Carolina Renaissance Festival Will Not Open on Saturday Due to Weather

Due to inclement weather coming to the Carolinas this weekend, the Carolina Renaissance Festival will not open on Saturday, October 1, 2022. For the safety of all workers and participants, the festival has postponed its opening day. There is still a possibility for the festival to open on Sunday, October 2, 2022, but that decision has not yet been made.

October 1 ticket holders will receive an automatic refund on October 1st. Sunday's opening is still up in the air. The decision will be based on post weather conditions and will be announced on social media and the festival's website. The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, theater, circus, food, and arts and crafts-filled experience. As Hurricane Ian works its way through the Carolinas, festival updates will continue to happen as the storm passes through. Be sure to stay up to date with all announcements through the festival's social media and website.

The wait is finally over! The Carolina Renaissance Festival is back for 2023 and will run Saturdays and Sundays through November 19th. That's eight weekends you can enjoy the greatest party since Camelot! As their tagline states "history comes alive" and that certainly is true. With so much to see, do, and eat it can be hard to know what to prioritize. Whatever you do is sure to be immersive and enjoyable. However, if you want to narrow down your list I've compiled 7 must-dos for this year at the Carolina Renaissance Festival.

All your favorites as back for the 2023 season. Additionally, there are some new experiences to enjoy including four new musical artists, a day drum jam to close out the festival each night, and stories and songs by the Fairy Godmother. You can also try some new foods (hint that's on our list) including charcuterie on a stick, drunken mushrooms, and brisket macaroni and cheese. Umm yes please to all of those.

Be sure to note some of the changes for this year including date-specific tickets with a limited number of tickets being sold for each date. Also this year the festival will open early, at 9:30 pm and stay open until dusk. These changes as well as some to the traffic patterns have been made to hopefully combat the backups and delays for festival goers and residents alike. I'd still plan accordingly and give yourself a little extra time to get there. You can find more info on that here. If you've never been to the festival it's located north of Charlotte between Concord and Huntersville on Highway 73 at Poplar Tent Road (between I-77 and I-85). You can take exit 25 on I-77 or exits 52 or 55 on I-85.

While you can't go wrong with whatever you choose these are the must-dos that in my opinion will make for a great time at the Carolina Renaissance Festival.

The Joust is a must-see event for all attendees. You won't want to miss the spectacle and pageantry of the chivalric age. Knights in shining armor perform in a 3-part display of daring deeds of bravery and skill including a realistic recreation of a joust to the death!

It's a dream come true when you can encounter a living, breathing, mermaid. Journey to the grotto and experience the Living Mermaid exhibit where beautiful Sea Fairies enchant, delight and swim! Adults and children alike will love watching the underwater flips, blown bubble hearts, and splashing tails! But that's not all, you can also sit atop the mermaid throne for a meet and greet photo experience. 

Of course you have to eat at the Renaissance Festival. Turkey legs are a classic! But there are many, many options including:

Shop to your heart's desire. The merchants at the Carolina Renaissance Festival offer a wide variety of hand-crafted items from jewelry, to weaponry, clothing and textiles, children's items, glasswork, leatherwork, and home decor items. View a full rundown of what you can look for in the Artisan Marketplace here.

Who says rides are just for the kids? At the Carolina Renaissance Festival, you can ride the World's Largest Rocking Horse, take a spin on Da Vinci's Flying Machine, or sail the high seas on the Voyage to the New World. Or ride a camel! Rides are an additional cost and range from $2-7.

There is no shortage of live entertainment at the Carolina Renaissance Festival! Below is just some of the fun you can check out on your visit!

Have some pent-up anger from the week? What's a better way to get it out than axe throwing? It's just one of the games you can participate in at the Renaissance Festival others include darts, archery, and "shatter the platter".