Huzzah! The Florida Renaissance Festival is back: Here’s what you need to know

Was your New Year’s resolution to be more present?

Well, here comes the Florida Renaissance Festival to — in the most entertaining way — mess up all those plans by taking you to the past.

Thou wilt have a turnt time.

Ren-Fest, as it’s known by its loyal followers, will run Saturdays and Sundays, from Feb. 7 to March 29, sprawled throughout Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach.

For those of you stubbornly holding on to the here and now, Ren-Fest features jousting knights, swordfighters/archers, musical minstrels, animatronic installations, comedic stage shows, magicians, strolling performers, as well as crafts, food and drinks. There will be more than 100 entertainers and more than 100 artisans.

Costumes are encouraged. And you can either stick to the different themes that take place each weekend (everything from Viking valor and pirate pantaloons to Celtic chic and steampunk style) or play fast and loose with your fashion choices.

“We delve into fantasy,” said Bobby Rodriguez, the festival’s founder and organizer. “There’s a lot of fantasy elements in the show. And even last year, for the very first time, we actually had an area that’s dedicated to steampunk. It’s by popular demand, so we’re bringing it back again. We’re kind of mixing it up.”

DOTH THEE NEED THE SCHEDULE?

Feb. 7-8 — Gamemasters Unite: The Campaign Begins

Feb. 14-15 — Cupid’s Lullaby: Pulling at the Harpstrings

Feb. 21-22 — A Viking’s Valor: Shields, Scales, Tails, and Ale

Feb. 28-March 1 — Sirens and Shipwrecks: Party ’til the end of the Plank

March 7-8 — His Majesty’s Marketplace: Haggle If You Dare

March 14-15 — Clover the Rainbow: A Gathering of Green

March 21-22 — Rise of the Cog-Keepers: Tinkering in Time

March 28-29 — Fantastical Fables: A World Beyond the Page

WHAT’S NEW AT YE OLDE FAYRE

“This will be our 34th year,” Rodriguez said. “People say to me all the time … ‘After doing it for so many years, it’s got to be easy doing this.’ I said, ‘No, it actually gets harder every year.’ And the reason it gets harder is because we raise the bar. Raising the bar means we’re giving it more attention to detail, more attention to detail means more time and effort. And we’ve only got X number of days to put the show together. So we’re constantly trying to cram in all of these new decorations, new props.”

• Midwife Crisis: “We have the R-rated Tent (The Great Hall). We have a new act that’s coming in there: Midwife Crisis. It’s a very funny person that talks about being a midwife and the stories that come with it. It’s almost like a Las Vegas stand-up comedian kind of thing.”
• Musical Acts: “For those who like ancient music, we have a wonderful quartet that play ancient instruments that are going to be at the Fife & Fiddle Stage. We’ve got madrigal singers in that tent as well. We have a new act called Shake, Rattle, and Rogue with Celtic and Greek music.  And we have a group called The Crimson Pirates. There’s five singers that do a musical act but a lot of comedy in it as well. I’m excited about that.”
• Cashless Box Office: “So many places are going cashless [that] we felt that it was time, that it would help the long lines that we’ve had in the past. Even if people don’t buy [tickets] before they come to the show, we’ll have QR codes throughout the area before they enter that they can buy their tickets before they even get in the security line or while they are waiting in that line. People are waiting at the security checkpoint … for five minutes, waiting to get checked out. In that five minutes, they can buy their tickets and then just walk right in.”

NEW VITTLES OFFERINGS

• Jamble Tasty Egg Roll — Chicken  and shrimp egg rolls, pork-on-a-stick, noodles
• Ali Baba’s Tribal Treats — Shawarma (falafel, chicken or lamb) wraps, fries, salads and pitas, saffron rice bowls, hummus and curly fries
• Jupiter Donuts — Gourmet doughnuts, breakfast sandwiches, coffees
• Kahve Hikayeci — Turkish coffee
• Caldwell Concessions — Bourbon chicken, cheese and crab wontons, noodles, fried cabbage, potstickers, Chinese doughnuts, mochi ice cream
• Tanghulu Booth — Candied strawberries, blueberries, oranges, grapes and mixed fruit

PRITHEE, FIRST-TIMERS, HEED THIS TIP

Plan on arriving as early in the day as you can, Rodriguez said. Then “you don’t have to pay for VIP parking because you’ll already be parking close [to the entrance],” he added. “That’ll save you money there. It’ll save you time online.”

Not only will you benefit from the parking situation, but there’s a lot to take in and you need all the Ren-Fest strolling/watching time possible.

“What I get 99% of the time is people say, ‘I had no idea the show was this big.’ And I tell them, if you come at 10 when we open and you leave at sunset when we close, there’s still no way you can see the entire show in one day. People have no idea,” he said.

DOST THEE NEED A SPECIAL SHOPPING OFFER?

On the fifth weekend of Ren-Fest (March 7-8), which is themed “His Majesty’s Marketplace,” you can get a free ticket to another festival day if your vendor receipts add up.

“We tried something like this last year for the first time, and it was very successful,” Rodriguez said. “I wanted to have a theme that revolved around our vendors and the shops because, again, people who have not been to the show don’t know that a lot of our vendors have handmade wares, stuff that you can’t find at other shows.

“And so what we did was, as an incentive, if you spent $250 or more in the day that you’re there — it doesn’t have to be with one vendor, it could be with 10 vendors — but if you spent $250 or more, you get a free ticket. If you think you’re going to spend that kind of money, get a receipt and at the end of the day, you turn the receipts in and then you get your ticket for another day.”

IF THEE GO

WHEN: 10 a.m. to sunset Saturdays-Sundays, from Feb. 7-March 29

WHERE: Quiet Waters Park, 401 S. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach

COST:

• Admission is $39 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-11; free for kids age 5 and younger).
• Adult group rate (at least 20 people) is $31 per ticket.
• Season pass is $175 for adults and $75 for children ages 6-11.
• Active military and senior (65 and older) discounts are available at the Box Office only ($3 off admission tickets); proper identification required
• Parking is free; $12-$25 for V.I.P. parking.
• The Pub Crawl is $39 per adult (21 or older ); festival admission not included.

INFORMATION: 954-776-1642; ren-fest.com