As autumn comes and goes, so does the well-known Renaissance Festival. From the beginning of October to the end of November, many Texans celebrate the Renaissance times through costumes, food, decorations and activities. This event takes place every year near Houston for eight weeks.

The Renaissance time was a cultural rebirth for parts of Europe in the fourteenth to seventeenth century. It thrived off of the focus of Greek and Roman arts.

This event was created to celebrate and enjoy the times of Renaissance.

A trip to this festival is a feeling many people have never felt for it feels as if they are stepping a new and unfamiliar world.

“The location had a magical sort of feel to it. Simply walking around was a fun experience because of the buildings and decorations. The all over vibe of the fair was friendly and warm. All the people dressed up really helped the fair feel like a trip into a storybook,” sophomore Clarisse Burns said.

“It is a place where people can step back in time and escape into a land of fantasy, magic, and romance.  It also offers unique, live entertainment which is different from anything you will find on television, movies, or even most stage shows,” festival marketing employee Travis Bryant said.

With every week, comes a wide variety of characters to match the setting who vary in personality and appearance.

“It is an immersive theatre experience in which people can interact with kings, queens, knights, noble, peasants, pirates, fairies, barbarians, and other fanciful characters,” Bryant said.

For both students and staff members at Bowie, this very unique and eccentric festival is a continuing tradition for many as they return for yet another year of celebration for the past.

“I go every year because it’s really cool and the festival always has unique shows and shops,” sophomore Amanda Urrutia said.

Although it is a rather casual event for some as they wear normal attire for just another day, many will go all out in costumes and celebrations and match the exciting environment as they attend the festival.

“The people who go all out spend spend as much as $1000. Some guys dress up as Knights, fairies, dragons, and maidens. More recently, steampunk has been pretty popular throughout the years. But, some people do not match at all dress up as Barney and Captain Sparrow,” Urrutia said.

Many out of the ordinary events occur throughout the long event. These odd and eclectic appearances add another layer of excitement for people who attend.

“There’s a show about two beggars who live on the street of Sparta and Troy and they compete in challenges because the two cities have to work together but they need decide which of the two names to use. Once one of them wins, the loser has to eat mud,” Urrutia said.

One of the many thrilling aspects of the festival was their interactive shows that occurred very often in multiple locations throughout the day which involved kings, queens, lords, knights and many more Renaissance characters.

“The shows were great. The actors in them really got the audience involved and excited which really helped make it an enjoyable experience rather than them just doing the show and leaving,” Burns said.

       Whatever the reason is for attending, it is very likely it will be enjoying because of it’s unique and interesting aspects.

“I believe people are always looking for places where they can find a temporary escape from their normal lives,” Bryant said. “ We are different from other types of theme parks in that people can dress up and become part of magic and fantasy of our world.  They get to be part of the play and become another charming character in our fun, wacky village.”