A Return to Magic: The Colorado Renaissance Festival
The Colorado Renaissance Festival made a triumphant return to Larkspur, CO (or Larkspurshire. as it is also called) this summer from July 3 to August 22. I had the chance to go seven times, and every outing was as enjoyable as the previous. After a year of plague and varying degrees of famine for different people, these fairs are incredibly important. This year saw record attendance with many needing their fix for jousting, local crafts, and meat on sticks.
During the pandemic, with everything closed down, Renaissance festivals included, many not only lost out on fun and time with friends, but also necessary money to live. Vendors and entertainers depend on these events to perform their shows and sell their handmade wares. Without fairs, many were forced into other occupations because of hard times and the need to make a living. Some vendors and performers were definitely missed from prior fairs this year in Larkspurshire.
After surveying the Colorado Renfaire Friends Facebook group, some said that they were able to be their true selves during the fair, while the rest of the year is more of a performance experience. I also feel the same. Growing up as a Lord of the Rings and fantasy nerd, I was lucky enough to have all the movies come out on or around my birthday.
It is a wonderful feeling to have a sense of living in one of my favorite fantasies for a while, a place where “good morrow” is met with a “Huzzah!” as a traditional greeting or sign of excitement. As a costume designer, after a year without any events, and some decent productivity, it was nice to wear the things I had made and have a reason to make new things. The fair’s Erica Miller says, “Working at Swan Lace Clothier was like having Pride come to me.” As a trans woman, she met and clothed so many wonderful LGBTQ folk. “It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had,” she says.
Micah Hodges mentions, “The Colorado Renaissance fair is a real place of magic. Most people have heard of it, but few know what it’s really about. Until you go yourself, it’s just a fairy tale.” Micah has been working at this particular fair for nearly 10 years. His family owns and operates Heart of the Mountain, purveyors of fine honeycomb calcite, which is a form of calcite native to the Uintah Mountains of Utah.
Music the Gathering, a self identified “folk music nerd show” says “returning to the Colorado Renaissance Festival always feels like a homecoming, but this year was particularly special. After two years away, everyone showed up with an extra dose of joviality and excitement. It made it really easy and natural for Music the Gathering to do what our name suggests—gather everyone together with music!”
“Whether you want jousting knights and royalty, or mermaids and pirates, the Colorado Renaissance festival has everything you could possibly want,” says fairgoer Micah Hodges. (This is particularly what I’m addressing with the article title, A Return to Magic; there’s a reason why I go as much as I can.)
This year, it was seven out of the eight weekends of the fair, and each time, I had a new costume to wear. There is a reason why Micah, as well as many others, have been working these fairs for nigh on 10 years. Renaissance festivals are truly places of magic, whether you believe in it or not. From your first Angry Orchard cider, to your lunch of turkey legs, steaks on sticks, to your last “Huzzah!” of the day, a trip to the Colorado Renaissance Festival is truly an experience that will never be forgotten. Until we meet again, fair thee well.
