“We are real excited about the way the festival is shaping out this year,” Director of Marketing Carl Foy said. “It’s going to be really awesome to see it grow over the next few years.”
According to Foy, here are five new additions to the festival.
1. The Thirsty Pirate
The Thirsty Pirate is a brand new restaurant and Bar, according to Foy. The restaurant will include a stage show area and is the largest investment to ever occur at the festival. There will be enough seating to fit 540 people as well as 64 available beer taps. The restaurant will host two pirate themed shows.
2. Four new show entertainments
The festival is introducing four new shows this year. The new shows are Lester Jester, Chaste Treasures, The Minstrel Rav’n and Tease of the Seas. Tease of the Seas is restricted to 21 and older, according to the website. Lester Jester will be performed at the Mockingbird Music Gazebo. Chaste Treasures will be performed at the Polish Pub. The Minstrel Rav’n and Tease of the Seas will be performed at The Thirsty Pirate.
3. 20 new vendors
According to the Texas Renaissance Festival website, there will be an additional 20 new vendors making an appearance at the festival. These vendors range from leatherwork, glass making, swords, petrified wood and wine.
4. Odin’s Table
The festival will feature wine tasting with its sponsor, Haak. According to Foy, Haak is a winery based out of Santa Fe, Texas. The table will feature wine samples from nontraditional wines such as White Port, Blanc du Bois Madeira and mead-style white wine.
5. A festival first meadory
For the first time ever, the festival will have a meadory on site, according to Foy. Mead is an alcoholic beverage traditionally fermented with water, yeast and honey. The festival will include a king’s and queen's mead. The kings mead consists of a more traditional mead that is not bubbly. The queen's mead will be bubbly and resemble a pink moscato, according to Foy.
Festival Details:
9 a.m.-8 p.m. (Sat.-Sun.). $40 (daily admission), costs for season passes vary. 21778 FM 1774, Todd Mission. 800-458-3435. www.texrenfest.com
