The ORF Blog

October 14, 2021

Amid the quirky village of Willy-Nilly lies a rich history that is brought forward from season to season, resulting in some of the festival’s greatest traditions. One of the most noticeable and memorable is that of the Watermelon vs. Pumpkin War, a highly contested battle between the sweet fruits of summer and the hearty gourds […]

October 12, 2021

With three weeks left of ORF21, Viking weekend tipped the scales with plenty of fun from one end of the grounds to the other. We get some of the most enthusiastic guests during this time, with many taking the opportunity to dress in their nordic best with historical and fantasy-inspired Norse garb. They invaded with […]

October 5, 2021

2021 is a heck of a year for time travel and I mean that in the best way possible. Flouting the time-space continuum has always been a popular theme, with stories such as H.G. Wells The Time Machine and Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court being counted among the most notable. The […]

September 28, 2021

After the boiling heat of Pirate Weekend, Highland offered a blessed respite with magnificent weather coming in over the grounds. If you made it out last weekend you were in for a real treat with sunny skies, a beautiful cross-breeze, and the smell of fall in the air. This is when faire is at its […]

September 21, 2021

I’ve never known anyone who didn’t have a pirate phase. Maybe it’s because Pirates of the Caribbean came out in 2003 when I was just about eighteen, which makes it all the more surreal that eighteen years later there is a PotC 6 in the works. I remember being obsessed with that movie and the […]

September 14, 2021

Our faire is happy to be the place where ‘fantasy & history collide’, providing a glimpse into the age of Queen Elizabeth I along with a merry jaunt into the realm of the whimsical. While some decry this choice as being historically inaccurate, the honest truth is that the folk belong here at faire, maybe […]

September 7, 2021

You’ve held on with bated breath and mugs in hand, but now the gates are open and the fun has begun! The Ohio Renaissance Festival is back for its 32nd season of magic, music, and mirth within the rural village of Willy-Nilly-on-the-Wash! As ticket lines formed and crowds gathered outside the opening gate, cast members […]

August 31, 2021

“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”–Hamlet, William Shakespeare There was a flurry of activity from dawn till dusk, all in preparation for Labor Day weekend when the festival will return from the hiatus of 2020. Each season brings forth new goals and challenges for the folks of the Ohio […]

August 24, 2021

As Renaissance Parks opens itself up as a venue for third-party events, I find myself thoroughly enjoying all of the opportunities it presents for outdoor entertainment. This year we had the return of the Lights, a lantern release ceremony that holds multiple concerts throughout the US. These festivals are a great opportunity for people to […]

August 17, 2021

Wondering who we’re bringing to the Ohio Renaissance Festival in 2021? Well, wonder no more my friends! Joining some of our more familiar acts this year is a whole new host of performers eager to see you in the crowd. The schedule this year is going to be packed on all eighteen stages (yes, we […]