ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

After the 2020 cancelation, families and fans are finally ready for fun at this weekend’s Utah Renaissance Faire

LEHI, Utah — At this weekend’s Utah Renaissance Faire, families and fans are excited to gather outdoors and escape from our modern hustle-and-bustle to a simpler day of food, entertainment, and maybe a mermaid or two.

The Utah Renaissance Faire takes place at Thanksgiving Point Friday, August 27, and Saturday, August 28. Guests can sample the wares of blacksmiths and artisans, play-pillage with vikings, cheer on full armored knights jousting on warhorses, and dance the evening away with (reenacted) royalty. All with COVID protocols in place to keep visitors safe.  

In a new episode of KSL’s Fan Effect Podcast, Joseph Smith, director of communications at the nonprofit who holds the annual event, Utah Valley Fine Arts Council, joins host KellieAnn Halvorsen to preview the faire and share the excitement of the event coming back after they had to cancel the 2020 event. 

Utah Renaissance Faire 2021 Overview

The Renaissance Faire celebrates both history and fantasy with various forms of themed activities, entertainment, merchants, and food. As the Utah Renaissance Faire is an outdoor event masks are encouraged but not required for participation, hand sanitizer will be freely available through the area, and guests are encouraged to respectfully socially distance themselves while they enjoy the fun. 

General admission tickets are $17 pre-purchased online at UtahRenFaire.org, or $20 at the gates, and include both days of fun. 

• Costumes are not required, but encouraged as a way to get in on the fun! Outfits in style from 700 AD to 1720 AD are ideal like Elizabethan and Tudor era, Norse / vikings, pirates, medieval, Scottish, Celtic, and more. Fantasy figures are welcome as well including mermaids, fairies, dragons, and wizards. For more costuming inspiration visit the RenFaire’s FAQ page.
• Themed areas include The Royal Pavilion, Queens Court, The Shire, Viking Camp, Pinocchio’s Theater, and the new Mystic Vale. See all the realms of the faire by visiting their map.
• Visit with sea nymphs, historical reenactors, pirates, vikings, royals, and more!
• Entertainment includes everything from tame kiddie puppet shows and storytelling comedians, to MMA-style combat fighting (with weapons!)  and sword swallowing. With something to interest all ages. Check out the full entertainment schedule here.
• Food merchants and artisan vendors will be selling themed wares from blacksmiths creations to “the queen’s own” texasmoke bbq.

The biggest crowd-pleaser is the twice-daily jousting event put on by Utah’s own Knights of Mayhem.  Led by Charlie “Sir Charles” Andrews, the team practices heavy armored, full-contact jousting in a very hardcore, hard-hitting, sport. A mix of historically accuracy and playful fantasy, they put on a breathtaking show like no other! The Jousts are at 12 pm and 6 pm on Friday. and at 2 pm and 6 pm on Saturday.

Podcast highlights:

• Smith gives details into new areas and activities of this year’s faire and how you can stay in contact for future events.
  • There are quests afoot for guests brave enough to ask!
• Smith expounds upon the magic of working with guests at the fair and helping some of them live a dream.
  • “A moment that comes to mind is as I was working in the Shire, and I just got to talk to somebody. they were explaining the fact that they’ve always wanted to be able to travel to Europe to see kind of the old villages and such. But it’s just something that’s never quite worked out for them. But the opportunity to be able to come and step back in time for a little bit and to experience things and learn about things. That they can bring their kids and teach their kids about history and culture. That moment is a moment of human connection. And that is a thrill that I’m able to put on for them is incredible.” – Joseph Smith, director of communications Utah Valley Fine Arts Council.
• Both Smith and Halvorsen gush over the fun of watching the joust and stories of interacting with the Knights of Mayhem.
• Smith breaks down the relief of coming back to the faire after the covid hiatus.

Listen to the full Fan Effect Episode

Beyond Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gaming and Tech, the brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing the nerdy. Brilliant opinions and commentary on all things geek, but surprising knowledge and witty arguments over pop culture, Star Trek, MARVEL vs DC, and a wide range of movies, TV shows, and more. Formerly known as SLC Fanboys, the show is hosted by Andy Farnsworth and KellieAnn Halvorsen, who are joined by guest-experts. Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah’s unique fan-culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME.   

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at staging.kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSL App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, Instagram @FanEffectShow, and Twitter @FanEffectShow. Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah’s premiere movie entertainment company. 

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