faire's expenses were about $2 million.As of 2008, American Renaissance festivals were much larger in scale than their European counterparts. Consuming History specifically mentions the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire for its high attendance, along with the Maryland Renaissance Faire
Maryland Renaissance Festival
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 and is the second largest renaissance festival in the United States...
, which draws 225,000 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.
See also
- Renaissance fairRenaissance FairA 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...
- List of Renaissance fairs
- Reenactment
- JoustingJoustingJousting is a martial game or hastilude between two knights mounted on horses and using lances, often as part of a tournament.Jousting emerged in the High Middle Ages based on the military use of the lance by heavy cavalry. The first camels tournament was staged in 1066, but jousting itself did not...
- Society for Creative AnachronismSociety for Creative AnachronismThe Society for Creative Anachronism is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century...
- List of open air and living history museums in the United States