Texas Renaissance Festival is a magical place that’s a great day or weekend destination for the entire family!
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Know Before You Go
Free Parking
Get there early and plan to stay late! There is so much to do!
Wear comfortable shoes for walking in grass and dirt.
Bring cash. Some vendors accept credit cards and there are ATMs, but they are pricey.
Each weekend has a different theme, so check before going.
Getting There
Traffic to the Festival is terrible! Go early, very early!! Stop for breakfast at The Toasted Yolk Cafe in Conroe or the Magnolia Cafe in Magnolia.
Since we came down from N. Texas, we were south on 1774, and traffic wasn’t near as bad. It might be worth the drive to come in off 105 in Conroe to Plantersville and go south. Either way, plan to wait in traffic, but IT’S WORTH IT!
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You don’t want to miss some of the BEST shows! At the very least, you need to get a schedule and plan out your day when you arrive, but it’s difficult to concentrate because the Festival is such a sensory overload of food, sounds and people! We prefer to go online to view the schedule at home, and plan it out before we get there! We know we want to watch the Joust and the Fire Show, so we use the map to plan the things we want to see around those! Click HERE to view the schedule.
Food and Dining
The food at the TRF is amazing! We all pick something we really love. Don’t miss the scotch eggs! The food can be expensive, so plan ahead.
No outside food or drinks are allowed inside, however you can get your hand stamped and go back to your car for a picnic lunch/dinner. If you are spending all day (and you should) I’d recommend eating one meal plus snacks at the festival and another as a picnic. Each section of the park offers different fare.
The Royal Joust
The Joust is one of the highlights for us, and you need to be sure to schedule yourself plenty of time to get there and get a good seat! Afterwards, you can go back to see the knights and horses, who will even pose with you for $5 picture!
The Fire Show
Held in The Arena, to me this is the highlight of the festival! The Fire Show is amazing, but plan your day so you arrive in plenty of time to get good seats. We sat down 30 minutes before the show on the first row, stage right. If possible, I think the best seating is in the center, though. The Fireworks show takes place immediately afterwards, which also signals the end of the Festival day! We were all very pleased with the fireworks, as well!
The King’s Feast
The King’s Feast was described to me as Dinner with Cinderella at Disney World, except for adults. At $99 a ticket, which includes festival admission, it’s 2 hours of food, drink and fun! All the while, your mug stays full of beer or wine, amazing food and great entertainment! Prices make it low on family-friendly, especially for young children. Purchase tickets in advance, as they do sell out.
TRF After Dark
TRF After Dark is for 21 and over, and while we didn’t go, we watched! Guest arrive dressed in amazing costumes, and almost everyone wears a mask! We did get to go inside the TRF ballroom the next morning, which feels like you are walking into a dream!
Camping
We wanted the entire experience, so we decided to take advantage of the almost-perfect October weather and camp at the festival!
You MUST have a ticket to the festival to enter the campgrounds. We had planned to set up our campsite first, but by the time we parked, walked up and purchased our ticket, the kids just wanted to go to the festival! We didn’t go back tot he campground until the festival was over. We still had a really nice campsite, but we missed the really best ones!
There are 2 camping areas, the family/quiet and the “party” area. They suggested to us that we camp in the family area, and walk over to the party/main campground for the bonfire, etc. The BEST campsites are in the family area, and this is where most of the performers camp, too. Try to get a site near the trees, far away from the downside being you are right near the road, but far away from the TRF After Dark. We were able to hear the very loud music at the TRF After Dark until 1am, and then we could still hear the music from the bonfire hours later!
Once we had our camp ready, we walked up to the bonfire, which was just incredible! Thousands of people camp, so you never get that close to the fire, but the entertainers from the Fire Show came out and put on another show, just for fun, around the bonfire, which was incredible! There were lots of kids running around, but I’m sure it became less and less family friendly as the night progressed. A food vendor sold pizza, burgers and chicken, as well as plenty of beer! We had almost as much fun looking as the decorated campsites around the fire as we did the entertainers and party-goers!
There is a store at the front of the campground that sells essentials, including tents and chairs, and some pre-packaged breakfast items.
There was a burn ban on open ground fires, a common thing in October. The store sells fire rings, or bring one from home.
RESTROOMS are located near the store and around the camping grounds, and there is a main shower house, too.
Texas Renaissance Festival
21778 Farm-To-Market Rd 1774, Todd Mission, TX
Click HERE to visit their website.
