The Texas Renaissance Festival is held Oct. 5 through Dec. 1, 2019. The Renaissance Festival was created to celebrate the Renaissance era and bring it back to life for about a month-long period. People come from all over to enjoy the festivals entertainment such as performances, food and drinks, shops, activities for kids and games.

“Ren Fest is a great opportunity to experience historical aspects of life from centuries ago,” World History AP teacher Kevin Welchel said. “It may not always be accurate, but many times it is, for example, I enjoy going to see the blacksmith, glass blowing, coin minter and printing press exhibits each year because I always find I learn something new.”

Employees of the Renaissance Festival and attendees sometimes like to dress up in costumes to look like someone from the Renaissance. Common costumes are elves, fairies, pirates, peasants, vikings, warriors and gypsies.

“I don’t usually dress up but I did go as a dragon one year,” senior Angela Huertas said. “I really enjoy the effort, time, and money that people put into their costumes. It’s extremely impressive and you can see the pride they have in their costumes.”

The unique types and styles of food are part of what makes the Renaissance Festival special. Food options such as steak on a stick, baklava, and giant versions of everyday foods are available.

“My favorite part of the festival is the food,” sophomore Jace Petrovich said. “There are so many different types of food and it’s all so delicious and appetizing. My favorite food is the funnel cake because you can never go wrong with a good funnel cake.”

The Renaissance Festival is also popular for its unique shops. You can find shops that specialize in things such as metal work, archery, leather work, handmade pottery and jewelry, stained glass and so much more. Shopping is a very popular activity at the Renaissance Festival.

“I have bought many things over the years such as ceramic items and wooden roses for my wife,” Welchel said. “I have bought some items at The Printing Press like a medieval torture coloring book for my class and a 1515 world map printed on handmade paper. This year I bought some fake gold.”

Families often attend the Renaissance Festival because there is fun and activities for all ages and you could vacation there on The Fields Of New Market Campgrounds.

“I go because I am a nerd at heart,” said Huertas. “That and it’s just a tradition in my family to go at least once a year. I typically go with my close family members.”

Many clubs at Klein Collins go to the Renaissance Festival as an educational field trip, or in Petrovich’s case, to compete in productions.

“I watch our own production, but I stayed around this year and watched a production of “Antigone,” Petrovich said. “Antigone is one of my favorite tragedies because of the structure of the story and how everything comes together in the end.”