With our desire to go to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival this year, we chose the Viking weekend and began to prepare for it. Viking, or Barbarian, styled costumes is not something I would have ever thought to create without a reason like this. But the thought of trying something new was too strong a pull to disregard. So when my husband requested that we go that weekend, I knew I had to start planning our outfits. Amazingly enough, the whole family (husband included) wanted to dress up! I had my work cut out for me. From finding the ideas in online photos, to finding pieces we can put together, to completely creating the costumes - every bit of it was worth the effort.
Step 1 - When it comes to cosplay, I am all about the details. I want everything to fit the theme and look right. To some degree, I even work to make it accurate. So I went online and found the styles I wanted to try to piece together for each member of the family.
Step 2 - Making my lists and checking them off of each type of item I needed was key. Otherwise I'd get lost in creating and make (or buy) too much. Costumes for this are pretty simple. I knew I needed to look for fur and leather-like things to make this work.
Guys - vests, shirts, pants, belts, weapons
Girls - leggings, tunic/dress, vests and belts
So off to Goodwill we went. Amazingly enough. I found vests for 4/6 of us! All in some way furry-looking. Boys found oversized shirts to use in colors they wanted. I wanted them to at least be darker colors. Most of the styles I saw were dark. Lots of browns, black and grey. My older son picked corduroy pants that were way too big, but my husband told me they did that on purpose to look like the Vikings did... I wasn't convinced, but I went along with it. Normally, I'd choose something that they would use later on for other things. My daughter found this long sleeved, long dress. It was a maroon color that she fell in love with. I knew we could throw leggings underneath and her furry vest over the top. Add a belt and maybe some kind of decoration and she would be a beautiful Viking girl.
And we even found a long Avatar spear that was foam. It stands almost as tall as me! Kids were excited about that.
Step 3 - We needed embellishments! From medallion style things to hair pins or breastplates - I mean there were a lot of things to consider using. My Dad had sent us a 3D printer that we are in love with. I started glancing around ThingIVerse. I found the perfect pieces to print!
My guys are going to have medallions attached to belts in some ways. You can find them HERE.
For us girls, I found this HAIRPIECE that would make a breastplate for the little one and hairpiece for me. I even embellished them with paint as the print job wasn't the smoothest.
But I had to do some searching to find something else for the older girl. I wanted to make something special for her. So I found these earrings that are pretty small and thin, but my husband could make bigger.
Turned one into a decoration for a bracelet I made from the overflow of a belt I cut down for her.
The boys knew we only had the one spear we found, so I was curious... I ran a search on the 3D print site and found just what we wanted.
This first one didn't come out pretty on both sides. My husband thinks he needed to add different supports.
But when he mounted it to the dowel, it works well enough and the kids love it!
The second one is absolutely amazing, but we did have to make the tip duller as I could see serious injury happening if that tip came into contact with anyone's flesh...
I took this jacket my mom had sent me way back and seam-ripped off the sleeves. From that, I started making some bracers. Tougher than I originally thought. Took me about 2 hours just to hand sew the one...
I finally asked my crafty-minded friends for suggestions. Amazingly, I learned that the hole punch will cut through pleather with little resistance.
So I did that, after cutting the desired sizes and shapes. Not the prettiest, but they will work just fine for a day at the festival.
The youngest one was the easiest and I finished hers first. She told me that Viking or "'Barians" had weird styled clothing because of the fuzzy jackets (furry vests).
Once I added the bracelet and belt, the older daughter loved her outfit. She was hoping for bracers so I made some for her like her brothers.
My oldest son wanted to be more of the Dapper Viking. I think he likes wearing his hat too much to skip the opportunity. So we are dressing up his style more than the others.
I even told my husband I'd braid his beard. So he started letting it get a little longer for just this weekend. I would say this only works if you use some kind of wax or holding gel to keep it in place though!
This is it, this is the weekend that we go to the Festival! Scarborough has had some amazing things happening each weekend. And this one will be no different. They are also celebrating Wine and Ale, so if that is your thing, this might be the weekend for you.
I'm tempted to register my husband for the Stein Holding Competition! Winner takes home a commemorative one of their own.
This Viking and Barbarian theme is all new for them. And I'm so excited that we will be adding to their costumed guests. I have finally finished most of the costumes. My 2 girls are ready and so is my younger son.
My older son just needs his medallion attached to his somehow. My husband is lacking in... about half of his outfit. And I STILL have NOT started mine. *hit head here*
But I worked on the "weapons" today. We had 3D printed an axe head and a spear head. Can't wait to show you how those turned out! As well as what my husband made for my hair...
They will once again have limited engagement performers: The Accidental Acrobats, Emrys Fleet's the Big Rat Show, and Zilch the Tory Steller. The guest artisans to see this weekend are Bird Marie's Pottery and Dancing Glass Studio. You can check out schedules HERE.
I'd love to know if any of you are planning to go! Let me know what weekend interests you the most in the comments below and have a great week!
They opened up last weekend with a lot of great adventure to be had. This weekend, they will showcase their artisans. These talented folks make their living by creating unique designs to be sold at fairs and festivals all year long. We picked up several things with them last year, including my husbands favorite cup. This was by Wondrous Works in Wood. We were hoping to get me one this year. For his, he also got the added lid and belt loop so he can carry it around with him.
They are also having an Easter celebration! Plenty of fun for all to be had.
What does the Artisan Showcase mean?
Besides giving you a fun way to shop, if you get $350 or more in receipts (not including food), you can then get 2 tickets to return to their fair on another day! Originally, we had hoped to do that last year since this was the weekend we had gone. However, things didn't line up that way and I gave my tickets to a friend to use.
In addition to that, you can vote for your favorite artisans and be entered towards winning a gift basket filled with artisan goodies! You can do that at this link here: https://www.srfestival.com/artisans-weekend/
Here is where you can read the information I get from their Director of Marketing & Communications, Helaine Thompson.
This weekend only, you can shop ‘til you drop and get two free 2022 single day tickets to Scarborough Renaissance Festival®valid
any day of the 2022 Festival season when you bring $350 worth of
receipts (for items purchased this weekend only) from the Festival
shoppes to the redemption tents outside the main gates between 12:00
noon and 8:00 pm each day.
Plus, now through April 19th patrons can participate in Scarborough’s virtual best in show contest at www.srfestival.com/artisans-weekendwhere
they can vote for their favorite Artisan/Shoppe and have the chance to
win a basket filled with treasures from the Scarborough Artisans.
Guest Artisans this weekend are Bird
Marie’s Pottery and Spirit Song Ocarinas. Make sure to check out the
seventeen new 2022 Artisans as well!
Scarborough Renaissance Festival®is
proud to host one of the largest outdoor juried craft shows in the
country with some of the most unique handmade treasures and works of art
found anywhere in North Texas. In the hundreds of Festival shoppes you
will discover handblown glass and pottery, hand dipped candles, soaps,
and bath products, along with hats, leather goods, apparel, footwear and
even fairy wings. There’s jewelry, bronze and stone sculptures, and
hand forged cutlery, knives, and swords; as well as wooden mugs, boxes
and carvings, home goods (or as they call it castle adornments), games
and toys, and so much more!
Throughout each Festival day, you can
also experience many of the Artisans demonstrating age-old crafts such
as glass blowing, leatherworks, candle carving, glass sculpting,
metalworks, hammock weaving, stone carving, jewelry making, and
woodworking just to name a few.
April 16th & 17th
there will be special Easter celebrations as well. All weekend,
children can participate in the Easter Scavenger Hunt throughout the
Festival to win a free Ice Cream cup. Scavenger Hunt maps will be
available at the Exit Gate. On Easter Sunday, April 17th, visitors can participate in the beautiful Renaissance Easter service at 12:00 noon at the Crown Meadow Stage.
Another important announcement would be the following:
This weekend’s limited engagement
performers are The Accidental Acrobats, Emrys Fleet’s the Big Rat Show,
and Zilch the Tory Steller. The full schedule of non-stop entertainment
and list of shoppes can be found at www.SRFestival.com.
Opening weekend for their 41st season begins on Saturday, April 9th! They have added a great deal to their offerings since last year. My family and I are so excited to go! I wanted to share some of the information they sent to bloggers to show you what else you can look forward to. I hope to see you guys there!
First, you need to remember that each day is full of interactive fun for the whole family. This isn't a show you can sit and watch. This is full immersion! It really does take you back to the 16th century. Each Saturday and Sunday from April 9th to May 30th is an adventure.
You can watch full combat armored jousting, see a Birds of Prey exhibition, visit mermaids in Mermaid Lagoon, join in the Knighting ceremony - all thanks to over 75 members that perform! There are over 20 stage productions to choose from. Many, if not all, of them are interactive with their audience. I also love being able to find one-of-a-kind treasures as gifts for others. Their artisans are top of the line!
If that isn't enough fun for you, there are also rides that you can partake of. Just remember to bring cash for those! You also might bring cash to tip the showmen. This is their livelihood after all. There are games of skill you can plan to play. See how well you'd stack up in the Renaissance days.
This first weekend kicks off with the Travel Back in Time and & Kids Free Weekend. Kids will be free all weekend with up to 3 children (5-12) admitted per paid adult. Children 4 and under are ALWAYS free. Seniors get half priced tickets at the gate this weekend as well. There will be an all-new Scarborough Quest that you can participate in to discover the characters and challenges as you venture through the festival. Check it out at the Village Armoury between 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. For this opening weekend, you have these performers to look forward to:
The Accidental Acrobats
Zilch the Tory Steller
Emrys Fleet –
the Big Rat Show.
Guest Artisans are Bird Marie’s Pottery, Bad Badger
Horns, The Quirky Cork, and Spirit Song Ocarinas.
If you are looking to wet your whistle, the themes for the daily Beer and Wine Tasting events for April 9th& 10th
will be wines of Spain and beers of Texas. Visitors can purchase their
tasting event advanced discount tickets at SRFestival.com
“All of us at Scarborough Renaissance Festival® are tremendously excited to begin our 5thdecade of providing one of the most unique entertainment experiences in North Texas!”, says Helaine Thompson, Director of Marketing & Communications. “In
addition to the exceptional entertainment, one-of-a-kind crafts,
artisan demonstrations and other attractions; we have made significant
improvements to the Festival site that we can’t wait for everyone to
see. So come join us at the 41st Annual Scarborough Renaissance Festival®!”
Helaine Thompson is an amazing woman. I was able to meet and interview her last year. You can check that out here. I am hoping I will get to do more interviews while we go this time. Incredible new shows for the Festival’s 41st
season will feature a sword swallower, comedians, a Renaissance style
gameshow, a verbal joust, a hammered dulcimer musician, and the Big Rat
Show! Scarborough’s performing company (Scarborough Academy of
Performing Arts) is back to pre-pandemic levels with over 75 members and
has been hard at work creating merry new characters and refining
long-time favorites, (including the 2022 reigning monarch, Margaret
Queen of Scotland and the Isles), who will bring the re-created 16thCentury Village of Scarborough to life!
Scarborough’s new 2022
artisans/shoppes showcase artistry such as cast concrete art, sculpted
horns, Macrame jewelry, hand crafted chocolates, Henna body art,
sculpted wearable puppets, bone sculptures & jewelry, leather
accessories, handmade ocarinas, tapestry handbags, pottery, stick
horses, woodworking, hand-dyed silk clothing, and clay sculptures.
New food offerings are the Wonton
Lotus Bowl (I can't wait to try this one!), Fryed Jalapeño Slices (Yep, gotta try these too), Philly Cheese Steak, Polish Sausage
Sandwiches (there goes the diet again), Ribbon Fries, Quesadillas, Fruit Hand Pies, Royal Brownie
Sundae (I'm going to gain weight there for sure), Loaded Totchos, and Chili Cheese Tater Tots. The Original Lemon
Chill will also be returning. (Can you tell I am a total foodie??)
New beers and wines will be available,
and a new mead is being introduced. Texas Mead Works Mead is a
semi-sweet mead with a balanced floral bouquet and light sweet honey
finish that visitors are sure to enjoy. Plus, for the first time ever,
most of the food, drink, and pub locations will be accepting
credit/debit cards!
Games and rides are still cash only,
so we strongly encourage visitors to bring cash for their visit. There
are 8 ATM locations throughout the Festival to serve guests.
Each weekend has a different theme that
include:
Artisan’s Showcase, which is the one we went to last year (4/16 & 17)
The All-New Viking & Ale
Weekend, the one we plan to go to this year (4/23 & 24)
Live the Fantasy & Spring Celebration
(4/30 – 5/1)
Celebrating Chivalry Weekend (5/7 & 8)
Legends of the
Seas (5/14 & 15)
Celtic Weekend (5/21 & 22)
Last
Huzzah (5/28, 29 & 30)
Each weekend also has a variety of special
events and activities including costume contests, special entertainment,
the return of the Royal Ale Festival (21+) on April 23rd & 24th, and the All-New Chocolate Sensations Tasting Event (21+) on May 7thand 8th.
Scarborough Renaissance Festival®
offers “Food Fit for a King” that is a step above the traditional “fair
food”. Visitors can feast on the famous giant smoked turkey legs (over
20 tons are consumed each season, and is my husbands favorite), Scottish Eggs, the largest
food-on-a-stick selection in Texas or try some of the daily special
creations at the Pasta Palace and Scarborough Bakery. The full-service
restaurant & bar, the Rose & Crown Inn, will be offering
signature items like Shepherd’s Pie, Bangers & Mash, meat pies, and
Muffulettas along with daily specials as well.
Visitors 21 and over can partake in Texas
Mead Works Mead, a wide selection of craft, domestic and imported
beer; wine, and other adult beverages at one of the 12 pubs and taverns.
For those with more discerning palates there are daily
wine and beer tasting events with each weekend having a different
theme. Tastings require a separate ticket that can be purchased in
advance for a discount at www.SRFestival.com
or at the Festival (on festival days). Seating is limited and the
tasting events regularly sell out, so it is recommended that you
purchase your tickets in advance. Participants must be 21+ to attend.
2022 Daily Wine & Beer Tasting Themes
April 9 & 10
Wines of Spain and Beers of Texas
April 16 & 17
Wines of Italy and Beers of Belgium
April 23 & 24
Wines of the New World and Blind Date (Beer)
April 30 & May 1
Wines of Germany and Beers of Germany
May 7 & 8
From Grape to Glass (wine) and Barley, Hops, & Yeast Oh My! (beer)
May 14 & 15
Wines Down Under and Beers of the New World
May 21 & 22
Wines of France and Beers of the Celtic Isles
May 28, 29 & 30
Flynn’s Favorites (wine) and Seamus Suggests (beer)
Things to Note
New for the 2022 season: Most food, drink, and pub locations will now be accepting credit cards
Entertainer
tips, games and rides are still cash only so visitors are strongly
encouraged to bring cash for their visit. There are 8 ATM locations to
serve guests including two new locations.
Costumes are welcome at Scarborough Renaissance Festival® but are absolutely not required.
Daily
special events include full combat jousting (three times a day), Birds
of Prey Exhibitions, Children’s Knighting Ceremonies, and the Grande
Parade.
Scarborough Renaissance Festival®
is family friendly with many activities for kids such as the Children’s
Knighting Ceremonies, the Mermaid Lagoon, the EwePets Petting Zoo,
Keet’s Landing (bird aviary), the Unicorn Experience, Renaissance Rides,
games of skill and much more! Kids’ favorite shows include Accidental
Acrobats, Cirque du Sewer, The Don Juan & Miguel Show, Emrys Fleet’s
Big Rat Show, The Nature of Mercy, Shakespeare Approves, Harmless
Danger Juggling Show, Syndicate School of Sword & Skill, and many
others.
There are some shows that are geared toward a more mature audience (16+).
They include Arthur Greenleaf Holmes the Wildly Inappropriate Poet,
Bettina Bawdeville, Menage a Moi, and the King’s Pub – Pub Sing.
Scarborough Renaissance Festival’s
2022 Season offers many exciting new additions to the Festival along
with long time favorites for everyone to enjoy!
New Entertainment
Bettina Bawdeville (PG-16) – Risqué original pub songs, mixing the bawdy with hints of vaudeville. Not for the delicate sensibilities.(May 7 – May 30 Only)
Cy the Sword Swallower – A
man of skill, of danger, and some would say… a complete lunatic!
Witness him swallow a whole armory of swords of different shapes and
sizes!
Emrys Fleet, the Big Rat Show – A hilarious comedy show featuring Pesky the Wonderous one-eyed rate and Wilbur the Dancing weasel! (April 9 – May 1 Only)
Menage a Moi (PG-16) – Top-shelf comedy stylings that are humorously indecent and always discreet.
Name that Sonnet – A Renaissance style gameshow that that most certainly leads to a lot of fun, laughter, and perhaps a little education.
Robin Hood Charity Show – Join this “secret meeting” to create ideas for causing mischief in the Village
The Verbal Joust – A humorous improvisational language lesson on the value of creative insults!
Vince Conaway – Hammered Dulcimer – Bringing history to life by weaving storytelling with an enchanting array of Celtic, Renaissance, and Baroque music! (May 7 – May 22 Only)
New Artisans
Aisling Designs – Cast Concrete Art
Bird Marie’s Pottery – Functional Pottery
Cultivate Outdoors – Bonsai, Succulents, 2-D Art
Dancing Glass Studio – Macrame Beaded Jewelry(April 23 – May 1 only)
White Wizards – Clay Sculptures (May 21 – 30 only)
Scarborough Renaissance Festival®
2022 is open Saturdays, Sundays, and Memorial Day Monday, April 9 – May
30, 2022, from 10 AM to 7 PM rain or shine. Located in Waxahachie,
Texas, Scarborough Renaissance Festival® is just 30 minutes south of the downtowns of Dallas and Fort Worth on FM 66 off of I-35E and an hour north of Waco.
Admission
is $37 for adults and $17 for children, ages 5-12. Children ages 4 and
under are always admitted free. Discount tickets are available at www.SRFestival.com
or at North Texas Tom Thumb & Albertsons stores. There are also
discounts at the gate for Seniors 65+ and active Military.
For more information visitwww.SRFestival.com or follow us on Facebook & Twitter (SRFestival) or on Instagram (theSRFestival).
If you are near Waxahachie, Texas and looking for some good family fun, then this post is for you! US Family Guide and their bloggers (including me) are teaming up with the Scarborough Renaissance Festival that is presented by T-Mobile, to introduce you to some family-friendly weekends that will get you outdoors. All in time for this spring time weather we are starting to get! Check out their information below for the deals and safety protocols they have in place. A review will be coming later, once my family has had a chance to check it out. Hope to see some of you readers there!
*This post is in partnership with US Family Guide and Scarborough Renaissance Festival. All opinions expressed above are my own. And information presented below belongs to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival. I was not paid to present it to you.*
Scarborough Renaissance Festival presented by T-Mobile is coming back
better than ever and ready to celebrate its 40th season starting April
10, 2021! The season will run eight consecutive weekends beginning April 10 -
May 31, 2021, with a variety of exciting new shows and extraordinary new
artisans along with long-time Festival favorites. The health and safety
of their employees, participants and visitors is Scarborough Renaissance
Festival's number one priority. They have worked closely with
local authorities to ensure that all protocols and CDC guidelines
will be followed so that they can conduct a safe and fun event for
everyone. They have developed comprehensive guidelines and protocols that
will be in place for the 2021 season for visitors and participants
alike. These include temperature checks, a mask requirement, social
distancing and more. These guidelines and protocols can be found
on their website at https://www.srfestival.com/covid-19-guidelines/. Opening weekend (April 10 & 11) is Kids Free weekend - up to 3 kids 12 & under get in free with each paid adult ticket.
What would you be most likely to want to see? I'm thinking the Fire Whip Show, The London Broil Show and Birds of Prey! But those are just scheduled things you can see. They also have jousting matches! And shows that are geared towards entertaining the children. My daughters are going to want to meet the mermaids of Mermaid Lagoon for sure! The children can participate in a knighting ceremony, ride an elephant, camel or pony and then watch the daily parade. Check out the list of fun HERE.
They are also having an Easter celebration! Plenty of fun for all to be had. 
