Barbarian Weekend at the TexRenFest 2022

The sixth weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as the Barbarian Invasion. That is always a big weekend and this one was really big.

I ended up with 504 pics and 14 videos for the two days. My totals for the season are 3,418 pics and 42 videos. I will easily exceed my goal of 4,000 and will come close to 4,500.

What follows is a story about Saturday and Sunday with photos and videos. I hope you enjoy the read. I had a lot of fun gathering the media for this post.

I arrived first to the parking area again. I get up at 4:30am and leave my place at 6:30am. After an hour’s drive, I arrive about 7:30am. The opening cannon fires at 9:00am. I have an hour and a half to get photos of the entrance plaza, the front gate beefeaters and a few throne pics before the cannon goes off to start the day.

You might not think it, but these decals ended up costing me a good deal of cashola. Easily $200+.

I’m an early bird and it pays off when I’m ready to leave and tired from a long day of walking. Having a short walk to my Tahoe is nice. I’ve had people tell me that they knew I was there because they passed my ride.

Each morning, a worker brings out a long hose and waters all of the plants and flowers. Usually I wait until he is done before I take this photo. On this Saturday, I was ahead of him and got this pic before he drug out the hose.

On this day, tens of thousands will enter the Kingdom of New Market Village.

The beefeaters are always nice to me and happily pose for a morning photo.

I’m wearing my STORM Factory jacket due to the cold weather. More about this jacket later.

The beefeaters always look so organized. Willie has a great crew.

The entrance area of the village before thousands come into the festival.

Lady Iris gives Elizabeth some face-painting each morning before work. She does this for several people. She has worked at TRF for 29 years.

Queen Juana was dressed for the cold and looked fantastic.

Myself and 5 other exLifeguard friends received a STORM Factory jacket. We all worked at WaterWorld together in the 80’s and 90’s. They are all a part of the Factory.

Our lifeguard competition team won 15 consecutive lifeguard competitions. Our team was called S.T.O.R.M., which stood for Strong Team of Rescue Men. Hence, the STORM Factory. And now you know.

Alan lets different people light the cannon. One day, the Queen lit it and today this guy got to do it.

His reaction to the loud noise is pretty funny. You should watch the video.

The morning dance with the cast and patrons.

Dancing to live music is always a lot of fun to do and watch.

A very regal trio. They have told me that they love their photos.

Rebel and Mary at Ravenswood Leather. They look great dressed for cold weather.

So far, I’ve learned 55+ new people’s names at TRF this season. Rebel and Mary are two of them.

I stopped by the Polish Pub to take pics of the staff. Kasia is great at her job as the manager.

Kasia, Cheyenne and Jacob. I’ll know the other lady’s name by next weekend.

Three lovely ladies, no doubt.

The staff at the Polish Pub is a tight knit group. They work well together and have fun at their job. You can tell they love what they do and it shows.

I enjoy hearing them speak Polish to each other. It’s a nice language.

Jacob and Kasia, great people.

Blaise always has a great smile on her face. Such a beauty.

I haven’t tried the fired alligator from this booth, but I will before the season is over.

Vendella has a great smile also and looks fantastic in her beret.

I have photographed this guy and he seems to like this pose.

A fun pose by some cast members.

Allen at his post as doorman for the Wyrmwood Public House.

Mickey is my favorite bartender in the Kingdom.

The whole staff at the Wyrmwood is fun-loving and I enjoy my time there each weekend.

Travis is a really nice guy and I like him a lot.

The staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins. Greg, Abby and Becca.

All of our jackets have the STORM Factory logo and the Contraband logo.

Each sleeve has patches for our accomplishments as lifeguards. Each person’s patches are different based on what we did.

The bird whistle stand where Chelsea works. There are several located around the Kingdom. The kids love these whistles.

Chelsea is a great salesperson. She is pleasant and polite to each patron even at the end of a long day.

You may not notice this, but look at the tiny hand on her tata. Funny.

The Queen’s Pantry is just inside the gates of the Kingdom and a lot of people eat there.

I could tell that this was going to be a big day because the crowds were growing fast.

At this time of day, there is not usually this many people in this photo.

I think Barbarian weekend did better than Pirate weekend.

Tea and Strumpets had long lines also.

I’m always surprised that people come into the festival and stop to get something to eat at the first food stands, no matter the long lines. If they walked into the festival, they’d encounter great food and no lines until later in the day.

Brie and a friend. Brie works at the Asgardian Armory and is really nice.

I’ve never seen an Evel Knievel barbarian before. Very cool.

On barbarian weekend, the Asgardian Armory is packed both days, all day long.

I ran into Leos. He always looks good.

I appreciate the effort he puts into his face.

Have yet to take a carriage ride.

I think they called this 2nd breakfast. One person in this group used this photo for his Facebook banner pic. Very cool.

Just something else you might come across as you travel through New Market Village.

The staff of the Red Lion Tavern. A fun group.

Haley dresses for each themed weekend and always nails it.

Another RenFest beauty.

Kelsey and Lourdes are two of the new friends that I made this season. Such nice girls.

Lourdes lets me try different food from their food stand. This day, I tried the ‘Steak on a Stick’. It was delicious. It is one of their best selling items and I know why. It’s great.

As a meat lover, this is hard to beat. One of the best things to eat in all of TRF.

Vendella and Blaise always take a good pic.

I met Kylie this season and she’s a cutie. Really nice also.

I also met her mother, Julie, this season. Julie is as nice as she is beautiful.

I stopped back by the Polish Pub for some hot mulled wine. I had never tried it before, or even heard of it. It was great on a cold day. I recommend it.

A nice group shot of some of the barbarians.

I also tried the pulled pork and mashed potatoes sundae. The pork and potatoes are layered so you get some of each in every bite. I had never heard of this either and loved it. Look for it in the Spanish section.

I told this guy he was one horny fellow.

Pam told me to count to three and snap the pic, then she did this. Funny.

I stopped by the Thirsty Pirate Pub.

Shane is another new friend that I made this season. Cool guy.

The number 113 on my right sleeve is the radio number I had at the waterpark. Others have numbers like 108, 808, and 812. Now you know why I sign off as Spider 113 on my Facebook and IG posts.

Wearing the jacket and leather pants kept me warm on a cold day. More about these pants later.

The Thirsty Pirate Pub had a huge crowd all day long.

The horses get to eat in between trips around the Kingdom.

Two cute barbarians.

One thing that I’ve noticed at TRF… no one litters. Everyone uses the trash bags and the staff are always walking around to check on things. TRF is a very clean RenFaire.

And you can sit down next to a complete stranger and have a good conversation over a nice meal.

Tartanic always draws a large crowd.

This lovely lady had on the best glasses. They made her outfit.

Mickey served me my usual kamikaze at the Wyrmwood. It’s actually two kamikaze shots because of the size of the glass he serves it in. I like that.

Emma looks great on her swing above the bar. The lighting doesn’t help in getting good pics in there.

I met Sara last year and she is such a sweetie. So nice.

Erika always looks so good for each weekend day.

She looked so good that I used her pic for the Feature Image of the Saturday gallery on my site.

The Asgardian Armory is lucky to have Erika there. She brings in a lot of people.

I shot video of these dancers this weekend. The videos came out good and deserve a look.

I ran into Karen again. She’s very nice and another RenFest beauty.

A fun group shot.

The Sea Devil Tavern will always have a good crowd. It’s an Old School hangout.

The Pride of Bedlam plays there each day for severals shows. Good band.

I snapped this couple’s photo and told the man that if he lays that jacket down, I was stealing it. He laughed and she said that it would probably fit me better, lol.

Two more cute barbarians.

Hundreds in this photo.

When I remember, I like to get a pic from this vantage point.

That is a big man.

The area just inside the gates is always packed with new arriving patrons.

Coming in by the thousands as I was leaving.

I heard a number for Saturday’s attendance. It was around 40,000 people. Wow.

That is it for Saturday’s pics.

On Sunday, I was first again.

Each morning, a water truck comes down the walkway and waters it down so it’s not as dusty for the entering patrons.

The valet parking is right near the entrance plaza.

The guy with the hose that waters the plants and flowers beat me today. They also had a guy with a blower cleaning off the concrete.

Willie entertained the first kid at the festival for a good while. The kid loved it and Willie is a natural with children. So funny.

About those leather pants… I wore them again on Sunday because it was still cold. The thing is, I liked the pants so much that I bought 3 pair just alike so I would always have a clean pair out of the drycleaners. So, same pants, but not the same pants.

The morning beefeater pic.

Willie had that first little kid conduct the morning inspection of the beefeaters.

The morning cannon.

Lady Iris doing her thing.

Nuria is a great new friend that I met last season.

I’ve known Rudy since last season as well. He’s always really nice to me and I appreciate his kindness.

He always has time for me. Nice guy.

Sholo the Nubian passed away but he is remembered and loved by many at TRF and other RenFests.

Glenda the Good Witch never tells me no when I ask for her photo. Very nice also.

This girl is very photogenic.

And yes, she deserves a close-up.

Ravenswood Leather is on my morning schedule

Rebel and Mary.

Mary has the best of hats. I love it and she looks great in it.

Before the season is over, I’ll get more pics of the Ravenswood merchandise.

The staff is always willing to pose for me and with me and the photos always come out great.

This young lady is on my morning schedule also because she always looks fantastic.

The food all looks and smells delicious.

My morning stop by the Thirsty Pirate Pub.

Margot, Bree and Shelly. I got distracted for a while on Saturday and forgot to come by for their daily pic. Bree said to me, “Where were you yesterday? We looked great.”

I was pissed that I missed that but happy to know that they look forward to my visits to get their pics.

The Sunday crowd is never as big as the Saturday crowd, but it is still a very fun day at TRF.

The TOTS ladies have entertained a huge amount of people this season from this stage.

The Thirsty Pirate Pub was built at the cost of a lot of money. It is already one of the best places to hang out in all of the Kingdom. Ligia (The Empanada Lady) and her family did a great thing for New Market Village and that should be recognized.

I heard that Kasia helped with the decorating. The pub looks awesome.

Their efforts show in the results.

This area has been photographed and posted by a lot of people this season. It’s a good scene and even has a baby and a dog skeleton.

I saw Fallyn and thought, “This would make a good photo.” Tell me I’m wrong, lol.

In the colder weather, there aren’t as many corsets to see.

I stopped by the Polish Pub and got some hot chocolate from Jazi Love. She’s another new friend that I made this season.

Holly and Jazi Love. Two RenFest cuties.

Cheyenne told me her RenFest name was Anya. I said, “As in Jump Anya”? She laughed.

Two of the three lovely ladies from Chaste Treasures, one of the two acts on the Polish Pub stage. Beautiful women, and very talented.

Cheyenne, Jacob and Kasia. Three good friends that enjoy working together to make the Polish Pub a special place at TRF.

Jacob and Kasia are two new friends that I made this season also. Both are so nice to me and I thank them for that.

Kasia is a very smart lady. I like intelligent women and she’s definitely one of them.

On my ‘To Do’ list this next weekend is to learn more names. I’ll have this young lady’s name by the next blog post. She’s another Faire cutie that never refuses me a photo of her.

Kylie and Julie work together some days. TRF is a family affair for many people and I like that.

Catalina Longview’s pics always get responses when I post them on Facebook.

Catalina and Adriana. I’m happy to have met them this season. They always take good pics.

Kelsey and Alex. I knew Alex from last season and learned Kelsey’s name this year.

I had this guy try a different pose for a change.

Haley makes a cute barbarian.

These two nice gals work at the Wyrmwood. I’ll learn their names this upcoming weekend also.

Mickey with my kamikaze. He doesn’t charge me for my shots anymore. I guess because I take a lot of pics of their bar and staff. I gave him $20 to put in their Tip Jar.

Such a fun staff.

Sara is very photogenic. I enjoy taking her photo.

And getting pics with her as well.

I met Becca last season and we’ve become better friends this year.

I kept calling Abby by the name Ally. I finally remembered a way to recall her name. Dr. Frankenstein had his assistant go out and get a brain for the monster. He got the brain of Abby Normal… abnormal. So Frankenstein’s creation had an abnormal brain. That explains a lot.

Greg is a great salesperson for Catskill Mountain Moccasins.

Vebecka and Melissa are two friends that I met last season. They work at the Asgardain Armory also and are very nice to me.

These guys always have a good pose. That background is great for sword pics.

Erika’s face looked better on Sunday than it did on Saturday. She added some white and it made her face really stand out. Great job.

And yes, a close-up.

Erika can make even a clown like me look good.

Alex had a great pose for this pic. Erika took a great photo of us.

This staff works in the Greek area and has some really good food. As well as two very good acts on their stage.

Daddy wanted a few pics with this young lady.

Then he suggested this pose.

Her face makes it. Funny pic.

My hat is off to Daddy for going shirtless even in colder weather. He’s a tougher man than I.

I ran into Johnny Danger in the Greek section. Another nice guy and new friend. I like Johnny and he’s very supportive on my social media posts.

Aphrodite is a part of the trio that make up Cirque Olympus. She is unbelievably talented. I plan to shoot video of their act this next weekend. A funny thing… when I walked up to her to tell her about the video, she looked me up and down and said, “You look amazing!” I was flattered to have such an attractive woman comment on my appearance. Now when my jacket and black leather pants start getting me dates, then I’ll have something to write about.

Here are some of the dancers from Global Dance Theatre. As you can see, they are all beautiful and their show is very entertaining. To see the videos, visit the link at the bottom of this post and look in the Barbarian Sunday gallery. The videos are at the beginning of the gallery and worth a look.

On Sunday, it was still cold and Lourdes let me try some hot beignets.

Everybody loves beignets and these were superb. Lourdes is so kind to me and I thank her every day.

This group had asked some other guy to take their photo. I stepped in and snapped one of my own. Their other pic didn’t have the sign in it. I think my photo is better and I bet they loved it.

At TRF, you never know who you’ll meet. Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage is one of those people. Great outfit.

Sunday wasn’t as crowded as Saturday, but the Thirsty Pirate Pub had a lot of people enjoying their time there.

Ligia’s son designed the pub and deserves a lot of credit for that. Great job.

A fun group of barbarians.

When I saw this lady’s face, I wanted a closer pic and she was happy to pose for me.

Sara makes a mold of the customer’s feet so their new moccasins fit perfectly.

I went by the Spanish section and tried the Super Nachos. They come with chicken, beef or pulled pork. I had the beef and loved the meal. Who doesn’t love good nachos?

I bet most people don’t know where nachos came from. In my efforts to educate as well as entertain, here is the story of nachos…

Nachos were created by Ignacio Anaya in 1943. Anaya was a chef at the Old Victory Club who one evening took pity on a group of U.S. military wives whose husbands were stationed at nearby base Fort Duncan. The story is told that the wives spent a day shopping in Eagle Pass and decided to stop by for dinner on their way home only to find all nearby restaurants had closed for the evening.

Being a kind man, Anaya offered to cook something for the wives from what was left over in the kitchen. He sliced and fried fresh tortilla chips, covered them in shredded cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos, threw the mixture in the oven for a few minutes and named the dish after his nickname and thus created “Nachos Especials”!

So nachos were named after the creator, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, in 1943. And now you know the rest of the story.

In this next pic, the woman in the middle is very tall.