The Louisiana Renaissance Festival is back for 2021 and as fun and educational as ever! Every autumn, the Louisiana Renaissance Festival creates the English “Village of Albright,” with more than 600 artisans, entertainers, and educational demonstrations welcoming you to the best parts of the 16th century.
Albright has a magical ambiance: the atmosphere is adventurous, exciting, and romantic. Choose from dozens of professional performers, more than 50 shows, and a plethora of demonstrations every day on a dozen stages. Search a hundred booths for unique handmade creations.
My family visited last weekend, here are some tips we think you should know before you go:
Louisiana Renaissance Festival – Know Before You Go
- Remember to get cash before you go. Many vendors can take a card, but it’s hit and miss. There are ATMs, but there are fees to them. Plus, cash can be helpful for budgeting as well!
- Be ready to wait in line. The lines for food ranged from a handful of patrons to dozens deep, and nearly all the interactive activities had decent lines at all times. If you have impatient littles, this is something you’ll want to plan for.
- The mead hits hard. Mead is a historic honey wine that can be purchased at the adult tavern near the glass blowing demo. But fair warning: it’s like a Medieval Hand Grenade and WILL sneak up on you…not that I would know…
- If you like a vendor, take their card! Even if you don’t end up buying something from them, you can still support them with a social media like, follow, and share!
- There is a handful of rides, but they’re all period-accurate. No Ferris wheels or roller coasters here, but the rides that ARE there are lots of fun! There’s a sea monster boat that rocks forward and back, pony rides, and whatever this wind-up Maypole contraption is called:
- Check the website for the daily schedule. Like music festivals, there are several shows going on at different stages all day, and you’ll want to plan your day a bit to avoid missing anything you’re interested in (our favorites were jousting and the glass blowing!).
Credit: Louisiana Renaissance Festival
- Wear comfortable shoes. And while you’re at it, wear shoes that can be washed/wiped down. You’ll spend the vast majority of your day walking around a dusty dirt path that turns to a muddy dirt path if it rains.
- Check the website for each weekend’s theme. For example, our weekend was Heroes and Pirates Weekend; the costumes were amazing! Other themes include Celtic Weekend, Time Travelers Weekend, and Romance Weekend.
- Dress up! Or don’t. There’s no pressure to dress in period-accurate costume, and conversely, no outfit is unwelcome. We saw faeries, queens, knights, anime characters, pirates, jesters, comic book characters…but there were plenty of festival-goers not in costume.
If you’re a seasoned RenFest attendant, what would you add? Who are some of your favorite performers, and who are you missing this year? This was our first time, and we can’t want to go back!
The Louisiana Renaissance Festival is open weekends in Hammond now through December 11th. Visit their website at https://www.larf.net for themes, schedules, and more, or to purchase tickets.
Christy is a Northshore native who, in 2018, was dragged kicking and screaming to Denham Springs. After a short period of adjustment, she’s learned to love her new home and enjoys exploring all the Baton Rouge area has to offer.
A working mother of two, she balances her free time between hanging out with her family, writing, and baking for her home business, The Little Things Cakes.
