Maryland Renaissance Festival

Maryland Renaissance Festival

The Maryland Renaissance Festival opens its 50th season on August 29 and runs weekends (plus Labor Day Monday) through October 25 in Crownsville, outside Annapolis. If you've never taken kids, picture a permanent wooded village with jousting, stage shows, craft shops, and a cast that stays in character whether your four-year-old is ready for it or not. Kids tend to either fall completely into it or need an hour to warm up. Either way it fills a whole day.

Here's the part that matters right now: all tickets are sold online only and are date-specific, and general admission for the season goes on sale July 27. Popular October weekends have sold out in past years, so if you want a specific date, especially a themed weekend, it pays to buy early. Adults are $31, kids 7 to 15 are $17, and 6 and under are free but still need a ticket for entry.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Buy tickets the week they go on sale. Online only, date-specific, and the good October weekends go first. On sale July 27 for general admission.
• ✓Late summer dates are the sleeper pick. The August and September weekends are less crowded than peak October, and the village is the same. Hotter, yes, but the woods give real shade.
• ✓See the joust early. It’s the thing kids remember. Hit the first jousting show of the day before the arena benches fill, then wander.
• ✓Bring more cash than feels reasonable. Most vendors take cards now, but games, small treats, and tips for performers move faster with cash. Everything inside costs something.
• ✓A wagon beats a stroller. The paths are dirt and wood-chip through forest. Festival veterans pull kids in collapsible wagons for good reason.
• ✓Set the souvenir expectation in the parking lot. Wooden swords and flower crowns are everywhere and your kids will notice. Deciding the budget before the gate saves three meltdowns.