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I decided that, just this once, I was rooting for evil to win \u2014 mainly because I liked their energy more. <\/p>\n
The wereboar growled next to Black Pudding, a hulking vicious monster, both focused on ripping Puck and Cordelia to shreds. Oberon, an Archfey god, stood alongside them, concerned. But only one thing would decide the fate of everyone on stage: the D20, a 20-sided die.<\/p>\n
For 45 minutes on Saturday morning, a rambunctious audience of elves, fairies, gnomes, wizards and more was transported to another land, far away from any concern for modern life, as they watched the \u201cDungeons & Shakespeare\u201d live show at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area in Irwindale. <\/p>\n
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Lynx the Sword Swallower prepares the audience for his show.<\/p>\n
Before Saturday, I\u2019d never attended a renaissance fair, a reenactment of the English Renaissance in the form of an immersive festival (i.e. why the Irwindale fair is based in the 16th century village of Port Deptford). Although I was not entirely new to fanciful make-\u2019em-ups. My family had been members of the Society for Creative Anachronism<\/a>, a medieval-era living history organization. We frequently dressed up to visit our local kingdom. Once, a wizard gave me a cape. Another time, I won a plague-themed frog toss. <\/p>\n I\u2019d long forgotten what a blissful escape those weekends had been for a young queer kid living in rural America \u2014 until Saturday, when I looked around the fair and realized it was a diverse crowd in every sense of the word. <\/p>\n At the \u201cDungeons & Shakespeare\u201d show, host Willy Nilly<\/a> encouraged us to lean into the welcoming atmosphere we found among our fellow outcasts.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s stop worrying about whether we seem weird and make our stories amazing,\u201d the actor, who grew up in conservative Midland, Texas, told the crowd.<\/p>\n And with that same energy, my wife and I trodded further into the fair in hot pursuit of merriment and wonder.<\/p>\n I should note: The Irwindale fair is packed full of opportunities to spend a day. It can, at times, feel overwhelming (and dusty). Here\u2019s what we learned that will set you up for success, should you fancy a trip back in time.<\/p>\n Guests make their way out of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire at sunset.<\/p>\n 1. Thou must plan thy morrow<\/p>\n Translation: You must plan your day.<\/b><\/p>\n The best way to have the perfect day? <\/p>\n It depends! <\/p>\n Before your visit, I would recommend loosely plotting out your day using the fair\u2019s map<\/a>. First, you\u2019ll want to discern which performances you\u2019d like to see. Each weekend\u2019s entertainment schedule is released the prior Wednesday, although it can change due to \u201cweather, illness or Her Majesty\u2019s whim,\u201d as the fair website notes.<\/p>\n There are 12 stages and performance areas, each with their own programming. And it\u2019s a real range. <\/p>\n For example, you\u2019ll find MooNie the Magnif\u2019Cent, a fair staple who mixes clowning, stunts and comedy, all without speaking. Supernova the Strongwoman will dazzle the crowd with risky tricks and demolition. And Dora Viellette teaches her audience about an array of music, from medieval to folk favorites, as she plays the hurdy-gurdy (which is very fun to say aloud). <\/p>\n I\u2019d recommend attending the performance you want to see the most early in the day, as the fair seems to get more crowded as the day progresses. <\/p>\n Similarly, if you\u2019d like to focus the day on playing games and experiencing human-powered carnival rides, I\u2019d recommend doing that first. We originally wanted to practice our archery skills, but because we\u2019d waited until after noon, the line was long every time we checked. That said, I did quickly get to throw 10 javelin for $10 later in the day, and I noticed the lines for the \u201cbig swing\u201d \u2014 aptly named \u2014 and the dragon swing were both short. Additionally, it looked like a fairly quick wait to learn from the teachers at St. Jude\u2019s School of Fencing and the Sword Master\u2019s Challenge, where a worker told my wife, \u201cYou look like you\u2019d like to hit someone!\u201d (Trust, it wasn\u2019t me, despite my perpetually high anxiety.) <\/p>\n There are also additional paid activities, like having tea<\/a> with the queen or imbibing via a pub crawl<\/a>. And then there are the jousting competitions (more on those below).<\/p>\n Her majesty the queen is seen with her court.<\/p>\n 2. The Queen doth nay require fanciful garb<\/p>\n Translation: Costumes are not required but very fun.<\/b><\/p>\n About five minutes into the fair, I realized I could entertain myself for probably the entire day by simply people watching. Entertainers and guests\u2019 costumes alike were incredible.<\/p>\n Woodland fairies carrying giant daffodils or wearing hats covered in mushrooms. Knights in real armor. Every version of Merlin the wizard, spanning an expansive gender spectrum. Gnomes in tall red hats. And at least one pickle pope blessing people with herbs. You might say they were kind of a big dill. (Hold your applause.)<\/p>\n There are multiple themed weekends<\/a>, too, including the first weekend when guests were encouraged to strut out in their best pirate garb. <\/p>\n 1 <\/p>\n 2 <\/p>\n 3 <\/p>\n 4 <\/p>\n 1.<\/strong> Stephanie Divinski looks down at her shoulder puppet. 2.<\/strong> Trilainna Stanton, also known as Prince Rain, of San Diego. 3.<\/strong> Partners Reese Pei, left, and Mariner Song are pictured. 4.<\/strong> Meisha Mock, left, and Aimey Beer both wear wolf masks created by Meisha. <\/p>\n 3. Parley with the guildfolk<\/p>\n Translation: Talk to the townspeople.<\/b><\/p>\n Around the fair, you have the opportunity to interact with several guilds and performance tropes. \u201cThe most fun you\u2019ll get at the fair is from talking to people,\u201d my friend Matthew, who has several years of renaissance fair experience, told me. \u201cAs someone who volunteers with a guild, we aren\u2019t just there to sit around and look pretty. Come talk to us.\u201d<\/p>\n I loved watching the fae creatures of the Fantastikals frolic around, getting into mischief. I kept an eye out for Danse Macabre, whose members dance away the threat of the plague to the fair. But I was most starstruck when I met her majesty Queen Elizabeth I. (Note: The actors do not break character, even to tell a journalist their given name outside of their fair life.)<\/p>\n As I waited in line, I observed the diligently trained actors of the Queen\u2019s Court. The lord high treasurer bent down and handed a gold coin to a toddler doddling around as his family waited to meet the queen. He tried to eat it, but was bested by his mother.<\/p>\n 1 <\/p>\n 2 <\/p>\n 3 <\/p>\n 1.<\/strong> The Fantastikals, representing nature and the elements, provide a sense of wonder and mischief. 2.<\/strong> Royal guard member Maria DeSilva, left, stands by Anna of Austria, the queen of Spain, and her sister Elisabeth of Austria as they read their Bibles together. 3.<\/strong> A maid of honor to the queen passes the time with canvas work. <\/p>\n \u201cYou must be quicker if you are to be successful,\u201d Sir Thomas Heneage, the court\u2019s gentleman usher, told him. <\/p>\n I asked the queen what a newbie like me should know about visiting her village. <\/p>\n \u201cI would tell them that at the fair, there is all the world to be had,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd no matter what you find that will set your heart alight, you will find it here.\u201d<\/p>\n (I also asked her if it was as fun as it looked to be carried around in a basket by the Yeomen of the Guard, and after a good laugh, she affirmed, \u201cIt is truly a highlight of our day.\u201d)<\/p>\n The crowd cheers as the jousters charge one another during the final bout of the day.<\/p>\n 4. Hark! What a clatter!<\/p>\n Translation: Prepare for shouting<\/b><\/p>\n But it\u2019s the fun kind! <\/p>\n When the fair opens<\/a> at 10 a.m., guests shout, \u201cOpen wide the gates!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuzzah!\u201d is commonly shouted out in celebration, like when you tip someone, or when your trusty javelin strikes the target (mine did not).<\/p>\n And \u201cGod save the queen!\u201d is exclaimed during the parades and just about any time the queen is around. <\/p>\n 5. By hook and crook, ready thyself for a joust<\/p>\n Translation: It\u2019s essential to attend a joust. <\/b><\/p>\n A jousters charges toward his opponent during the final bout of the day.<\/p>\n Attending a joust is one of the quintessential renaissance festival experiences. <\/p>\n At the L.A. fair, there are generally three joust performances per day: the Deptford tournament joust, the queen\u2019s joust and the \u201cjoust to the death.\u201d <\/p>\n It\u2019s best to arrive 45 minutes early to get a seat, as the performance space fills to capacity. You will be turned away if it is full. <\/p>\n And it\u2019s competitive. Immediately after sitting down, my seatmate informed me that we were rooting for green and blue, and the other team was our mortal enemies. I hooted and hollered accordingly.<\/p>\n 6. There is much fine belly-timber<\/p>\n Translation: There is so much good food.<\/b> <\/p>\n OK, here\u2019s a confession: I eat a vegan diet. But, I can still appreciate the wide range of food options available \u2014 including the iconic turkey leg. <\/p>\n After securing our marinated tofu nachos and poke bowl, my wife and I sat down among other guests. Our tablemates had purchased a litany of fried options, including scotch eggs from the Quail Inn, which also serves bacon-wrapped jalape\u00f1o peppers, cheese fritters and \u201cwhole, partially deboned quail.\u201d <\/p>\n I personally regret not heading over to Scoops on Tap, where I could have ordered vegan lemon blueberry swirl and mint chip ice cream. Their spirit-infused offerings include buttery beer, mocha stout crush and drumstick stout (which is not turkey-flavored, but rather a vanilla base).<\/p>\n 7. Pray thee pay full mind to the merchants<\/p>\n Translation: Take time to learn about the artisans.<\/b><\/p>\n Drabbits, hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind shoulder puppets, at the Imagination Adoptorium booth.<\/p>\n Throughout the fair, you can easily find unique and colorful birthday gifts, like dragon eggs or a buy-your-own-fairy house, that would make your nieces, nephews and little cousins quickly proclaim you their favorite relative.<\/p>\n Beyond that, you can speak to artisans who\u2019ve been honing their craft, in some cases, for decades. I asked glass artist Stuart Abelman<\/a>, who has regular glass-blowing demonstrations during the fair, how his artistry fits into the renaissance fair.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been blowing glass for 5,000 years,\u201d Abelman, whose studio<\/a> is based in Van Nuys, said. \u201cThrough the Renaissance, there were incredible glass blowers at Murano, Italy, incredible glass blowers. The queen drank [out of] beautiful glassware. They were the best.\u201d <\/p>\n An assortment of masks are seen in the Mischief Masks booth.<\/p>\n 8. Fret not if the winds of fate blow you elsewhere<\/p>\n Translation: Don\u2019t worry if you can\u2019t attend this specific fair.<\/b><\/p>\n California has several renaissance fairs<\/a> and similarly themed events throughout the year. And, for the most adventurous, there are other fairs across the country and world, including the Texas Renaissance Festival<\/a>, said to be the largest in the U.S.<\/p>\n Fairs scheduled this year in California include: Escondido Renaissance Faire<\/a> (spring event: April 25\u201326, May 2\u20133; fall event: TBD<\/a>); Summer Renaissance Fantasy Faire<\/a> in Idyllwild (June 13\u201314); Central Coast Renaissance Festival<\/a> in San Luis Obispo (July 18\u201319); Idyllwild Renaissance Faire<\/a> (Sept. 12\u201313); and the Northern California Renaissance Faire<\/a> in Hollister (Sept. 19\u2013Oct. 25).<\/p>\n I spoke to Deptford\u2019s lord mayor, Sir Barnubus Bliss, about what\u2019s most important to him about folks experiencing the fair closest to L.A.<\/p>\n The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire <\/p>\n When: <\/b>Saturdays and Sundays through May 17 \u201cEvery time someone comes through those doors, I always wish them a \u2018Welcome home,\u2019\u201d he said, \u201cbecause it is my understanding that no matter where you are from, no matter what your life has been, when you come within these gates, when you are within our walls, you are at home, no matter where you were beforehand.\u201d<\/p>\n Nik Frey, far left, and his partner Joanna Dominguez, far right, sword fight with Bexleigh Kilker, 9, and Bexleigh\u2019s dad Kevin, as they all wait out traffic after opening day at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire.<\/p>\n And I felt that as I watched adults gallivant around with childlike glee. As my wife and I left the fair, I did not find myself immediately reaching for my phone. I wanted to stay, just a while longer, in a world where seemingly everyone is welcome to be just as they are.<\/p>\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775816302_764_.jpeg\")
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Where:<\/b> Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area, 15501 Arrow Highway, Irwindale. Note: The fair\u2019s organizers advise you to not put the address in your GPS. It\u2019s recommended that you take the 210, exit off Irwindale Ave (#38) and follow the signs to the fair. Upon arrival, you will pay the $15 entrance fee to the park, and then be directed to a large parking area.
Tickets:<\/b> $53 for adults and children 13 or older, $28 for children 5 to 12, and free for kids 4 and younger. Although you can buy tickets at the fair, it\u2019s logistically easier to buy them online at renfair.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775816317_170_.jpeg\")
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