LEWISBURG, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – Every year, the month of June means many different things for many different people: the end of school, the start of summer, vacations, etc. For Hollow Hills Farm in Lewisburg, June means the arrival of the annual West Virginia Renaissance Festival.
Hollow Hills Farm is currently celebrating its third annual Renaissance Festival, which is made complete with actors dressed in 15th-century clothing, live performances, jousting tournaments, games, activities, period-appropriate music and artisans selling their wares. While the festival is loosely historical, it has a slight fantastical bend, featuring mermaids, dragons and fairies.
The festival is being presented by Hanlon-Lees Action Theater.
The Renaissance Festival kicked off on the first weekend of June with the theme “Pirate’s Landing” and has dazzled guests with different themes every Saturday and Sunday since.
This past weekend’s theme was “Celtic Crossing” and featured a large variety of Celtic music, bagpipes, and kilt competitions.
In honor of Father’s Day, the theme for June 19 and June 20 has been deemed “Beer and Barbarians.” The festival’s last weekend, June 26 and 27, will be “Bacchanalia.”
Despite having to cancel last year’s festival due to COVID, one of the owners of the West Virginia Renaissance Festival, Taso Stavrakis, said the response has been overwhelming from both the performers and the visitors.
“When the governor said we could have outdoor events again and that everything was okay for us, we were a little nervous. We started calling our people, entertainers and partners, asking them if they felt like it was okay to come out and start performing again, and we got an overwhelming response. The public must feel the same because the numbers have been great. It just seems like people are really, really happy to be back out.”
In addition to seeing an increase in visitors over past years, Stavrakis said the festival is also seeing visitors from across the country. He noted that their advertising is reaching into Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and even some midwestern states.
Stavrakis says it’s exciting to see the festival prosper, as introducing the event to the area at first seemed like a risky move to him and his business partner.
“In California, these festivals have been around since the 60s, and other places have had them for more than 40 years. People are used to the crowds and used to going. Around here, it was like starting all over, and it’s definitely been an educational process,” he said. “People are coming, and they are enjoying the Renaissance Festival and even the other Rennies that are used to going to other festivals across the country are knocked out by the beauty of West Virginia. I am just happy that we are open and that we are connecting with people.”
Stavrakis invited everyone to come out and enjoy the festival, which he says has something fun for all ages.
“Bring the whole family. There’s stuff for adults, for kids, there’s stuff for the historian and for everyone.”
Tickets to the Renaissance Festival can be purchased online or at the gate. Admission is $16 for adults and $6 for children six to 12 years old. Children under the age of six can enjoy the event for free.
The festival is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, visit wvrenfest.com or WV Renaissance Festival on Facebook.