Starting in 1974 with only three stages and 15 acres of an old strip-mining site visionary George Coulam built the Texas Renaissance Festival. Where vendors once laid their wares on blankets under the trees, a dream world now exists; a world filled with castles, knights, magicians, jousters, and anything else one can imagine a 16th century village might have to offer.Patrons now stroll down shaded cobblestone pathways and interact with jugglers, minstrels, and fortunetellers while en route to over 330 shops brimming with works of pottery, sculpted metal, woodcarvings, jewelry, and other treasures from throughout the realm. Rose gardens, maypoles, and dragons enhance the atmosphere for festival goers as they stroll through the grassy meadows and enjoy continuous entertainment on our 21 stages, including a Greco-Roman Amphitheatre. The festival continues to grow, from its’ humble beginnings of 33,000 patrons that first year to a current yearly attendance of over 300,000. We can truly claim to be the largest renaissance theme-park in the country.An environmental designer by training, Mr. Coulam founded the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, the success of which encouraged him to start another festival. "I thought Houston was a great market and had the most potential of any place in the country for a festival to succeed," said Coulam.His attention to detail help create a 54 plus acre theme park of enchantment that provides an escape back in time where one can delight in the pleasures of a simpler age. The sights and sounds of the festival are truly reflective of the period which inspired its inception. Hundreds of pines and other native trees have been carefully planted beside shops which stay true to the architectural styles of the Renaissance Period, from their turrets to their deeply pitched roofs.
Entertainers, Shopkeepers, and ticket takers alike don 16th century attire and speak the tongue of lords, ladies, paupers, and wenches.Each year Coulam seeks ways to make the festival more spectacular and to offer patrons more value. In 1992 he developed a performance company, which now trains hundreds of Texas entertainers in the dance and mannerisms of the Renaissance Period. In the 1980's he replaced the unpopular porta-johns with permanent privies (restrooms), and in 1998 he more than doubled the number of privies, thereby providing even more convenience for patrons.Sherwood Forest was also expanded that year, and it now offers more games and rides for children than ever before. This year also saw the creation of the Water Garden, "Fons Florida Aeterna", which features 19 fountains and statues surrounded by hundreds of water flowers. Another popular addition in 1998 was the dinner theater at the "Kings Feastâ€, which showcases the festival’s finest entertainers and a sumptuous six-course meal with bottomless beverages and a take-home chalice.The following season welcomed the English Garden, “Titania’s Bowerâ€, and the nightly Royal Fireworks. In 2000 a magnificent Greco-Roman revival stage, The Odeon, was added, and in the 2001 season the Magic Garden was introduced. To accommodate the growing number of weddings the festival hosts each year, The Roman Basilica was added in 2002. The year 2003 saw the completion of “The Arenaâ€, the festival’s answer to the Roman Coliseum, which hosts the acclaimed jousting troupe the Hanlon-Lees Action Theater. The Joust is held four times a day and is the most attended show in the park.The Texas Renaissance Festival celebrated its Thirtieth Anniversary in 2004 and to commemorate this event the Cloister Stage was built to house the amazing Carillion of Cast in Bronze. That year also saw the addition of the Sherwood Bridge. Exciting changes in 2005 allowed for even more growth. We added a much needed 8th weekend and themes for each of these weekends that celebrated a different culture from the period. We also opened our gates during the week to welcome thousands of children for our first ever School Days. These days were designed to be age appropriate as well as educational and entertaining, and they have been a smashing success.The 2006 season was one of our biggest to date with more than 325,000 people attending. Last year additions were made to the Magic Garden and new seating and dining areas were added. We also saw School Days’ attendance more than double from the previous year to over 30,000 students, teachers and chaperones.For 2007 we are opening our gates for our first ever three day weekend: Friday November 23rd thru Sunday November 25th. Friday, November 23rd falls on the day after the Thanksgiving Holiday and is widely considered to be the busiest shopping day of the year. Why spend your holiday shopping in a crowded mall, when you can shop in another century?
Visit our official webpage!
http://texrenfest.com
And check out our 2007 promotional video below!
Sample some of our musical acts.
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