Episode 51- The Texas Renaissance Festival King

We all know Heidi fancies herself to be able to run with royalty, so we decided to humor her and let her do it by sending her on location to interview the King… of the Texas Renaissance Festival.

Before you think he’s a lesser monarch, let’s examine for a minute his kingdom. First off, it’s the largest Renaissance Festival in the country. It’s also a joyous land full of visitors from far and wide. There are major theme parties every weekend. There are stalls of food and artisans from across the globe and to date there have been no wars or beheadings. The place easily could totally overthrow Camelot without batting an eye, that is, if Camelot hadn’t already self-destructed thanks to Lance and Guin.

The Texas Ren Fest boasts an annual run of a full nine weekends and attracts into the 20 and 30,000s of visitors on a single day. It has been running for 45 years and continues to grow and expand each year.  

During our chat with the King we learned all sorts of things about what it’s like to rule a place like this, as well as what brought his ascension to the throne more than 20 years ago. We asked if he ever gets tired of dealing with his loyal subjects and even what the Royal workout regimen is to counteract all the turkey legs and mead?

We found the King to be completely delightful and more than willing to deal with our antics without banishing Luke to serfdom in some far-off land or sentencing Heidi to the Dunk a Wench booth. He even issued a royal invitation for Luke to visit the festival himself next year. You don’t get those every day.

He shared with us tales of jousting and sword fighting, as well as paying homage to many of the craftsman and artisans who make up the kingdom. He also gave shout outs to the many clans of loyal fans who come each week to the festival all season, many of whom camp out at the onsite campgrounds.

Life ruling the kingdom doesn’t end when the gates close. The King is constantly out in the community and giving back to those in need. From reading to local schoolchildren to stuffing backpacks, he and the rest of the court do a great deal of good in the towns that surround the festival.

Whether you are an avid Ren Fest goer in your home ‘kingdom’ or are frankly weirded out by the concept, you owe yourself a listen to the King and his tales of all things Ren Fest. We’re pretty sure even if he doesn’t have you gearing up in full garb, you’ll definitely at least want to check it out for the fun. And we definitely would advise that no matter what festivals you’ve been to, the Texas Ren Fest is an even bigger experience. It’s an amazing sight to see, and worth a jaunt to Houston from wherever you are in the world! There are two more weekends this year, so there’s still time. Or make your plans for a trek to one of the many themed weekends next year! Regardless of when you make it there, the King, Queen and their Court will be ready for you with open arms and turkey legs!