{"id":2326747,"date":"2026-03-13T16:59:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T16:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2326747"},"modified":"2026-03-13T16:59:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T16:59:27","slug":"scarborough-renaissance-festival-to-celebrate-45-years-of-immersive-entertainment-in-north-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/scarborough-renaissance-festival-to-celebrate-45-years-of-immersive-entertainment-in-north-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Scarborough Renaissance Festival to celebrate 45 years of immersive entertainment in North Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOn a 25-acre park in Waxahachie, hundreds of actors and artisans will bring to life a 16th-century English village over eight weekends in spring, complete with jousting, feasts and Scarborough Castle.<\/p>\n

Scarborough Renaissance Festival<\/a>, one of the oldest and largest Renaissance festivals in the nation, celebrates its 45th anniversary this year, providing immersive entertainment from April 4-May 25.<\/p>\n

The overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

The year is 1545, and King Henry VIII and Catherine Parr, his sixth wife, are about to visit the village of Scarborough alongside up to 200,000 visitors. They will have the opportunity to watch jousts and other entertainment on the festival\u2019s 20 stages, explore games and rides, shop handmade goods<\/a>, and eat and drink at the variety of restaurants, pubs and taverns.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a fully immersive, interactive experience,\u201d said Janna Zepp, who plays Catherine Parr and also serves as the festival\u2019s assistant entertainment director and cast director. \u201cFor 10 hours Saturday and Sunday, we take our guests and for a moment in time, they are in the 16th century watching nonstop entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around 100 cast members bring the festival to life, interacting with guests as villagers, nobles, performers and other characters to create what Zepp calls \u201cinterpersonal magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an experience like no other,\u201d Zepp said. \u201cThe moment you walk in the gate, you just feel the joy and the celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n

How we got here<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scarborough was more of a pasture than a village when it opened for its first season in 1981, Zepp said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a big open field with tents and some booths … and hardly any trees except for the pecan grove,\u201d Zepp said. \u201cSlowly but surely the village began to build up, and we started noticing the trends and how people move through the fair, and we rearranged the fair to accommodate the natural path of where people like to walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the festival has evolved<\/a> over the years\u2014additions include sit-down restaurants, ticket scanners, modern restrooms, an air-conditioned first aid center and a wider variety of shopping, food and drink\u2014Zepp said that interpersonal magic between actors and guests remains a constant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easier to talk about what has not changed, and it\u2019s the hospitality,\u201d Zepp said. \u201cAt Scarborough, [there] is a friendliness and a willingness to entertain and a willingness to tailor the entertainment to you. We entertain to the audience, whether one or 1,000, and that remains the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shows, actors and characters have evolved too\u2014some years Henry VIII visited with second wife Anne Boleyn or sister Queen Margaret, who Zepp also played. And until a little over 20 years ago, she said the jousts were nonchoreographed combat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were really slugging it out on horseback,\u201d Zepp said. \u201cAfter that, it\u2019s been more choreographed. Just the same amount of bruises, but less violent.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s new<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year, the jousts have been reimagined on the royal dais, a new location that will provide better audio and can seat almost 2,000 spectators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe joust in any Renaissance fair is typically a big deal, and for us, we really wanted to make sure that the stage for the joust was as big of a deal as the joust itself,\u201d General Manager Veronica Castelo said. \u201cAnd so we have made it larger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scarborough Castle will also reopen for the first time in two years with a new history exhibition. The anniversary will be celebrated with a feast May 17 that will include visits from the court, king and queen as well as a display of items that showcase the 45 years of Scarborough.<\/p>\n

What you need to know<\/strong><\/p>\n

Visitors should arrive early and give extra time for travel and traffic on the way to Waxahachie, Castelo and Zepp suggested. Bring sunscreen, walking shoes and a charged phone for lots of pictures\u2014especially with cast members, Zepp said. More guidance and ticket information is found on the website.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many people who have never come and who have an idea of what it is or [think] that they have to get dressed up or they won\u2019t fit in,\u201d Castelo said. \u201cThe Renaissance community is the most welcoming environment you can find. Try it, come as you are, and you will be welcomed with open arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every weekend offers a different experience at Scarborough\u2014check out each weekend\u2019s theme<\/a> this year:<\/p>\n