The Bristol Renaissance Faire never disappoints. This year’s trip was one of the best yet (which is saying something since I’ve been attending for the last twenty years). Every year the faire seems to have gained some new shop or attraction that keeps the it vibrant and exciting.
Many of the buildings have been given facelifts and new roofs and the landscaping was the best I’ve ever seen. While I was sitting on a bench resting a hummingbird dressed like a tiny dung-sweep swooped in and drank from a flower inches away from my face.
My friends and I took in a show by Christophe the Insulter where he decimated audience members with filthy verbal abuse that left me laughing and greasy-feeling.
We ate faire food until we were about to burst: BBQ ribs, cheese fritters, turkey legs, Gyros piled with fresh veggies, etc. And we drank enough booze to float a Spanish galleon. (This year the Faire added hard liquor to its many pubs and taverns.)
We marveled at the costumes and the weapons, (and at the bearded old man in a chainmail bikini and purple fairy wings).
All in all it was an amazing day that I highly recommend to anyone in the Midwest. With tickets costing on 17 dollars and parking a mere two bucks, it is much cheaper than a day ay an amusement park.
From the website:
Where is the Faire?
Just west of I-94 at the Illinois/Wisconsin border, the Faire is open Saturdays and Sundays and Labor Day Monday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine, from July 9 through September 5, 2011.
What are the dates and hours?
We are open Saturdays, Sundays, and Labor Day Monday, July 9 through September 5, 2011 from 10:00 am until 7:00 pm.
All photos by Paul P.
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