The annual Texas Renaissance Festival features live jousting matches in an outdoor arena. The annual Texas Renaissance Festival features live jousting matches in an outdoor arena.[/caption]

The Houston-area Texas Renaissance Festival is the biggest festival of its kind and the best cultural festival in the nation, according to 2015 reader surveys in USA Today and travel website 10Best.com.

“We have the largest renaissance theme park in the nation, both in terms of the size of our venue and the amount of people that attend every season,” festival Marketing Director Travis Bryant said. “We’re top 10 [or] 13 ticketed events in the Houston area. We average about as many people as the [Houston] Dynamos do.”

He said workers are prepping the festival’s grounds for the annual event, which begins on Oct. 10 and runs on weekends until Nov. 29.

The Texas festival held its first event in 1974. Started by George Coulam, only about 2,000 people came for the inaugural event, which was on 10 acres of land.

“It was kind of a new phenomenon, kind of a counterculture sort of thing,” Bryant said.

There are now 55 acres dedicated to the festival grounds where participants escape the 21st century in exchange for a 16th century English township called New Market Village.

The Texas Renaissance Festival features themed weekends with performances on 20 stages, jousting in an arena, a magic garden, hand-powered rides for children, over 400 shops, craft and artisan demonstrations, food and both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks.

“We’re a food festival too,” Bryant said. “Of course we have turkey legs and lots of things on a stick, but you know, we have food that represents all kinds of different lands.”

That includes Spanish, English, French Cajun, Asian, Italian and Greek food, Bryant said, along with a classic renaissance festival dish, fish and chips.

Jugglers and other entertainers walk among the crowd and demonstrate period games. Jugglers and other entertainers walk among the crowd and demonstrate period games.[/caption]

There are also plenty of ales, wines, beers and, of course, mead.

During the week called School Days, the park opens up to school groups solely to provide educational opportunities, Bryant said.

“Last year we had 49,000 teachers and students,” Bryant said.

Students compete in various contests and in the performing arts festival, he said.

“We opened registration in August, and we already have schools on waiting lists,” Bryant said.

He said the difference between the Texas Renaissance Festival and other theme parks is the opportunity for full participation.

Visitors dress up to immerse themselves in the 16th century and be referred to as ladies, knights, lords, queens and kings, he said.

Bryant described the way the village comes alive during its season as “magic.”

“What we do is instead of saying, ‘Come see the magic,’ we say, ‘Come be part of the magic.’ Immerse yourself in it,” Bryant said.