Went the second weekend because the first sold out FAST! The costumes were incredible, the vendors were amazing, and the shows were a lot of fun! Get there early because even though there is free parking, it fills up very quickly. We got there an hour after opening and had to park a few blocks away. Also, be prepared to be covered in dust and dirt by the end of the day. Overall, I would highly recommend! read more

Oregon Renaissance Faire - Festivals Near Me - Canby, Oregon

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This is my first time to this fair. I tell you; it was an experience. There were many many vendors selling all kinds of middle evil era things that you don't need but want. There was also a decent selection of food choices; of course, everything was super expensive, but that's expected in such an event. For example, the Turkey leg was $22, and a water bottle was $4.00. I did not like the Turkey leg at all, but it was an experience. They also provided water bottle filling stations, so you didn't have to spend $4.00. The grounds are vast, and the parking lots are far. we had to walk about half a mile to get in, and we did not part at the farthest parking lot. They also had all kinds of event from singing and dancing to jousting. That's the event we wanted to watch, but by the time the event came around again, we were beat, as it was super hot, and we were ready for our air conditioned cars... read more

Oregon Renaissance Faire - Melanie T - Festivals Near Me - Canby, Oregon

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I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Renaissance Faires. I guess you could call it a...Renaissance Affaire? There's a lot going on here, yet somehow, you might find yourself wandering around, looking for things to do. There are three(?) smaller stages where various entertainment acts jockey for your attention (and tips) throughout the day: everything from troubadours to acrobats, jugglers and sword-swallowers, puppet shows, dancers, and even a rat-and-cat circus, which can be cute when the animals (particularly the cats) are in the mood to perform. And then of course, there's the jousting; the "main event", if you will, which draws the largest crowds, a couple times per day. Seating is limited, so you may need to plan ahead if you want to find a spot to watch. Other than these events, though, most of your time will be spent wandering through the grounds, shopping (window or otherwise) at the various tents and booths, where vendors purvey their myriad and various wares. Everything from medieval weapons and clothing, cosplay and costumery, hats, accessories, charms, jewelry, "potions", "wands", gaming accessories, knick-knacks, and other assorted oddities that wouldn't be out of place in a troll's cave or a witches' hut. Seeing the limitless creativity of these craftspeople, though, is truly something to behold! I wish I had a modicum of their talent! There are a few other medieval-adjacent activities to spend your time (and money) upon, including an archery range, axe throwing, medieval "fencing" lessons, and the like, including a little "arena" where, for $5, you can let your kids wield practice weapons and beat the snot out of other little tykes. All in good fun, of course! Food and drink options are somewhat limited, and outside the "food court" and the Cat & Fiddle Public House, nearly non-existent. There was one vendor selling root beer, sarsaparilla, cream soda and the like within the marketplace, but everything is found in the field out front, beyond the jousting arena, where you will be greeted with frighteningly long lines (particularly for the turkey legs) and similarly terrifying fair/faire prices, for such traditional medieval vittles such as...ahem...gyros and chocolate-drizzled donuts. Hey, at least they have meat pies as well! Oh, and I don't want to forget the roaming pickle cart, selling "vegan sausages", for $3/each (yikes)! Alcohol is served at the aforementioned Cat & Fiddle Public House, including a small but succulent selection of meads, in addition to beers and IPAs. Despite being fenced off, you *are* allowed to take your beverage out and walk around the grounds with it, although this doesn't appear to be common knowledge. This is also a great place from which to observe the jousting event, although it is usually crammed to capacity, and then some, during the event. Get in early. Despite some oddly-dressed (and occasionally underdressed) folk, and some bawdy humor here and there, this is an excellent, family-friendly event, made even more accessible due to admission for 12-and-unders being free! You will rarely find any event capable of capturing the imagination of a child for an entire day, at this scale, that is also free for the little ones. On that point alone, ORF scores major parent points! Lastly, Renaissance Faires tend to draw...let's say, and eclectic crowd of rogues, vagabonds and ne'er-do-wells, for whom your patience may run a bit thin, and sooner than you'd expect. Most of them are harmless, even enjoyable, in small doses. And then there are *those* ones. You'll know 'em when you see 'em (or smell 'em, if you're truly unfortunate). My wife and I enjoyed our time, although I think one day, once a year, is more than enough for us. Anything more would be to wear out its welcome. By the end of the day, we're just as happy to return to the 21st century, yet we'll be looking forward to revisiting the past again next year! We'll be back, possibly in themed attire! read more

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The hubby and I have been to a few ren faires, this wasn't the worst, but no maps, so you couldn't find food or drinks, the map available online was useless. There were barely any food options, maybe ten, the lines were ridiculous, only two places to purchase beer, wine or mead, also hard to find. The shows were pretty subpar, the only one we really enjoyed was a new one THE CRAIC SHOW, heavy metal mixed with irish traditional music. The prices for food, drinks was ridiculous 20$ for a smoked turkey leg. The prices for the clothing and other items were also ridiculous. We will not be going back. Also supposed to be limited entrance to avoid overcrowding, it was so packed it was hard to move through the crowd read more

Oregon Renaissance Faire - Entrance line, went on for maybe 1/4 of a mile, would have left then but have to prepay for tickets, no option for buying at the gate - Festivals Near Me - Canby, Oregon

really fun experience overall!! My issue was with staff, I had a bad run in with two security guards trying to speak to me in suggestive ways at the end of the night, it made me very uncomfortable. I watched them notice me and notice my friends about 15 feet from me, then choose to approach me and try to flirt. My partner had to intervene with them and they proceeded to suggest things towards us both about me. read more

I had a great time at this faire and happily recommend it. I though it was worth the admission fee. The vibe is very casual, and costumes have a huge range from historical to total fantasy (and even a few time-travelers). Food lines were long and it was spendy (lunch for two was about $35), but you'll find all the faire favorites like turkey legs, scotch eggs (if they aren't sold out yet), root beer, mini-donuts, and even a vendor walking around selling giant pickles from a cart. I tried several meat pies and was not a fan of them due to weird textures; I will go for the gyros or crepes next visit. For seating, there are a lot of picnic tables set up under a tent, or there is a large grassy area near the food vendors that looked perfect for spreading a blanket on if it weren't soggy from the rain. There is an ale/mead area too but I did not partake this time; no alcohol is allowed outside of this fenced-off area so it's a "sit and drink" thing not a "wander around with your mead" thing. There was a lot to do and watch here - visitors can learn how to sword-fight, throw axes (yes real axes!), and see a bunch of interesting demos about armor and weaponry. There are shows regularly on the stages, including a raptor show, comedy, juggling, and rats and cats jumping through hoops. My favorite was Supernova the Strongwoman. She was both incredible to watch and very funny, with great audience interaction. My favorite part of any ren faire is the joust; everyone involved in that event was just amazing! (Tip, find seats EARLY - 30 minutes beforehand was standing-room-only and people aren't super considerate about not blocking others' view). It didn't last very long, but that may have been because of the rain, and horse safety is important. Finally, the vendors! I'd love to see more, since walking through didn't take very long and I enjoy shopping. There were plenty of costuming options, jewelry, pottery, weaponry (steel for adults and fun wooden toy options for kids), fortune-tellers, trinkets, leather, and some incredible hats. The only down-side for me was that there was zero signage outside the event pointing to parking, and zero signage from the parking lot of even which direction the front gate was in. The website map was only of the faire itself, not of the surrounding area, so getting there caused some frustration. "Park in the grass" is only helpful if drivers know where the grass is. The one sign I saw was located on a one-way street, leaving the faire, which was not at all helpful. It was nice not to have to pay for parking on top of the gate fee, just... tell us which direction to go please. read more

The early bird gets the worm but not the joust. A fun way to step back in time, although of all the Renaissance faires in Oregon (there are currently three), this is the most casual. I realize that may be an odd phrase to describe a Ren Faire, but Canterbury and Shrewsbury do a better job of pushing the historical reenactment part of the experience and seem to pump up the volume of the overall event. We definitely had a good time and I'll pass along the advice I'm giving to my family and friends attending for the first time next week to maximize their enjoyment: ** The joust portion of Her Royal Majesty's Tournament & Joust is only performed at the later show. At the 11:30a show you will see the warm-up activities: snag a ring, lance a target, and slice a cabbage. There are a few minor skirmishes with swords that "will be settled at 3:00p." ** The comedy shows on Wulver's Glade Stage are worth your time. We caught all of Broon's antics (stand-up comedy mixed with fire eating, a bullwhip, and juggling) and the end of MooNiE the Magnificent. The two performers alternate shows throughout the day then have a bawdier show together at the end of the day at 5:00p. ** The Sound and Fury shows are really dirty if that's your thing. Points for calling themselves the 'Fakespearean Players'. ** Food and drink were festival fun: turkey legs, corn-on-the-cob on a stick, meat pies, crepes, sarsaparilla, etc. Evan a renaissance themed Ben & Jerry's booth. Several adults-only areas are set aside for drinking mead, beer, and wooing the lasses. My food highlight was the Pickled Wench cart serving "vegan sausages!" (aka pickles). ** Vendors ran the gamut from clothing, jewelry, and other accessories to services (hair braiding, henna application, face painting, and faire photos). At least a third of the vendors are familiar from our annual trips to the Canterbury Faire held every July. ** Activities run the gamut and the faire definitely had the bases covered with a good amount planned for younger visitors (puppet show, fairies, a rat hunt, etc.). There is a giant rocking horse and unicorn to ride as you enter the faire. For those little ones that want a quest, there is a dragon adventure for prizes. Love seeing all the girls dressed up with their fairy wings and flowers in their hair. Adorable! For older visitors they have areas where you can practice fencing, archery, or pay money for you or a friend to be locked up in Hangman's Acre. All in all a fun day at the faire. I still have a preference for Canterbury with the amped up joust and slightly better entertainment and Shrewsbury which is the largest and has more staged reenactments between different groups. Of the three, this is the closest to Portland, no charge for parking, and a broad selection of things to see and do. Huzzah! read more

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Loved loved this Renaissance fair very family friendly, and just a great time overall with great food and you can't beat the price!

Fabulous for families. The day I spent with my preschooler at the ORF was one of the best days I've ever had. I was talked into going by a friend and was shocked to find that there was so much entertainment available. There were 3 (or was it 4?) stages with one show after another. All family appropriate, and one stage targeted at children. I've never seen my 4 year old laugh as much as he did at the puppet show. He was thrilled by the "Dragon Hunt", and excitedly guided me all over the Fest looking each dragon for at least an hour and a half. He was excited to meet the queen, and real live knights. The highlight of the day was the afternoon jousting show. It's Medieval Times quality at a fraction of the price. The festival was so well organized that my 4.5 year old's attention span was held from 10:30 am to 5:00. I didn't know it was possible for him to be actively entertained for that long. Oh yeah, I had a blast too. I'm already looking forward to next year. read more

Would give 0 stars if possible. Baffled by how poorly planned/executed and could not express how disappointed I am for waiting 2.5 hours in line because it had reached capacity. What's the point of buying tickets ahead of time if you still end up waiting in the same line as those purchasing day of? And once inside you get to wait 20-30 In line for anything else (food, shops, bathrooms). Will actively ensure folks I know don't waste their time, gas and money like I did. read more

Small faire but growing every year! Great selection of artisans and entertainment. We'll be back next year.

Great family Fun! Wonderful place to people watch or go in character. The shows were entertaining and good food! read more

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Ok, to be honest, I might be a little biased, since I AM a part of this event. No, not an owner, not even working for the event, but as a participant with my own booth. Having said that, this is a fun faire. I don't get to see much of it, since I rarely leave my booth, but hey, they've got Moonie and Broon, two of the greatest entertainers ever. I haven't seen the joust, but I do hear the roar of the crowd, so I know it's entertaining. The crowd is having fun, it's easy to see that. Bring the kids, they can meet the Queen, play with faeries, practice archery, or even take a ride on a giant rocking unicorn. read more

This is probably the worst faire I've ever been to. There's faire prices and then there's these- just obnoxious. The tents are sad, there's just not enough to keep me satisfied for the price of the ticket. read more