Colorado Renaissance Festival brings magic to summer

June 21, 2022

Hear ye, hear ye!

By Kimmy Reinhardt

The land filled with excitement as the canon boomed, announcing the opening of the 2022 season of the Colorado Renaissance Festival June 18 in Larkspur. Fairies, dragons and royalty roamed the streets of the village, as children and adults alike immersed themselves into a world of fantasy and adventure.

Knights prepare for the Saturday Joust [Today photo/Kimmy Reinhardt]

Every year Colorado Renaissance Festival welcomes a variety of performers both on stage and throughout the grounds, interacting with visitors to help bring the event to life.

The performers range in roles from royalty and jesters to traveling acts such as Acrobatrix, The Washing Well Wenches and The Knights of Noble Cause. Many have been visiting Colorado for years, and welcomed back visitors who looked forward to seeing their favorites again. Events happened nonstop; from shows to costume contests there was never a dull moment.
While all of the shows drew large audiences and caught the eyes of passerby, a crowd favorite was certainly The Knights of Noble Cause as they joust for “honor, glory and bloodshed.”

With three shows everyday, the knights battled before the king, queen, royal court and crowds of visitors. Audience members cheered on each knight, as they displayed their skills; the sounds could be heard throughout much of the village grounds.

Aysun the Mermaid sits on her rock greeting visitors [Today photo/Kimmy Reinhardt]

Guests strolled the ground, visiting with the king and queen of the land, Aysun the Mermaid, Link from “The Legends of Zelda” and staff of the royal court, and also diving into the historical realm of magic and adventure. Throughout the festival, many visitors could be seen dressed within the time period – as fantasy creatures, pirates or even their favorite pop culture characters, different interests came together and people connected over their shared love of the environment and community within the festival.

Shops across the grounds sold everything from food to jewelry, flower crowns and other memorabilia. Skip the line by stopping any of the traveling vendors with treats and merchandise available throughout the day. Be sure to grab a crowd favorite turkey leg for lunch, and select a flower crown from the rows of options to really immerse yourself into the time period.

The Renaissance Festival runs Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 7, with free parking on site. Each weekend features a new theme with special events and activities specific to that week. From Children’s Weekend to Love and Romance Weekend there is something for everyone.

Get your tickets and additional information

One-tank trip

The Colorado Renaissance Festival is located at 650 Perry Park Ave., Larkspur, 80118. The trip should take around 78 miles and slightly more than an hour.

To get there:

Head north up Interstate 25 to Exit 172 (Upper Lake Gulch Road).

Take Upper Lake Gulch Road west over the interstate to Spruce Mountain Road.

Turn south on Spruce Mountain Road and follow it just shy of a mile to East Perry Park Avenue.

Turn west again on East Perry Park Avenue and follow it to the festival grounds located on your left.

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