For the sixth weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival, the theme was Barbarian Invasion and a lot of people attend on that weekend. It’s a lot of fun and the garb that people wear is great.
I arrived at 7:15am and parked in my usual spot on row six.
Thousands will walk down this pathway to a fantasy land of Barbarians and Beauties.
I love getting to the festival first and seeing everything clean and ready for the day.
The employees blow off the entrance plaza with leaf blowers and everything looks great for the patrons.
On this day, over 20,000 people will enter these gates to the Kingdom.
Once inside New Market Village, everything has already been cleaned and looks nice.
So much activity will occur in this area once the day begins. I like seeing it so peaceful in the mornings.
I got my morning throne pic by Ace. He has gotten really got at taking my pic the way I prefer it. He told me that his friends went on my site and liked these pics. Ace told them that I instructed him how to take and he shoot them.
I usually get a photo with Ace and Willie because these are two of my favorite people in the Kingdom.
It was a little cold on this day so I wore my STORM Jacket. You’ll see more of it later.
The Beefeaters are used to me asking for a pic and are happy to oblige me. They love seeing their photos on the website.
I see Abner almost every morning. On this day, he brought several Steins for the people at the Front Gate and I was lucky enough to get one.
This is a real German Stein with a Peuter top.
I love the artwork on it and will drink hot chocolate from it this Winter.
The Royal Guard are some of the funniest people in New Market Village. You’ll see something really funny later on in this story.
I enjoy getting a pic with them when I can.
MJ was getting her face painted on this Saturday morning.
It was the first time that she ever had her face painted and she loved it. She looked great as a Barbarian Beauty.
This is the group of TRF Photographers that work at the Front Gate. They take pics of people entering the Kingdom and capture memories for them.
My morning pic with the cannon crew.
Alan told me that this little pin was made out of a metal that wouldn’t cause a spark. You’ll see why next.
The cannon is loaded with a charge that causes the explosion. This little pin pokes a hole in the gunpowder.
Then he puts a little gunpowder in the hole made by the little pin that reaches the charge.
This is where the person that ignites the cannon places the lit fuse to shoot it off.
Here is the still frame of the firing.
And here is the video of it going off.
Phil always look the part when he is at the festival and I love that.
In this next pic, I had the idea a few weeks earlier but Phil wasn’t at the TexRenFest so I had to wait until he was back. I put the camera on video and a friend shot me jumping up and down a few times. Then when I got to my office, I took a still frame from the video at the exact right time to look like he is lifting me up. My comment was, “Don’t ever get on Phil’s bad side.”
I ran into Kevin on this morning and got a pic with him. He’s a great guy.
I learned that this morning ceremony is called the Morning Proclamation. There is music, dancing and a message from the King.
The Royal Guard led the King and subjects out before the crowd.
I took a pic with MJ again. She’s always so nice.
This big man had just purchased his two new furs and they looked great on him.
I haven’t had a pickle yet this season but there’s still time.
I had an assistant with me on this day so I got a pic with Julie.
She was serving a baked potato and I snapped a pic of it.
It looks delicious.
Elizabeth, Hannah, Amber and Ariel always look great for every weekend.
I love the hat that Kelsey is wearing. It looks warm.
Haley was a true Barbarian Beauty.
Her eyes looked fantastic.
And she always lets me get a photo with her, which I like.
I enjoy getting large group shots because I get to please a lot of people with one photo.
Mickey works at the Wyrmwood Public House as a bartender and serves up some great drinks for me. He always dresses so sharply and looks great every weekend.
Opal is a Fairy and one of the most beautiful ladies in the Kingdom. The children love her.
These furries were warm in the chilly weather.
Skidmark was up to his usual self, making people laugh.
I love walking through New Market Village and hearing nice music.
I tired the Pork on a Stick at the Bread Bowl food booth from Kylee.
It was delicious and should be tried when at the festival.
I passed back by these Barbarian Beauties and got a photo with them.
A fun group of guys that were enjoying their day.
Lolo always looks super and is nice enough to take a pic with me.
I stopped by the Tease of the Seas show at the Thirsty Pirate Pub and the ladies looked and sounded fantastic.
My assistant gave me an Astros World Series ring. He got two at the ball park for free and his son didn’t want it. I was glad to add it to my collection and it is a great conversation piece.
My STORM Jacket was nice and warm on this day. 113 was my radio number as a Lifeguard Supervisor at WaterWorld that was next to AstroWorld. Great memories from my teens and 20’s.
I worked there for 13 years and was a Lifeguard Champion 13 times.
I got a photo with Shelbelle, who always dresses so well.
After the show, these lovely ladies will pose for pics with fans. I love that. This is from left to right, Cara Cherie, Valentina Jadore and Captain Abby Cadabra.
I always wanted a pic with this sign and got one finally.
Another fun group of Barbarians.
The birthday girl. We gave her $20.
She let me spin her accessory.
Only at the TexRenFest.
I passed by the Steak on a Stick booth and had the beignets, which were warm on a cold day.
So good.
Too cold for me to dress like the guy on the right.
I saw High Seas Barbie and got a pic with her. Lilly is a lot of fun.
Erika had another great hat on that looked very warm.
Taylor has one of the best smiles in the land.
The cigar looks great.
It never rained and everyone that attended the festival this Saturday had a great time.
I love being in New Market Village where everyone can be whatever their heart desires.
One of my favorite places to get a pic is on the Tea and Strumpets upstairs patio.
The TRF photographers at their posts.
Myself and my assistant had a good time and enjoyed some good food and met some fun people this day.
On Sunday, the weather was better so I didn’t need a jacket.
My morning routine pic with Willie and Ace.
Ace was taping a ticket at every gate. Kids get in for free. When a child arrives, the Beefeaters will scan this taped down ticket so TRF will know how many children visited this day.
Willie likes to get a pic with the first patrons of the day and I like that he calls me over for this.
The Royal Guard had a wedding.
“And now you may kiss the bride.” I told you they were funny.
Jade, looking spectacular as usual.
Angela, on the right, is in charge of costuming for the festival.
She always looks really good.
A morning photo with the cannon crew.
The still frame of the cannon firing. Cool pic.
The video of it going off.
The Queen and a few Barbarian Beauties.
The Mud Show guys are funny.
Their show always draws a good sized crowd.
Kristina and Jade are so beautiful.
Rudy is showing the gang sign of a Bagpipe player. Funny.
I would have loved to ride a pony as a child. So much fun for the children.
Elizabeth and Amber, two of my favorite people at TRF.
Another fun interview with Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber.
Two very nice ladies that I usually see as I walk around the Kingdom. That’s Julie on the right and I believe that’s Sara on the left.
Thousands every season enjoy the shows at the TexRenFest.
The many 400 shoppes and booths have a large variety of things for sale.
Julie and her daughter, Kylee, got an escort to the Chimney Cake booth by the Royal Guard.
I’ve never tried a pretzel but people love them.
Catalina Longview was at a different booth on this Sunday and I got her pic.
These ladies are always fun to talk to and visit with.
Getting a pic with Jessica and Stephanie was great.
I also enjoy getting a photo with the Steak on a Stick ladies.
Haley was looking fantastic again. Love her garb every weekend.
She would be in my fantasy TRF Beauty Pageant.
The Red Lion Tavern staff is one of the best in the Kingdom.
A favorite photo of mine.
This Jesus opened up his Bible and gave me a Vanilla Wafer and said, “The body of Christ” like it was communion.
Great looking outfits.
Some dapper dudes.
Crystal and David were a couple of great Barbarians.
I did an interview with them and it turned out great.
I got a pic with Crystal.
The Sausage Song sung by Vendella, Angela and Reagan at the Cajun Food booth.
A pic with Erika and Alex at the Asgardian Armory.
Two more well-dressed patrons.
Such a great photo opportunity.
Just spectacular is all I can say about this beauty.
He looks warm. Great look.
Another Barbarian Beauty.
I’ve never been on the Pub Crawl but it looks fun.
This booth always has a crowd.
Interesting stuff for sure.
Another great looking booth.
I stopped by the Royal Nuts booth.
This kind lady gave me a bag of coated pecans for free. I ate them while I was editing and loading pics later that day in my office.
Another cool looking building at TRF.
I like this pic.
George told me that he was in a band with Wendy O. Williams called the Plasmatics. Some will remember that band from the 80’s.
This building reminds me of going to parties in my 20’s. Trippy paint job.
They issued a pair of 3-D glasses to walk through this exhibit. A fun time for sure.
I love Steampunk and they looked awesome.
A funny thing about this lady on the right.
She wanted me to take a photo from behind her to show the back of her outfit. So I did.
These lovely ladies work at the Sea Devil Tavern and are a lot of un.
I stopped by the Fish and Chips booth and tried the crab cakes from Julie.
So good.
The Sea Devil Tavern has a great photo op area.
I’m sure that they loved this photo. It looks great.
Another beauty in a fantastic hat. Love it.
Barbarian Beauties abound on this weekend.
One of the prettiest ladies that I’ve ever photographed at the TexRenFest.
Another great group of Barbarians with Angela, the costume designer for TRF.
Jade was getting ready to go to the Costume Contest at the Joust arena.
Another cool couple that follow The STORM factory.
I was invited to a show and meal at the Feast Hall by the Marketing Department.
Brandywyne was there also. She is a TRF Ambassador.
Getting a ride through the Kingdom is the way to go.
Love the costume. Very cool indeed.
Todd is the Marketing Director that invited me to the show and meal at the Feast Hall.
The meal started with an appetizer plate that was tasty.
I had never been in the Feast Hall before and enjoyed it very much.
The show was very entertaining.
They gave out souvenir mugs.
Next was the salad. The dressing was very good and I liked it.
The Pride of Bedlam stopped in to sing some songs.
Next up was the potato soup which I enjoyed.
These ladies are very talented and this show should be seen.
The entree was delicious and later they added roast beef also.
Everyone was thoroughly entertained.
They then gave out whipped cream shots. They would walk by with a can of whipped cream and shot it in your mouth. I had some.
The dessert was a great way to end a super meal and good time.
The King and Queen stopped by also.
They thanked everyone for coming and had some nice words to say about the Marketing Department that invited us all.
I got a photo with the ladies from the show, which was fun.
This concludes this blog post about Barbarian weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed myself thoroughly.
To see all of the photos and more, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The weekend of November 4th and 5th at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as Heroes & Villains, which is a Cosplay event.
I arrived early again and was first at the gate when it was opened.
I enjoy getting to the festival early and seeing the day unfold.
Being first has its’ perks.
I’ve been parking on row 6 and that is close enough for me. It’s just a short walk to the entrance plaza.
I’ve never arrived later in the day to experience this long walk from way back there. It seems like a mile long walk from the higher numbered parking rows.
As I was walking up, I saw Robert Self and Willie. Robert was first from the South side and gets to park in the preferred parking.
Two great guys.
One benefit of arriving early is that there is never a line to get a photo on the throne. I’m usually the first person to do this each weekend day.
The plants had been watered but the trash bags weren’t put out yet.
I stepped inside the gates with Robert to grab a drink. He got hot apple cider and I chose hot chocolate. Maddie is a great server.
On a chilly morning, hot chocolate is great.
I was the bad cop again on this day. When is a bad cop good?
When you can’t be good, be good at it.
This veteran said he was the most dangerous person on the battlefield. He said that he carried the maps and radio, which meant that he could call in airstrikes.
With Ace and Willie, two really great guys that love their job.
The Beefeaters are always happy to pose for me and I like that.
The Royal Guard are some busy fellows.
The King works them hard.
On this day, they were dog-tired and in need of a quick rest.
It’s a good thing that the King didn’t catch them lying down on the job.
These ladies sell programs.
On this morning, Captain Hook would be igniting the cannon to start the day at TRF.
Here is a still frame of the firing.
And here is the video of the cannon going off.
Sherry is always so cheerful.
I learned more about those purple, red and yellow badges that certain people wear at TRF. Phil Brayton mentioned that they mean a person is allowed to receive tips for photos and Sherry told me that the badge means that the wearer is a performer.
King Henry the VIII and the Royal Guard.
When the gates open and patrons enter, the TRF photographers are there to capture their photos.
Elizabeth always has fun with her job.
I ran into Kevin, a favortie pirate of mine. He’s such a nice guy and so well-dressed.
The morning ceremony is always fun to watch.
A pic with Hamish MacGregor aka Rudy, the bagpipe player.
I’ve photographed this couple before and they always look fantastic.
Such good makeup.
I think the nose makes everything else work.
The King and Queen greeting their subjects.
The patrons really enjoy the morning festivities.
Jade is always so well made up.
One of the most beautiful people at the TexRenFest.
On this day, John Pfister, from Action 5 News Houston, joined me for the day in the Kingdom.
I asked these ladies if they had seen their previous photos that I had taken of them. They told me that they didn’t make the cut. I was confused by this so I asked them what that meant.
They told me that their co-worker went on Instagram and didn’t see their pics. I explained to them that I can only post a few pics on IG and that their photos were on the website. I’m sure that they were upset when they thought I didn’t use their pics. We had a good laugh about that and I told them to set their co-worker straight, lol.
The Kettle Korn is very good.
Three bills for a dill.
These two lovely ladies work at the Polish Pub.
So does Edyta, Kasia and Cheyenne.
Baubles sells great cigars and looks great doing so.
I finally found the Chimney Cake booth. It’s number 14EF.
They have several things to choose from.
The first thing is to make the dough into strips then roll it around the cooking rods.
Next, the cooking rods are placed over the coals for cooking.
After cooking to a golden brown, the chimney cakes are covered in cinnamon and nuts.
The chimney cakes can be filled with whipped cream or ice cream. Another choice for the customer is strawberries or apple strudel. They also serve a chimney cake with Nutella.
This dessert photographs so well and looks delicious.
John enjoyed his chimney cake and would have it again.
We stopped by the ‘Become a Blacksmith’ shop.
Here, you could make a knife.
They had a lot of people watching the process.
Everyone doing it were having a good time.
Snapped a pic of the King as he was out and about in the Kingdom.
Jessica and Stephanie always look so nice.
Remi and Karlee photograph well also.
Julie looked great as Maleficent.
One of my favorite stops.
Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber.
Another favorite stop on my morning route.
These ladies were nice enough to hold up some of their food.
Beignets, cheese bread and bread pudding. It all looked so delicious.
I have an interview scheduled with these beautiful ladies for this next weekend.
Where’s Waldo?
Haley is another TRF Beauty.
And she’s always ready for a pic, which I appreciate.
I had the stone-fired pizza again on this Saturday.
So, so delicious. Yum.
Renaissance Iron Man and Loki. I have a better pic of them coming up.
Another of the children’s attractions.
All of the shows at the TexRenFest draw large crowds and they all leave feeling entertained.
Here is a favorite pic of mine. Notice that I captured 100% of their outfits. Some people will take a photo and cut off the feet. I think the footwear is important in garb or a costume and should be shown.
A pic with Greg and Kara from Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
My daily pic with Erika from the Asgardian Armory.
Erika and Alex.
A good look.
That’s a lot of green. She looks good.
Here is the other pic of the Renaissance Avengers. Another 100% pic.
After I take a full body photo, I take a mid-range pic as well.
These ladies looked great in their black outfits.
This couple was having a great time and I’m sure that they loved this photo.
June, looking fun as usual.
The crowd for this Saturday was a good size.
The Kingdom had thousands of fun-loving people in it.
They were eating, drinking, smiling, laughing and enjoying the day in New Market Village.
If I had to pic a highlight of the day it would be finding the chimney cake booth.
These photos were taken from the Tea and Strumpets patio.
This spot is a favorite of mine for a photo.
Another fun group arriving at the festival.
Steadily coming in as I was leaving.
I don’t post attendance numbers but this day saw many thousands attend the Texas Renaissance Festival.
When I got to my Tahoe, there were four police officers waiting on me to talk to me about impersonating an officer. Just kidding. They were parked there to watch people arrive and were happy to move so I could leave.
This concludes the Saturday pics. Sunday is next.
On Sunday, I arrived early again.
I could hear the blowers cleaning the entrance plaza. They make a cloud of dust for a bit.
As I was putting on my gear, the water truck passed by.
TRF waters down the path so it is not so dusty for the patrons.
Each morning, several workers walk the path and parking areas to clean up. They always do a great job because it always looks so clean.
The valet parking is located right next to the entrance plaza. Such a close walk.
I plan on entering this contest. I would love a free European vacation.
These gates see many thousands of guests each season. Some estimates are that the TexRenFest entertains 500,000 a season.
It was a bit foggy on this Sunday morning.
TRF Founder, George Coulam. A great man that has entertained millions.
Good info to know about King George.
Willie was out waiting for the first patron of the day.
Ace snapped my morning throne pic for me.
A good pic of the Beefeaters.
Willie, Spider and Ace.
The Royal Guard undergoing a morning inspection by a patron.
The guests love doing this.
All quiet before a busy day.
If the TexRenfest has 500,000 attendees, then each of these 6 gates will see 83,333 people during the 8 weekends.
I got a pic of Rudy before he was going out to entertain the patrons that were waiting for the gates to open.
The morning cannon crew and myself.
Alan getting the cannon ready.
Here is a still frame of the cannon firing.
And here is the video of it.
The Royal Guard.
The program vendors. I know Zak, Aislynn, Stormy and Rob.
A pic with the Royal Guard. Such fun guys.
A photobomb.
Captain Hook, looking splendid.
A Renaissance Wonder Woman, very cool.
“You shall not pass.”
Glinda, the good. Beautiful.
Fun ladies enjoying their roles.
Mel works in the Marketing department. Here he is with an expensive camera, capturing the morning ceremony.
The dance always looks fun.
A good way to start a day in the Kingdom.
A pic with MJ of Ravenswood Leather.
Some good yard bird.
I hope they found their pics on the website.
Karlee is another Renfest Beauty.
Elizabeth and Amber always dress for the theme and look great.
Fernanda and Tonya.
I asked them to hold some of their food.
This is the crawfish Mac and cheese, and the fried crawfish with cheese fries. Both look delicious.
Haley works at the Red Lion Tavern. Stop by for a pic.
Later in the season, I’ll make special galleries on the website that has just the Red Lion Tavern pics. I do that for several of the places that I photograph regularly.
I passed back by the Steak on a Stick booth and Tonya let me try their main item, the steak.
This is one of my favorite things to eat while at TRF.
I ran into Alexandra again this season. So beautiful.
I was glad to get a pic with her.
Remi and Karlee photograph well.
I would have loved this as a child. If I did this now, I’d be in traction for 2 months.
I stopped by Odin’s Table for some pics.
Lolo looked fantastic.
Another very photogenic lady at TRF.
The bar at Odin’s Table is very cool.
A fun pic of Haley.
Odin’s Table will be a regular stop for me from now on.
One guy said, “Not in that order” and I agree.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Another fun attraction for children.
Pirate Airships.
Pam works at the Bilge Pump bar at the Sea Devil Tavern.
Kay, looking splendid.
All the Mead you need.
A fun couple.
The King posing with a nice family.
Two more great performers.
A well-dressed couple.
Some fun games to try.
I’m not smart enough for this.
Maybe checkers.
This family was enjoying this game.
“Alas, poor Yorick.”
A great patio to grab a drink and relax.
A good photo op.
Two fantastic costumes.
And beautiful smiles.
Ronnie may be the most in shape person that works at TRF.
How is she squatting like that? If I did that my knees would sound like cereal… snap, crackle and pop.
Mindy works at Ye Olde Portraits and is so very nice.
A great looking guest.
Love it.
Erika and I.
Alex and I.
Sunday had a good crowd of people.
June and Shane are always up for a photo.
I wonder how many Turkey legs are sold each weekend. I bet it’s a lot.
The same goes for bottles of Mead.
The crowd for Sunday is always a little smaller than Saturday but still in the thousands.
I enjoy the view from the Tea and Strumpets patio.
This group was a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting their photo.
This is the best Steampunk couple that I’ve ever photographed.
The TRF photographers were still hard at work capturing memories for the arriving patrons.
Jessica was ready to stamp your hand if you were returning that day.
This is the booth where the guests can pick up the photos taken by the TRF photographers.
I had another good day in the Kingdom.
The throne is always busy.
Only three weekends left to enjoy the Texas Renaissance Festival for this year.
Rob was selling programs on the walkway leading to the festival. A really nice guy.
Still arriving by the hundreds.
No police officers today.
This concludes the blog post about the Heroes & Villains weekend. To see all of the photos, visit the link below and click on Photos.
The weekend of October 28th and 29th at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed All Hallows Eve for Halloween. And it never disappoints.
I arrived about 7:15am and parked on row 10 with no problems.
I usually post this pic to advertise Contraband Clothing Company in case anyone is interested. The website is http://www.Contraband.World
I like arriving early and being the first one to park.
The walkway is always clean and in the early hours, a water truck comes down the path to wet it down so it’s not so dusty for the patrons.
The TexRenFest is the largest RenFest in the U.S.
Ace snapped my morning throne pic.
I asked a patron to take a pic of Ace, Willie and I.
The Beefeaters, looking sharp and ready for a big day.
I was on duty this weekend, keeping order in the Kingdom. I had to issue many warnings to some young ladies about their conduct in New Market Village and even threatened a few with my pink, fuzzy handcuffs.
As a bonus of working at TRF, I’m able to get tickets for my friends to attend. On this day, I had 4 guests coming.
The morning inspection by a patron.
This is always entertaining to watch.
The TRF photographers, all dressed and ready to snap some pics.
Aislynn sells programs as the patrons enter the gates.
She did a great job on her face.
This is King Henry VIII aka Christopher Millard and the cannon crew of Kenny, Lisa and Alan. Christopher would be lighting the cannon on this Saturday morning.
I enjoy getting a pic with them each weekend day.
Here is a still frame from the video of the firing.
And here is the video of the cannon going off to start the day in New Market Village.
The Royal Guard is always up for a good pic.
The TRF photographers from the other side of the entrance area. I wonder how many pics they take on a day and weekend.
The first patrons arriving through the gates of TRF.
Take note of the purple, yellow and red badge he is wearing. He looks great.
Sherry enjoys her role and does a great job. So hard-working.
King Henry the VIII’s Royal Court.
The morning festivities.
The characters will have a dance with some of the guests.
My daily pic with MJ at Ravenswood Leather. They fixed my leather pouch for free by putting on a new snap. That pouch holds all of my business cards and I can’t afford to have them all fall out and get ruined before I can hand them out.
Rebel and MJ are so nice and very good friends.
I passed by the morning festivities again and they were busy having fun, as always.
Angela, on the right, always looks fantastic and does such a great job with all of her many characters.
The Washing Well Wenches have one of the funniest shows at the TexRenFest and should be watched.
The undertaker was in attendance on this Saturday. Phil Brayton looks great in character.
The wenches were showing Phil their map of the Kingdom.
I’m always confused so when they finish showing their map, I always ask where the exit is again. In this pic, she is showing me. Too damned funny.
Getting a pic with Phil is always on my To Do List. Such fun photos.
Another great costume. Notice that they each have those purple, yellow and red badges also. I’ll explain later.
Taylor sells the flower wreaths and has one of the best smiles at the festival.
Jazi Love works at the Polish Pub and that’s one of my usual stops in the morning.
I bought a hand-rolled cigar from Baubles and enjoyed it when I got home. Baubles always looks great and sells good cigars.
Catalina Longview works back by the elephant area and is worth the walk.
The shows at TRF always draw large crowds. And everyone is thoroughly entertained.
Jenna was dressed as the Pink Panther, complete with pink tail.
Who wouldn’t want a cold beer from these ladies?
Julie is another regular stop for me and she always photographs so well.
Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber always dress for the theme and never disappoint me.
Julie and her daughter, Kylee. Two real beauties.
Luckily I didn’t have to arrest them.
Three horny devils with beautiful smiles.
Reagan and Vendella having a laugh.
Fifi and Jeanette.
The food booths and merch shops had candy on this weekend for the kids to Trick or Treat.
And the candy all looked delicious.
I may get tired after a day in the Kingdom but my job never gets old.
These guys cook up a lot of steak on a stick.
Fernanda and Tonya always have smiles on their faces.
The crew at the Red Lion tavern always dress for the theme also.
I enjoy getting pics with Hayley. It’s a highpoint of my day.
Notice the skeleton hand coming out of her top. Fun.
Saxon Moon always draws a large crowd. They are all very talented and Violet is their Fire Dancer. This show should be watched.
TRF has several attractions for the children.
Kids love carousels.
Riding a live animal is always fun for children.
Here are some ponies taking a break.
As a child, I would have loved to jump really high like this.
I bet that after a day of fun and activities, the children all sleep really well from all of the excitement.
This guy grabbed two of his favorite heads for this pic.
Here, you can throw heads through hoops to win.
While at TRF, you can have your palm read or future told by Tarot cards.
I think that parrot owners are good people.
A beautiful bird.
Another fortune teller.
I’ve never had my fortune told. It might be interesting to hear.
The TexRenFest always has some great families enjoying their time at the festival.
The Mud Show is a lot of fun and always has a crowd watching it.
You never know what will come down the street.
That’s Angela in the middle. So talented.
This is Reagan and her friends.
I always enjoy getting a pic with her. Everyone loves her outfit and so do I.
The choir draws a good crowd. Here, the ladies are singing to the gents.
Lots of great costumes. They always look fantastic.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House.
Emmy, on the right, will swing in a swing over the bar. It’s fun to see and she looks fantastic doing it.
Mickey, Shelby and Bri, the Wyrmwood bartenders.
Great costumes. She is a spider woman.
Now, the gents are singing to the ladies.
Quite entertaining.
There are several facepainting booths located around the Kingdom.
Spider with Greg of Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Erika and Hyle of the Asgardian Armory. Erika was named after Erik, the Viking.
Erika and Alex.
I didn’t have to arrest Erika either.
Artemis has a beautiful smile.
Two young ladies enjoying their time in the village.
Brandywyne had several spiders on her.
Two of them were called Laverne and Shirley and the others were named after “Friends” characters.
When it gets colder, Alex will still dress the same. He is a tougher man than I.
Demon and Angel.
I photograph this couple each year at TRF. Nice people.
Cool Knight garb.
This guy was dressed as ‘Day of the Dead’ and looked great.
These young ladies work at Ye Olde Portraits.
Saturday drew a good crowd.
The Kingdom had many thousands of guests in it.
And all were having a great time.
This is the patio of Tea and Strumpets. It’s a great place to get a bacon sandwich and enjoy the view.
The kid giving the thumbs up made me laugh.
Pirate logos are all around at TRF.
Patrons came in all day long.
Another successful day for the TexRenFest.
Aislynn was still at her post and selling programs with a smile.
The photographers were busy getting pics.
Another good memory.
Jessica had her desk decorated well.
This couple is dressed as characters from “Kill Bill.”
Another well-dressed couple.
Willie does a great job of overseeing the front gate Beefeaters.
People would continue to arrive by the thousands.
More cars than when I arrived at 7:15am.
This concludes the pics from Saturday. Sunday follows.
On Sunday morning, I arrived about 7:15am and parked on row 6. There was already a car parked on the other side of the row. They told me that they arrived early to avoid traffic. They must have arrived at 7am or earlier.
The guy, Brian, came over to me to borrow a lighter to burn some threads on a costume so I got him to snap a pic of me and the STORM Factory Tahoe.
I had a little shorter walk to the entrance plaza on this day and I liked that.
The valet parking area is right by the entrance plaza so a person that uses this service is really near to the front gates, making for a short walk when they are ready to leave. If you arrive later in the day, you might be stuck in a long line of cars, have to park way down the walkway and have long walks to and from the festival.
On this weekend, tens of thousands entered this area.
You could get your tickets from this electronic kiosk.
This is a very nice restroom sign. It is for the number 1 restroom. Notice the 1 by the red arrow.
Willie is always ready to pose with the patrons. He does an awesome job and everybody loves him.
Ace is always happy to take my pic on the throne and I appreciate that.
No leather NYPD cop shirt on this day, but I was still on the lookout for women causing trouble… and in need of a Partner in Crime, lol.
Ace, Spider and Willie.
Ace and Willie, discussing world affairs and working out global problems.
I may be the only photographer to regularly get a pic of the Beefeaters and I’m proud of that fact. They deserve a little attention also.
A nice seating area near the front gates.
There are several banners located above the entrance plaza. Each with a different image.
Aislynn with her candy for the kids.
Some good stuff.
If I could have dressed in my costume as a kid and come to TRF to go Trick or Treating at all of the shoppes and booths, I would have been in Heaven. Trick of Treating for candy is one of the best things that the TexRenFest does all season. The children love it and the employees have fun giving out candy all day long.
And you’ll notice that there was a wide variety of candy offered everywhere throughout the Kingdom of New Market Village.
I enjoy getting photos with the cannon crew each morning. I feel privileged in knowing them and shooting video of the cannon.
There are thousands that have now seen what the morning cannon looks like thanks to me and I’m happy to share this every weekend day. It’s a special moment in a day at TRF.
Here is the video of Kenny igniting the cannon.
Ready for a busy day of facepainting.
She also has a purple, yellow and red badge. That explanation is coming soon.
The King and Queen do such a fabulous job of promoting the festival and interacting with the guests. Here, the King and Queen are talking with a family. The little witch was so cute and enthralled by the King.
I told the King and Queen that these were some of my favorite Royal Clothes.
Hamish MacGregor aka Rudy. Such a nice guy.
The crowd of villagers bow for the arrival of the King and Queen to the morning festivities.
Ravenswood Leather also has some great furs. Some are behind MJ in this photo.
I ran into Donald Trump.
Phil Brayton is a great D.T. So talented he is.
Phil and others wear this badge that lets the people know that he is allowed to receive tips for photos. Only a certain, special few can wear these badges and it’s a good status symbol.
When people ask my why I spend so much of my time working at the RenFest, I explain to them that I love what I do. This photo is an example. I love knowing that they will enjoy this photo for years to come.
In the above photo, you’ll notice that I captured 100% of their costumes, including the feet. Some photographers will cut people off at the feet or toes. I find those pictures could be framed better.
And many times, the shoes or boots of a costume should be in the pic because they go with everything.
I also will shoot a midrange photo of people so that they have a 100% pic that includes everything and also a shot taken a little closer. I do this most every time that I stop someone for photos.
Having a drink on this outside patio would be very relaxing.
The King’s Patio Bar has a lot to choose from.
Anything you could want to wet your whistle.
Picking a tune to entertain in the morning.
This young lady sells jewelry.
And has a great smile. Love the hat.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Looks and smells delicious.
This is Nuria in front of the Big Hat Pirates shop.
She has a great skeleton pirate costume.
This is another fun ride that the kids enjoy.
Two lovely ladies from the Polish Pub.
The entertainer gave this little girl a prize for assisting him. He gave her a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sticker and said he gave her that because he… “was born in the 1900’s.” That’s funny.
Coconut water is good for a hangover. I tried it last season and enjoyed it.
Two of the funniest ladies in all of the Kingdom.
A fun couple.
On this Sunday, I had a breakfast of the meat lovers pizza. It is stone fired pizza and tastes so good. I’ll have this again before the season is over.
Jenna had another nice headpiece on this day.
The yound lady on the right, Cris, donated to our children’s charity. We really appreciated that. We’ll be offering gifts and treats to children in the Harris County Children’s Shelter this Christmas again. If you’d like to help us in this project, you can learn more info and donate to our cause on our site.
I plan on trying some of the food from Julie’s booth before the season is over. They have some great items. Here she is holding her candy.
You can’t go wrong with Dum Dums.
Mother and daughter, Julie and Kylee.
Here is an interview that I did with Julie.
Kylee is just as photogenic as her mother.
Here is an interview with Kylee.
Elizabeth, Amber and Ariel always look so fantastic.
Here is an interview that I did with them.
I’ll interview Bri this upcoming weekend while I’m at TRF.
Kenley and Reagan are going to join Angela and Vendella in singing a song on video for me soon. I’m excited to hear their song.
Fifi said that this is the only fox allowed near the chickens.
Kelsey and Alex always photograph well.
This young lady looked great as well.
Making leather headbands with a smile.
You can get a cold, refreshing lemonade from this fine, young lady in the Greek section of the village. And you even get a souvenir cup. I have a few from over the years and use them often.
The buidlings and architecture of New Market Village are amazing. Every building has such character and style. I love that so much thought went into the designs.
The Red Lion Tavern ladies had candy also.
Everybody loves Tootsie Rolls.
More great Knights. Love this look. So cool.
Mr. Fox out on a stroll through the Kingdom.
Pyxie, at the Wyrmwood Public House, had candy too.
Lots of chocolate. My favorite and yours as well.
Mickey and I inside the Wyrmwood.
On this Sunday, he made me a classic Lemon Drop shot. It was delicious.
Here is a video of him making the Lemon Drop.
The bartenders at the Wyrmwood are the best in the land.
Doyle and Timely Rain. Timely runs an Open Mic in the Montrose in Houston. She hosts musical acts, burlesque, stand up comedians and more. I’ve done stand up at her Open Mic and had some success. I’ll be back after RenFest season to tell some more of my jokes. All are adult content, as you might have guessed. I even discuss the time that I had sex underwater with Scuba tanks. That’s a funny story.
A day in New Market Village is so much fun. Lots to see, lots to eat and drink, friends to meet and fun to be had.
Ran into Donald Trump again.
The choir was out again on Sunday.
Quite pleasant to listen to them sing.
Another cool pirate flag.
Handmade soaps.
TRF has 400 shoppes and so much great merchandise.
I enjoy getting this shot of the crew at Catskill Mountain Moccasins because it shows off all of their moccasins on display. These moccasins are custom made to fit each person by creating a cast of their feet and creating the moccasin around said casts.
Greg and Spider. I’ve known Greg for a few years now and he is a really great guy. And so knowledgeable about their product.
The Asgardian Armory had candy and Erika was giving it out.
Such a good variety. Reese’s, Almond Joys and great blow pop suckers. Love her rings.
The Asgardian Armory is one of the coolest shoppes at TRF. Last year, they fixed my utility belt for free and really helped me out. In my utility belt, I carry a battery, a charging cord, extra business cards and a few other things that I need throughout the day while working in the Kingdom.
Fun pic.
Sometimes Mead is all you need.
I think it would take several weekends to see all of the shows at TRF.
The noon parade started with Hamish MacGregor at the lead, playing his bagpipes.
Being a Knight of the Joust would be a cool gig.
I know it’s something that I could never do. This is a highly skilled position with years of training around horses.
Great promo outfit. So easy to read.
A day in New Market Village is always special. And seeing the daily parade is always a lot of fun.
The cast, characters and crews all love being in the parade and it shows.
I’m probably too broken down to walk at their pace, but it would be fun to ride in the parade.
Mindy has the right idea.
Ronnie may be the most in shape person that works at TRF.
After the parade, I was walking towards the front gates when I heard, “There goes Spider Michaels.”
I stopped and snapped the young ladies’ pic. I’ve photographed them before. Really nice girls.
Great garb.
I liked her look also.
I’m always a fan of great face makeup.
I stopped by and got a pic of June again. So nice.
Always a crowd at the Queen’s Pantry area.
Next year is the 50th Anniversary of the TexRenFest. I know they are planning lots of special things to commemorate this milestone.
A day in New Market Village is like visiting a fantasy land where you can see just about any type of character that you can imagine. You also can be anyone that you wish in a Judgement-Free zone.
Many times I wish that TRF had a Spring season also.
I’m sure others would enjoy that as well. October and November weekends are my favorite time of the year and I’d like more of that throughout the year.
This was a funny scene as she was explaining the map to the dragon.
Lady Iris, creating smiles and beautiful faces.
Another happy guest.
Jessica was ready with her candy bucket also.
The children could grab one for the road as they left. I imagine many kids left TRF with a bag full of candy. What a haul? For me, as a kid, this would have been fantastic.
That throne gets great promotion for the TexRenFest because a lot of people post their throne pics on social media.
I’m curious to know at what hour of the day do most guests arrive.
On the way in or out of the festival, you can stop by this building to sign up for a prize giveaway.
Just fill out a form and drop it in the bucket.
Somebody will win. Why not you?
A chance to live like a King & Queen.
My choices of trips are Hawaii and Vegas.
The crew were all very nice.
I had another successful weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. For the two days, I shot 603 photos and 7 videos.
Look how many were about to enter the Kingdom.
This concludes my blog post about All Hallows Eve weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. To see all of the pics and so much more, visit the link below and click on Photos.
For the second weekend of the TexRenFest, the theme was 1001 Dreams. I arrived early again and got my front parking spot on row 10. For the Saturday, I shot 395 photos and 3 videos.
I added a magnetic door sign that has the logo plus the word Media. This will help with parking during the Summer’s comicon circuit.
I like all of the decals on the rear window. One of my favorites is The Call of Booty decal. It goes well with all of the others. I may camp out this season to hang with them again. Always a great time.
I enjoy arriving early and seeing the gardeners watering the plants, the grounds crew placing the trash bags and the Beefeaters at the ready for a busy day.
Willie, on the right, is one of the best members of staff at TRF. He always has a “Guest-First” attitude. In this photo, he asked me to take a pic of the first patron of the day. He then told her that I would give her a card so that she could get this pic for free from my site. I love the job that Willie does. A+.
A pic with Ace and Willie.
Each morning, I get Ace to snap some pics for me. He’s always happy to help me out and I appreciate that.
The Front Gate Beefeaters.
This is the morning cannon crew. Alan, Lisa and Kenny.
Two great guys and good friends.
Here is a short video of Kenny igniting the cannon.
These people are the ones that take photos of the patrons as they enter the festival. A short time later, a guest can purchase these photos and by Monday, they can download a digital copy. This is a good service for people that want a memory of their day.
The Royal Guard. They lead the way for the wedding processionals.
Lots of fairies and winged beauties on this weekend.
And I love great face makeup.
Jade is a favorite to photograph.
Rudy has some great clothes for a RenFest.
I made my usual stop by Ravenswood Leather to get a pic with MJ.
Taylor sells flower wreaths and looks cute doing so. Great pose.
I snapped a pic of this crew and the lady on the right wanted to hold up a piece of their chocolate covered cheese cake. Damn, that looks delicious.
I ran into Nuria. She is catching fairies with her net.
I run into Nuria at TRF each year and also at comicons throughout the year. She’s fun, friendly and beautiful.
She wanted a selfie and I was happy to do it.
The crew from the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
A cool pirate ship.
This is Jazi Love. She works at the Polish Pub. Very nice and cute with her wings.
Eva, Kasia and Danuta from the Polish Pub.
Kasia has become a good friend. She is a hard worker and gives it her all.
Elephant rides for the kids.
Baubles sells cigars. I’ll buy one from her one weekend.
Lovely ladies offering some great drinks.
Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber. So fun and friendly.
This is Bri. I asked her if her name was Briana and she said that was her government name. I laughed. That’s funny.
Jeanette and Fifi are holding their stuffed turkey legs.
The turkey leg is cut in half and filled with something good to eat.
This is their chicken. They call it Naughty or Nice.
The fried chicken is naughty and the grilled chicken is nice.
Another fun crew.
Fernanda is holding the fried crawfish plate. It comes with potato wedges and sauce. So damned good.
One of my favorite dishes at TRF.
I stopped by to get my daily pic with Hayley.
Greg competes in fitness competitions. When I saw this pic, I mentioned to him an old saying, “Sun’s out, guns out.”
Erika has some of the best clothes of any woman at the festival and always looks great.
The Asgardian Armory has some awesome merchandise and clothing.
So talented.
Mindy works at Ye Olde Portraits. Another very nice person.
Plenty of seating to enjoy a snack, meal or drink.
The Queen’s Pantry is a popular place to eat.
The festival had a good crowd for this Saturday.
The village was filled with smiling, happy people.
Lots of people in this pic if you look off in the distance also.
Kevin is one stylish pirate.
I try to get pics of a pirate’s rings.
Kevin has some nice ones.
In the following photo, I’m wearing the rings from my past.
From left to right, here are my rings… The first ring on the little finger of my right hand is a memento ring that I got when I covered the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The next ring is from when I worked in the NHRA (Natl. Hot Rod Assoc.).
Next is an IndyCar Championship ring from when I worked in that racing series with Sam Hornish, Jr. and Panther Racing.
The ring with the blue stone and the number 24 on it is a Jeff Gordon NASCAR Championship ring from when I worked with that team.
On my left hand, the ring on my index finger is a PADI Scuba Diver’s ring that I designed. I’m trying to get PADI to offer them worldwide. Currently, I’m the only Scuba Diver on the planet to possess a PADI certification ring with their logo on it.
The ring on my middle finger is a NASCAR Brickyard 400 Champions’ ring when I worked with Jeff Gordon.
The ring with the skull and bones on it is a Lifeguard Championship ring. I was a 13 time Lifeguard Champion when I worked at WaterWorld.
The ring on my little finger is a McNeese State University graduate’s ring.
When I worked in motorsports, I wasn’t concerned with collecting rings. Only years after my career did I care about memories.
Recently, I found out that I will be receiving a Daytona 500 Champions ring from my work with Jeff Gordon’s team. I’ll wear that ring in place of my NHRA ring when I receive it.
And now you know the rest of the story… lol.
Two stylish pirates.
A good pic of Kay.
This young man saw me walking by and asked for a pic with me. I took their pic first then posed with him for a pic. I thought he had recognized me from social media but when I gave him my card, it was all new to him. I guess that he wanted a pic with me because of the way I was dressed. That’s all I can figure.
Entertainment can be found everywhere at the TexRenFest.
Alex, Fernanda, Tonya and Kelsey. The Steak on a Stick staff.
Elizabeth made a cute pirate fairy.
She told me to grab her wings like I had caught a fairy. Her face makes the pic, lol.
Another cool pic from my travels around the Kingdom.
One day, I will take a carriage ride.
The facepainting tent near the main entrance is always busy.
Patrons still arriving by the hundreds.
Here is one of those photographers in action.
Smiling faces as you exit.
Ace and Willie at their post.
A pic with Todd Wold, the Marketing Director of TRF. Very cool dude, indeed.
I snapped this pic of these cute fairies as I was leaving for the day.
Stormy greets the patrons as they approach the front gate area with a great smile.
Many more cars than when I arrived at 7:30am.
On Sunday, I was at the festival early again.
By the time the festival ends its’ 17 day run, hundreds of thousands will have passed through this area.
I’d be curious to know how many photos have been taken on this throne.
Willie, Spider and Ace.
Ready for a busy day.
Lady Iris will begin facepainting before the festival even opens to the public by working on the cast and crew of TRF.
She’s loved by one and all.
These guys have a good show and should be watched.
Spider, Alan, Lisa and Kenny.
Here is a short video of George Millard igniting the morning cannon.
This is Hayden, Zak and Aislynn. They sell programs at the entrance of the festival. Aislynn asked me what I put in my hair. I told her, “Glue.” She had asked because her friend has curly hair also. I explained to Aislynn that if I didn’t use gel or spray, my hair would look like Kramer’s, lol.
A little dab to start the day.
“Dabbing” was developed by the rap group Migos and done a lot by Cam Newton during his playing days.
The Royal Guard.
Elizabeth enjoys her job and it shows.
Glenda the Good.
The TexRenFest is comprised of friends and families and they all love their jobs.
The ladies of Ravenswood Leather.
Rebel, Spider and MJ.
Such a happy young lady.
With a great hat and smile.
This shop is called Big Hat Pirates.
They have some great merchandise.
The counter looks like something out of a movie.
I love this shop and the staff.
Kettle corn being made and bagged.
This popcorn is delicious.
The kettle corn is made and bagged at this booth. They also sell it throughout the Kingdom with vendors. A pic of that will come later.
The food at the Polish Pub is fantastic.
Jazi Love and Moi.
Baubles looking cute.
Sexy pirate.
Hair everywhere.
For a RenFest wedding.
Jenna usually lets me get her pic and I’m glad.
Fun pic.
Cris asked me about tipping me or donating so I explained to her about our charitable foundation. After the weekend, she made a donation to help us offer aid to disadvantaged children in the Houston area. To make a donation also, visit https://TheSTORMFoundation.org
Julie is one of the nicest people at TRF.
On this day, she was working at the Cajun Food booth with Vendella and Reagan.
Alex and Kelsey holding their steak on a stick.
Two of the best pieces of meat in all the land. Delicious.
As I travel the Kingdom, I will chat with each group of employees at the many food booths that I stop at for photos. I hear interesting stories about the festival or the employees that I’m speaking with. Here is one such story.
A worker told me that she works in the rental car business for her day job. I told her that I bet she sees some interesting things when people return the cars. She went on to tell me a story.
She said that one time a car was returned with some weed in it and the car cleaners didn’t find it before the car was rented again. The car was then rented to a DEA agent. When he got to work, the drug dog sniffed out the marijuana and he had a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Finally, the rental car manager had to get involved to clear his name.
That story makes me laugh because finally a DEA agent was saying, “That’s not my weed!”
Great clothing.
Beautiful.
The drinkware is a great collectible from TRF.
Most will have the date on them.
Next year, these will be even more popular because it will be the 50th season.
Super selection.
Absolutely amazing.
A work of art.
Greg has some great RenFest clothing also.
Catskill Mountain Moccasins: Fish, Greg, Eric and Patrick,
A colorful group of young ladies.
The Sanderson Sisters.
This is Opal, the fairy.
Such a beautiful young lady.
She does a great job of entertaining everyone.
The Greek area.
The food here is delicious.
And the staff is very friendly.
Lots to choose from.
The smells are fantastic.
And the salads taste great also.
And you can get a salad with meat on it.
I enjoy a salad from the Greek section.
The dressing is really good.
Scott was working on leather headbands on this Sunday.
Elizabeth, Hannah and Amber.
Hayley makes a cute fairy.
Mickey served me a Necromancer.
Here is a video of him making that Necromancer for me.
Taylor works at the Wyrmwood Public House also. Very nice.
Shelbelle and Mickey.
A favorite pic of mine.
The Tease of the Seas ladies.
They have a great show at the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
I passed by the Spanish section for some pics.
Ligia has some great employees that all love their jobs.
Smiling faces.
You can try your hand at archery while at TRF.
Something fun to do.
Adults and kids love shooting arrows.
Tartanic always draws a large crowd.
A great band.
Stephanie, Tee and Hayley.
This was a fun couple.
Erika and one cute barbarian.
A great pic.
And yes, she deserves a close-up.
Here is a kettle corn vendor that I mentioned earlier.
Sunday had a great crowd.
I snapped a pic of Aislynn as I was leaving for the day.
The guests were still coming in.
This is Mel, Todd and Sara, in the Marketing Department. Notice how neat the table is.
I pick up a Media Pass and ticket from them each weekend day of the festival. Such nice people. It is a pleasure working with them.
Stormy was again the last smiling face that I saw from the festival.
That concludes this post about the 1001 Dreams weekend. To see all of the photos, visit the link below and click on Photos.
It seems like the year has flown by since we were at the TexRenfest last year. I, for one, am glad about that because I love the Texas Renaissance Festival.
The 2023 season got off to a good start with great weather for Opening Weekend. I was excited to see all of my friends from last season and also to make new ones.
On this Saturday, October 7th, I was up at 4am to get ready for the festival. I was dressed, geared up and left my place at 6:30am. I arrived at TRF by 7:20am and was parked on row 10. I was the first one to park on this side, but I wasn’t the first to arrive.
It is a short walk to the gates of the Kingdom. The staff that keeps the walkway clean always do a great job. I never see anything out of place and never any litter.
On your way into or out of the Kingdom, you can stop by this building to enter a fun contest to win a trip.
I always enjoy coming into the entrance plaza because I know fun and excitement are nearby.
I usually get up on the large King’s throne to take a few area shots. It’s a great vantage point to see everything.
A statue of George Coulam, the TRF Founder. He is a true visionary.
Good info to know about King George and the festival.
This throne is such a good photo op. I try to get a pic on it each day that I’m at the festival.
I went by the Media office and picked up my Media badge and ticket. They are always so nice to allow me to work their event. I enjoy working at the TexRenFest and would never take that for granted.
Rudy plays the character of Hamish MacGregor. He entertains the patrons as they wait for the gates to open in the morning. Rudy also plays his bagpipes as the lead of the daily noon parade. He does a fantastic job.
Jeff Baldwin is the General manager of the Texas Renaissance Festival and does a great job. Everybody loves him.
Here he is igniting the morning cannon to let the patrons know that the festival is open for the day.
This is a short video of the morning cannon going off as Alan holds it. It gives quite a kick.
The lovely Queen. This Opening Weekend was a celebration of the Queen’s Birthday. She is beloved by all in the Kingdom.
Phil has been a part of the TexRenFest for many years. I love getting a pic with him. He is a mountain of a man but a gentle giant with a great heart and personality. I love Phil ‘Tan Man’ Brayton.
I have photographed this lovely lady for several seasons. Nice pumpkins.
Quite a regal group.
Alan worked as the doorman at the Wyrmwood last season. This season he is in a management position. I’m happy for him. He’s a great guy. So nice.
Ravenswood Leather.
I stop by Ravenswood Leather every morning to get pics. This is Rebel showcasing some of their merchandise.
I always try to get a pic with MJ.
These two young ladies were happy to pose for me. I love to see smiling faces.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub is always on my morning route.
Michelle, Michael and Rosie work at the Thirsty Pirate Pub. They are all very nice.
Kristen, Shelley and Margot work there also. So sweet, all of them.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub has great decorations. This is in their upstairs section.
During the day, this area is full of pirates and partiers.
This is the view from upstairs at the Thirsty Pirate Pub. This stage has 2 shows that play all throughout the day. The shows are the Tease of the Seas and the Spice Boys. Both are good shows to see.
The joust arena gets packed several times a day to see the action.
Jazi Love works at the Polish Pub. The staff at this pub is very nice also.
Cheyenne works there also. Very hard-working.
This is Jenna. The food stand that she works at has the best cheeseburger.
Jessica and Stephanie are always ready for a pic and I like that. They are good friends.
I never forget to stop by Julie’s stand. I tried several of the food items offered at her stand last season and loved it all.
This is Elizabeth, Amber and Hannah. Fun-loving girls.
Kylee and her little co-worker have such great smiles.
Kenley, Angela, Vendella, Reagan, Gussie and Marlee. Another favorite food stand of mine. They have fried alligator, yum.
The Steak on a Stick staff are another fun group. They always dress so nicely.
I remember Harley Jane and Amber from last season. I’ll know the names of the others soon.
TRF has many things for the children to do.
Tee and Hayley work at the Red Lion Tavern. They are on my regular route each morning.
Hayley is always nice enough to pose with me.
Photobombers are funny.
I happen to catch the King taking a stroll through the Kingdom.
These young ladies told me that they didn’t need my business card because they already follow me on social media. Cute ladies.
Greg works at Catskill Mountain Moccasins. I stop by his booth to take a rest.
These guys work at the Asgardian Armory. Fun guys.
A great family pic.
This couple was interesting.
He had this on his back.
Lots of time and effort to make this. He should be applauded.
This woman looked great.
Such a great outfit and face.
Only at TRF.
This guy sells pickles. He yells out, “Three bills for a dill!” I love that line.
Dex cooks up some good chicken.
Pam always strikes such good poses. She’s a good friend. I always enjoy hanging out with her.
You will always see great pirates at the Sea Devil.
Kevin has such great pirate garb.
The Sea Devil staff is great and always having fun.
It looks like he’s saying, “You better have my money.”
A face only a mother could love, lol.
Young ladies love getting a flower wreath for their hair.
Julie was serving up some fried shrimp so I snapped a quick pic. Their shrimp are delicious.
You get 4 large shrimp with potato wedges.
And yes, she deserves a close-up.
Everyone at the TexRenFest always have a great time.
Scott and Amanda hang out at the Glory Hole and solve the world’s problems. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
This young lady was enjoying a drink while having a seat.
Another children’s attraction.
Letting the horse eat while on a break.
I stopped back by the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Always people here.
Here are some patrons watching the Spice Boys act.
Elizabeth works upstairs at the pirate pub.
So photogenic.
And always up for a pic.
Such a fun photo.
As the day goes on, this area gets packed with people.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub is a favorite hangout of mine.
I ran into Pam and her friend. They were having a good time.
When I told this couple that they could download this pic for free from my site, she went for her money and told her boyfriend that they should tip me. I told her that wasn’t necessary because I do this for fun.
Hyle and Erika work at the Asgardian Armory. A very nice couple. So friendly.
Erika is another lady that I usually get a pic with.
Alex is at the Asgardian Armory as well.
I enjoy photos with him also.
Mickey works at the Wyrmwood Public House as a bartender. Here, he is serving me my daily kamikaze. He’s a good friend.
These ladies were happy to pose for a photo.
The shows at TRF are always great entertainment and the artists are all so talented.
A day at the TexRenFest is filled with fun, food, festivities and you leave feeling fulfilled.
Here are the knights of the joust heading to get ready for the daily parade.
That’s a cool job.
The weather was great all day long.
I’d say that Opening Day was a good success for the TexRenFest.
As I was leaving for the day, I saw this guy and definitely wanted his photo.
Then, I saw a friend, Tony.
They were there together so I snapped a pic of them.
This fine lady will stamp your hand if you plan to return that day.
The King’s Throne stays busy all day long.
This photo was taken about 1pm and you can see that the crowd is still flowing into the festival.
It is always good that the first and last face you see is a smiling one.
This concludes the photos from Saturday. The Sunday pics are next.
On Sunday, October 8th, I arrived early again.
Not many have seen an empty parking row because they usually arrive later in the day.
A clean walkway again. Kudos to the grounds crew.
As I was nearing the entrance plaza, I could see Willie already at work, entertaining the first guests of the day.
I took a photo of them with a good background.
Then, I shot them closer so they’d have two photos to choose from.
Ace and Willie are two great guys. They love their jobs and it shows.
Ace took my pic again on the throne.
It was looking like it was going to be great weather for the day.
The Beefeaters are the first and last people that you see at TRF. They are a great crew.
I picked up my ticket and new Media badge from the Media office. I love working at the TexRenFest and I’m pleased that they allow me to do just that… entertain people with my photography and videography of the best Renfest in the U.S.
On this day, I invited John Pfister from Action 5 News to come hang out with me. He took all of the pics that I’m in on Sunday. We had a good time and enjoyed ourselves.
This is Alan, Elizabeth and Kenny. Alan loads and holds the cannon. Elizabeth was the one to ignite it on this day. And Kenny is Alan’s assistant.
Here is a still frame from the video.
And here’s the video of the morning cannon going off to inform the patrons that the festival was open for the day.
The lovely Queen of the Kingdom.
June looked good in her glasses.
She and Shane, on the right, are good people.
Many patrons will get breakfast from the Queen’s Pantry before starting a busy day of seeing shows and having fun.
Cast members at TRF are all so nice and never refuse me a photo of them.
Here, a musical group are playing to entertain the King and Queen.
Having an oil portrait would be very cool indeed.
This is Eve Myles and she is the artist. And so sweet.
I stopped by Ravenswood Leather again to get some pics. Here’s MJ at her usual spot.
She sold me two leather pouches last season and I use them all of the time.
She looks like a Queen with her headdress on.
I met Rebel at a comicon and we’ve been friends ever since.
This crew was more than happy to pose for me. The young lady on the left said that she still had my card from last season.
The food at the Texas Renaissance Festival is so very good.
If I’m not careful, I may gain some weight from eating too much, but it is all so delicious,.
And the desserts are fantastic.
Here, the King and Queen are doing an interview. They are both so very good at promoting the TexRenfest. They are really great in their roles.
Such a good family pic. The mom told the baby to look into the camera and he did. Super pic.
I had to convince the lady on the left to get into the picture. I’m glad she did and I bet she is too. It’s a good memory of their day at TRF.
I made my usual pass by the Thirsty Pirate Pub to get pics of the staff.
Pictured from left to right: Rosie, Margot, Michelle, Kristen, Michael, Shelley, Katy and Marlen.
Elizabeth never takes a bad photo.
I go upstairs at the pirate pub every time to see Elizabeth.
Easy to see why, lol.
The Polish Pub is another favorite stop of mine. Pictured from left to right: Edyta, Cheyenne, Jacob, Kasia, Eva and Danuta.
This group of people are very tight-knit and work so well together.
Kasia is a great manager and such a hard worker. Her co-workers love her.
Elizabeth is another very photogenic person.
Her and Amber take a nice photo.
Kylee, on the left, is the daughter of Julie, on the right. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, they say.
Kenlee, Vendella, Reagan and Marlee.
Fifi and Jeanette.
Kelsey and Tonya.
In this pic, they are holding the loaded potato wedges and the beignets. Both so very good.
You can’t go wrong with either one.
My goal next weekend is to learn all of these ladies’ names besides Harley Jane and Amber.
Love the hats.
The drinkware offered at the TexRenfest is great. I have several pieces and use them often.
The crew at the Red Lion Tavern are great. Always smiling.
Hayley always dresses so well.
I plan to have the BBQ from this tavern later in the season. So good.
The bartenders at the Wyrmwood Public House are some of the very best. Friendly, professional and fun.
I love that Greg and Pat always dress with the RenFest theme.
They do a great job of representing Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Erika has some great clothing and always looks so awesome.
Here, an artisan applies his craft at the Asgardian Armory.
Such a happy fellow.
We look good in matching black outfits.
I asked Erika to pose with their merchandise.
She looks good with all of their leather goods.
The Asgardian Armory sells knives, swords and axes. When Erika sits out front, she will yell. “Come to Bloodbath and Beyond.” It’s like Bed, Bath and Beyond but really funny and fitting for the Armory.
The guys at the Asgardian Armory are always good for a funny pic.
Alex looks very mischievous in this photo.
He is a good photographer and does great leather work.
These young ladies were having a good time.
I love good face makeup.
I walked up and said, “Three bills for a dill.” He thought that I wanted a pickle. I had to tell him that I was just saying his catchphrase. I told him that I would have a pickle soon.
I have photographed this guy before in previous seasons. I don’t have the body for an outfit like this.
The employees at TRF are some of the finest anywhere. Always smiling and ready for a photo.
Another good face.
This couple is always polite enough to stop for a photo. And they always look great.
When wandering through the Kingdom, look for this sign and the Wyrmwood door is nearby.
Here is a short video that gives you a tour of the Wyrmwood, ending with Mickey serving me my daily kamikaze. It’s worth a watch.
This is Shiny. Last year, he would hold 2 coconuts up like they were his breasts. This year, he has become edumacated because now he’s doing Hamlet from Shakespeare. This is Hamlet holding the skull of Yorick, the King’s jester. Hamlet says, “Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio.”
Each area of the Kingdom has a sign like this that shows all of the food offerings in that area. These signs are very helpful.
I’m getting hungry just reading this sign.
Fifi works in booth 408. They offer some great food. On this day, she let me try their popcorn chicken. Myself and John Pfister from Action 5 News enjoyed eating them. So delicious. Remember, booth 408. Ask Fifi and she can help you with anything.
My stomach says yes, my arteries say no. My stomach always wins.
One of the best dressed pirates in all of the TexRenFest.
A girl and her bone.
And she deserves a close-up.
Kay is a favorite of mine to photograph and talk to because she’s nice and also very funny.
The whole crew at the Sea Devil are fun-loving and it shows.
Scott plays Santa during the holidays. Not hard to picture. He said it’s the greatest gig ever.
The daily parade starts at noon and goes through the Kingdom.
The knights come riding by.
I wonder how that job looks on a resume. “So what was your last job?” “I was a knight that fought in jousts.” “Maybe I can find you something in sales.”
The parade is one of many highlights during a day at TRF.
And everyone in it is having a great time.
MJ from Ravenswood Leather was in the parade. I think I’d prefer riding over walking in it. I think most would.
Smiles are contagious.
The parade has a lot of people in it, showcasing many aspects of the TexRenFest.
This photo is important. When I saw her coming, I got her attention so I could snap this pic.
When I returned to my office, I duplicated it then cropped in to get a closer look at that dessert. Two different people told me about it. It’s new at TRF this season and it’s called a Chimney Cake. It is made of a pastry that is shaped like a chimney and then filled with different things. The one she is holding looks to be filled with strawberries then topped with chocolate.
Alex works at the Steak on a Stick stand also.
Alex and Kelsey.
This is Gandalf the wizard from Lord of the Rings. He told me that he followed me on the Book of Face. Then, he showed me a ring on his finger that was Gandalf’s ring. He took it off and placed it in my hand and closed my fingers around it.
He then reached into his bag and when he pulled his hand out, he was again wearing his ring. I opened my hand and there in it was the ring to rule all other rings, complete with the inscription inside.
He then told me that I could have it. I immediately put it on my finger and he said, “Oh no, you must never wear it for then evil will know your location.” I put it on my Media badge where it will remain. Cool dude.
He wanted a selfie and I was glad to oblige.
I’ll think of this gold ring as a sign of good luck and good friends.
A different pickle vendor, same deal. Three bills for a dill.
The weather was great on Sunday and there was a good crowd enjoying the day in the Kingdom.
They were eating, drinking, walking, talking, seeing shows and having a great time.
Shaka, the King of Zulu Kingdom.
Facepainting is a popular thing for the kids to get. Here are some options.
Lady Iris has worked at the TexRenFest for many years. This is her 30th.
She is very proud of this, as she should be.
The Beefeaters have cool outfits and hats.
The throne was busy all day long.
And as I was leaving about 1pm, the crowd was still coming in by the hundreds. Many thousands visited TRF on Opening Weekend.
A program is a necessity when visiting the TexRenFest. It has so much valuable information to help you enjoy your day in the Kingdom of New Market Village.
A lot more cars as I was leaving for the day.
That concludes this blog post about Opening Weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. To see all of the photos, go to the link below and click on Photos.
In 2022, I attended all 17 days of the Texas Renaissance Festival over a 2 month period of October and November. The festival is known for the great talent in all of the shows, the fantastic costumes of the cast and patrons, and the many different taverns and drinks offered.
Another very important aspect of the TexRenFest is the food. There are so many options.
This season, I had planned on trying as many dishes as I could to get photos in order to show the great offerings. What follows is my experiences.
The first thing that I tried was a cheeseburger and fries. It was freshly made and tasted great.
I met Lourdes at the Steak on a Stick food stand. I told her of my goal to try more food and she immediately offered to help me out by letting me try the food from her stand.
The first thing that I tried was the crawfish mac and cheese. I love crawfish and also mac and cheese. I had never even heard of this dish before and it was superb. I loved it.
This is a dish that should be tried by everyone that visits the festival.
Elaine was serving apple turnovers with ice cream and I snapped this pic. I didn’t try them but I will next year because they looked fantastic.
On another weekend, Lourdes let me try the fried crawfish and potato wedges. Great again and served by such a cute lady.
If you love crawfish but hate peeling them, this is the way to go.
I tried the Pork on a Stick from Adrianna. It was a favorite of mine and I’ll have it again in 2023.
Hard to beat for a meat lover.
Shelley served me the bacon on a stick. A thick piece of bacon cooked just right and so flavorful and juicy.
I was offered the pierogies from the Polish Pub. I had never tried them and thought they were great.
They come with different fillings and all were very tasty.
The manager of the Polish Pub, Kasia, offered to let me try their combo plate. Here, her co-worker is serving it to me.
The plate has hunter stew (sauerkraut mixed with a few kinds of meat, sausage, piece of polish sausage), three kinds of Pierogi: meat, potato and cheese, sauerkraut and mushrooms, cabbage roll (stuffed cabbage with rice and pork meat) topped with tomato sauce. It was all so delicious. I had never tried most of it and now love it all.
I didn’t try the funnel cake but this nice lady was kind enough to let me get a pic.
Every good festival has funnel cakes. I love them.
Later in the season, I tried the crawfish mac and cheese from Lourde’s Steak on a Stick stand again. Can you tell that it was a favorite?
So good that I ordered some cooked and peeled crawfish from HEB and made this dish at home.
One day, I bought lunch for the crew at Catskill Mountain Moccasins. The pizza is really good.
The cheese pizza is a favorite of many but I prefer the Meat Lovers.
I tried the crawfish and potato wedges again also. I love how Lourdes and her crew always dressed for the theme of the weekend.
A must try.
Kasia, the manager of the Polish Pub, began letting me try other dishes. On this day, I tried the Polish Sausage. It was delicious.
Kasia introduced me to Lady Ligia. She owns 15 food booths at TRF and is a living legend there.
Kasia began to give me food coupons each weekend day to let me try the different dishes at Ligia’s stands. Ligia runs an empire at the TexRenFest and I’m glad to have met her.
Ligia is known as The Empanada Lady because that’s how she got her start at the TexRenFest.
She offers breakfast empanadas that have bananas and then she offers empanadas filled with meat.
Ligia and I had some of both one day and had a nice chat.
Ligia was born in Bolivia and has lived The American Dream.
I am proud to call Lady Ligia a good friend and I look forward to seeing her again in 2023.
One of the places that Ligia owns is the new Thirsty Pirate Pub. It’s a great addition to the festival and offers drinks and also food.
Here, Katy is serving me the meatballs on a stick. Such a cute server with a great smile and good food.
I tried the coconut water and learned that it is good for a hangover.
Another stand of Ligia’s serves a cup with layers of pulled pork and mashed potatoes. I had never heard of this either and now love it.
I met Julie while on my walks around the festival. She works in the Fish and Chips stand. She also offered to help me with my goal of trying more food in 2022.
In this pic, she is serving me the fried shrimp. So big and delicious. And from such a beautiful woman.
Another must try while at the festival.
Kasia let me try the pulled pork sandwich. Holly served it to me in a great costume.
I’m getting hungry as I create this post, haha.
Lourdes gave me their main menu item, the steak on a stick. It’s one of their best sellers and I know why. It’s fantastic.
TRF is a meat lover’s heaven.
On a cold day, Kasia served me some hot mulled wine. I had never tried it and soon loved it.
Jazi Love served me some hot chocolate and it hit the spot on a chilly day at the festival.
I tried the beignets from Lourdes’ stand. Warm, fluffy and sweet. Great beignets.
I’ll definitely have these again in 2023.
Another of Ligia’s booths serves Nachos. It was so good. Loved it. So much meat.
One cold weekend, Lourdes let me try their boudin. It was hot and delicious. It warmed me up and filled me up.
So good.
I also tried the chicken stir-fry.
Lots of flavor and chicken. Great.
The fried shrimp form Lourdes’ stand were superb. I love shrimp and these were great. The potatoes add to the meal.
My arteries may hate me but my stomach loves me, lol.
I tried the fried alligator from Vendella’s Cajun Food stand.
If you’ve never tried fried alligator, you should. It’s very tasty.
I ordered the chicken quesadilla from one of Ligia’s stands. One of the best I’ve ever had.
Cooked well and filled with chicken and cheese.
Here, Julie is pictured holding their loaded baked potato.
I didn’t try this but it looked awesome. It’s on my list for 2023.
Catalina Longview showed me their bread bowl from the Bread Bowl stand.
This looked so good. Didn’t try it but will next time.
Julie offered me their fried pickles and the were so good.
I love fried pickles and these were terrific.
I had the fried crawfish again from Lourdes. You can’t keep a Cajun away from crawfish, lol.
Super meal.
Ligia’s Taco Salad is awesome.
I can’t wait for TRF 2023 to try this again.
Julie let me try their fish and chips.
The fish is catfish and so delicious. The chips were great as well.
I had the steak on a stick again because it is so tasty.
If you can’t find something delicious at TRF, you’re not even looking.
Ligia also offers a Cuban sandwich.
I love Cuban sandwiches and this one was fantastic. I’d have it again.
I had the fried shrimp from Lourdes again. This may seem repetitious but Lourdes wears such great outfits that I had to include these pics.
I’ll be having fried shrimp very soon after seeing these photos again.
One day, I stopped into the Greek section and stumbled upon a food stand that had the best looking salads.
If you’re not into meat all of the time, these salads are the bomb. The dressing was terrific.
Ligia also owns the Red Lion Tavern that serves the best BBQ at TRF.
Is that mouth watering, or what?
This was one of my most favorite things to eat all season.
I had the cabbage rolls again from Kasia at the Polish Pub. As a kid, I hated cabbage and never tried it. Now, I’m a big fan, thanks to Kasia.
Filled with meat and covered in sauce. Unbelievably good.
Julie let me try their crab cakes.
Really good. Loved them and will have them again in 2023.
I’d like to thank Kasia, Lady Ligia, Lourdes, Julie. Adrianna, Jazi Love, Holly, Catalina Longview, Vendella and all of the rest for serving me such great food with a smile.
I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the food at the TexRenFest. To see several more pics of the food offered at the festival, visit the link below.
The last weekend of the TexRenFest 2022 season is themed as Celtic Christmas weekend and is a lot of fun. This weekend includes the Friday also, which is nice to have a third day to enjoy the last weekend at TRF.
What follows is a story for each of the final 3 days with photos. I hope you enjoy the look back.
I camped out 2 weekends this season. For every other day that I arrived at the festival, I was the first one in the parking area. I get up at 4:30am, leave my place at 6:30am and arrive at TRF by 7:30am. That gives me 1 1/2 hours before the cannon goes off to get my throne pics and pics of the beefeaters. I also enjoy a cup of hot chocolate on the colder days.
When I arrive, the grounds crew has already walked the walkway and picked up every bit of trash. For the most part, the patrons at the TexRenFest don’t litter, which is nice.
I like being able to park close so that my walk back to my Tahoe is not a long one at the end of my day.
The estimate is that 500,000 people visit TRF each season.
That is not 500,000 individual people because several people attend on multiple days, but 500,000 is the cumulative number of visits.
I usually get a beefeater to snap my throne pics. Jim and Greg are always so nice about it.
Here’s Jim. Such a nice guy.
All season long, the front gate beefeaters were happy to pose for me and I appreciated that.
I like getting a pic of the entrance plaza inside the gates before the crowds enter. It’s so peaceful in the mornings. And later in the day, there are a lot of people in this area.
I stopped by the Queen’s Pantry for a hot chocolate on this day. It really warms a person up.
Queen Juana was happy to pose with me all season long and I’m grateful. She is so nice to me and I enjoy her company.
A few barbarians and vikings. Good group of people.
Alan, getting ready to fire the morning cannon.
A cool screen grab from the video of the firing.
Capturing the morning cannon on video was a favorite thing to do for me.
The King entertaining the guests.
The Queen was always happy to pose for me and she always looked great.
These two ladies were photographed several times by me and they were always very pleasant.
Jade is another favorite of mine to photograph. So beautiful and talented.
Kristina played the White Swan and was great at it. Very beautiful also.
The morning dance with cast and patrons.
Rudy plays Hamish McGregor, the bagpipe player. He stays busy all day long with his pipes and does a fantastic job entertaining the patrons and leading the daily parade.
TRF had some really nice Christmas trees.
Tea and Strumpets has the best bacon sandwich in the Kingdom and an awesome upstairs patio.
June works there and is a new friend. Very photogenic.
Elizabeth as well.
My eyes are down here.
Gracelynn and Karlee.
Ravenswood Leather.
Rebel, Mary, MJ and Tori. Some of the best salespersons in New Market Village.
Ravenswood Leather has so many great items.
I purchased two leather pouches this season and really like them a lot.
When at TRF, you should definitely stop by this shop.
So many cool items to choose from.
Their hats are great.
I may have some custom items made.
Dex cooked up a lot of chicken this season.
Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Katy, Michael, Margot and Shane. Great people and new friends.
The Pirate Pub was a favorite place to visit all season long.
Cheyenne looked festive with her glasses.
And her outfits were always very nice.
Meeting Kasia was a highpoint of my season. Such a nice person and so hard working. The Polish Pub is lucky to have her as the manager.
The staff of the Polish Pub dressed for every themed weekend. And always looked great.
Maybe next season, I’ll take an elephant ride.
And camel too.
Savannah was in the Christmas spirit and was so nice all season long.
Julie helped me out a lot by allowing me to photograph and taste several items from their menu.
I didn’t try the loaded baked potato but it looked delicious. I’ll definitely try it next season.
Julie is one of the most beautiful women at TRF. Many others have mentioned this also. I’m not alone in this.
Her and her daughter, Kylie, are very photogenic.
Kylie lets me get her photo also and I’m grateful.
I took Jessica’s pic a lot during the season and was happy to get a pic with her. So nice.
Jenna was a favorite to photograph and several people commented on her photos.
Catalina Longview works with Kylie at the Bread Bowl stand. Another RenFest beauty.
I didn’t try the bread bowl either, but it’s on my list for next season. Looks great.
A fun group pic.
Bri is another new friend that I made this season. She always had great photos too.
The Cajun Food staff is another favorite of mine. Angela, Blaise, Vendella and Reagan.
Blaise never takes a bad pic.
I was happy to take pics of the food stand staffs. They deserve attention for the long, hard hours they work.
Kelsey and Alex. Two more TRF beauties.
The staff at the Red Lion Tavern dressed for each weekend also and really looked great.
Ty and his staff were always ready for a pic and I liked that.
Allen was so very nice to me every time that I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House.
Two lovely ladies enjoying a drink at the Wyrmwood. Juju is on the right.
Mickey is my favorite bartender in all of the Kingdom. Last season, he introduced me to the Wyrmwood and I’m so happy he did.
He is such a cool guy and a great, new friend of mine.
Monsieur Bunny prefers to be called Daddy, so I do. When people hear me say that, they always laugh.
I took some pics of Ammon. He does the puppet show and the kids love it.
The whip show is always packed.
Kasia is so nice to me that she’s very easy to like. I consider her a dear friend.
Jessica and Stephanie were always ready for a pic and looked great each time.
I did try the fried pickles at Julie’s stand. The Fish and Chips stand has some great items on the menu and the fried pickles were delicious. Julie and I shared them.
These are a must to try if you visit the TexRenFest. And you get to meet Julie… an added bonus.
Kylie and Catalina.
Lourdes is another new, dear friend. She helped me out a lot during the season by letting me try items from their menu.
This is the fried crawfish. So good!
The RenFest has great patrons that are always willing to pose for a pic.
Hyle and Erika at the Asgardian Armory.
So beautiful.
Erika always make me look good. Beautiful women tend to do that for a clown like me, lol.
The Asgardian Armory has such a fun, nice staff that I stop by there every day that I’m at the festival.
Greg works at Catskill Mountain Moccasins. He is also very nice to me and lets me store my stuff at their booth.
Becca works there also. Very stylish.
I met Sara last season and she’s become a good friend. I like her a lot.
This staff does a great job for Catskill Mountain Moccasins. They sell a lot of moccasins during the season.
A close-knit group.
This lovely fairy is a great addition to the festival. So beautiful.
I tried the taco salad on this day.
All I can say is that it was great. I’ll have this again next season.
The Spanish Area has some of my favorite dishes.
The King and Queen of Spain.
Another fun group pic.
Ronnie is probably the most in shape dude at TRF.
Another of the fantastic Christmas trees in the Kingdom.
The French section has some great food also.
I ran into Pain Killer. He’s a fun guy.
His back looks awesome.
Santa Scott. A great look for the holidays.
Santa, I would like 2 ‘old school’ Victoria’s Secret models, gift-wrapped and under my tree by Xmas morning.
Amanda works at the Sea Devil Tavern in the Glory Hole bar. A good friend of mine.
Mickel makes a good Santa too.
The shiny, metal on her outfit is all beer can pull tabs. That’s a lot of beer to make this. Impressive.
Kids love the pony rides.
Shelley and Katy at the Pirate Pub.
Tawni and Elizabeth, upstairs at the pub.
Written in the concrete at the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
A great photo op.
Chelsea’s bird whistle stand.
She is a great salesperson and so very nice.
Three more RenFest beauties. That’s Juju in the middle.
Another great tree at the festival.
I told this couple that their costumes would look better is they went to the gym more. They didn’t laugh, lol.
I never took a carriage ride this season. Maybe next year.
I didn’t ask this Santa for my VS models because I have faith in Santa Scott to deliver.
So colorful and festive. Great costuming.
The tree in the entrance plaza. A great photo op.
Lady Iris stays busy painting faces all day long. Such a sweet soul.
After I take my morning Tahoe pics, I back in so it’s easier to leave.
This concludes the pics from Friday at the festival.
First again on the Saturday.
A little wet on this day from all of the rain overnight.
The day turned out well and it was another good day to be in New Market Village.
Morning throne pic.
Willie and Jim are great.
The entry plaza tree.
June was a pleasure to meet and I enjoyed getting pics of her.
Zoe served me my morning hot chocolate from the Queen’s Pantry.
Such a good look.
Lady Iris’ supplies to do her face painting.
Several members of the cast come by before the festival opens to get their faces painted.
And Lady Iris always does a great job for them.
Sherry was fun to meet.
I went back to the Queen’s Pantry to buy a hot chocolate for Lady Iris.
Sherry looked great in front of the tree.
Another screen grab from the video of the morning cannon firing.
On this morning, Brandi ignited the cannon. She was one of the only ones to do it correctly by covering an ear and opening her mouth to lessen the percussion to the brain.
Queen Juana, looking as good as ever.
I ran into Kevin. He’s one of my favorite pirates at the festival.
Every good pirate wears many rings.
And so do I.
I’ve been lucky in life. From left to right… Sturgis Motorcycle Rally ring, Lifeguard Championship ring, IndyCar Championship ring, Nascar Championship ring (Jeff Gordon), Turquoise for luck, Brickyard 400 Championship ring ( Jeff Gordon), NHRA Ring, College ring. I have another ring that will be delivered soon to replace the turquoise ring.
Over the course of the season, I had many comments made on the way I dressed. On this day, a lady at the Queen’s Pantry told me that she liked my sense of style.
Two damn good-looking pirates, lol.
The morning dance.
I photographed this group often and the pics always came out great.
Elizabeth looked good in her holiday corset.
I like the effort TRF puts in to create the holiday spirit.
Mary, Tori, MJ and Rebel.
I met MJ last season and added her shop to my morning route. So nice.
Mary has one of the best hats at the festival and looks great in it.
Tori was always happy to pose with me and I’m glad about that.
I met Rebel at a comicon. She’s a really good cosplayer.
Thirsty Pirate Pub.
I never saw their decorations after dark, but I bet they looked fantastic.
Shelley and Katy.
The Polish Pub staff. So cute in their outfits.
Jacob is a lucky man.
The Polish Pub is a favorite stop of mine.
Kasia is also lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people.
Jacob and Kasia.
Kasia is another lovely lady that makes me look good.
Cheyenne can be added to that list as well.
Jenna was a pleasure to photograph.
Jessica and Stephanie.
Julie, looking as beautiful as ever.
Catalina Longview.
Adriana was really nice to me all season long.
Blaise.
Vendella.
Reagan.
Kelsey and Alex.
Red Lion Tavern staff.
Haley, looking so cute and so festive.
I decided to start asking Haley to take a pic with me and I’m glad she agreed.
Lilly, the high seas Barbie. Such a good look for her.
Always happy to get a pic with her.
Queen Juana.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood on this day and Allen greeted me with pleasure.
Mickey and Taylor.
Two cool dudes, indeed. Ha.
An overhead view of the Wyrmwood.
Probably the coolest bar in the Kingdom.
Daddy and I.
Taylor and Daddy.
Funny pic.
Travis is another good friend.
Bri looks good in her ears.
So cute.
Becca looks great each day.
I look forward to seeing Greg on the comicon circuit this next year. He’s also a great cosplayer.
Hyle and Erika.
I’ll miss taking Erika’s picture every weekend. Already looking forward to the next season in 2023.
A favorite pic of mine.
Alex always had great poses.
I’ll meet Alex at another festival this next Spring.
Waiting for the couple that was about to be married.
Santa Scott and his main squeeze.
Another pic of this beautiful fairy.
This lovely lady always does a great job with her costumes and face.
I went by the Fish and Chips booth and Julie let me try the fish and chips. The fish is catfish and it was very good. I’ll try that again next season.
I’m amazed that I didn’t gain any weight with all of the food I had this season. Walking around the festival helped burn it off.
Cheyenne and Kasia. Two great, new friends of mine.
The Polish Pub has two great acts to enjoy while you’re there. 2 Merry Men and Chaste Treasure are very entertaining.
Another packed audience for the whip act.
I asked this group if they wanted a pic so they posed for me. Then, I said that the pic was only $20. They didn’t laugh, but I did.
Philip is the best dressed pirate at TRF and always looks spectacular.
I met these two RenFest cuties on this last weekend.
I’ve ran into these two clowns a lot over the past 2 years. Great to photograph.
I tried the steak on a stick this season and it is one of my favorites at the TexRenFest. It’s a best-seller for Lourdes and her staff.
So delicious.
I tried the Cuban sandwich on this day and I really enjoyed it.
Ligia, the Empanada Lady, has so many great dishes at her 15 food stands. I loved all of the ones I tried.
Chelsea’s stand.
I wonder how many whistles she sells in a season. I bet it’s a lot.
I photographed this lady last season and was happy to run into her again this year.
A fun group pic.
The view from the Tea and Strumpets’ patio.
This last Saturday had a good crowd.
And the weather was good.
Santa making a child happy.
Lots of kids got to sit on Santa’s lap.
Still coming in as I was leaving for the day.
This concludes the pics from the last Saturday of the festival.
First again on the last day of the festival.
No sign of rain on this day.
George is a genius and a visionary.
All hail, King George.
Morning throne pic.
Hundreds of thousands passed through these gates this season.
Willie and Greg.
Robert and a few beefeaters.
The final beefeaters pic of the season.
On this morning, I bought Lady Iris’ hot chocolate when I purchased mine.
I’ll miss taking June’s pic each day.
Lady Iris at work before the festival opens.
And she paints tatas also.
All painted and ready for the last day of TRF 2022.
A beautiful tree.
I love Gabby’s hat. She looks good in it.
I caught Rudy as he was going out to entertain the early morning patrons. Such a nice guy and a good friend.
Alan, preparing to fire the cannon.
Boom goes the dynamite, lol. That’s an older reference to something funny. IYKYK.
The video of the last cannon firing of the 2022 season.
Jade, looking as cute as ever.
Robert and his sidekick piggy.
Erin makes a great Glenda, the good witch.
The morning dance.
Ravenswood Leather decorated for the holidays. I would have loved to see it after dark.
MJ makes a good Vanna.
The staff at Ravenswood never refused me a pic and that was cool of them.
MJ is the only person to tell me to turn my credential around for the pic. I appreciated that.
I took Elaine’s pic quite often and they are among my favorites.
Katheryn allowed me to take her pic several times also. Very cute.
Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Love the hats on Shelley and Katy.
I’ll miss seeing Savannah. Another RenFest cutie.
The staff of the Polish Pub.
Great people.
All so very fun-loving and hard-working. They are an asset to the festival.
Jacob and Kasia.
I’ll miss seeing Kasia every weekend also.
I look forward to returning to the Polish Pub next season.
Three fun patrons.
And I’ll definitely miss seeing Julie. Easy on the eyes and a good friend.
Kenley, Vendella and Reagan.
Lourdes let me try the fried shrimp and I loved them. Lourdes was so kind to me all season long and I can’t thank her enough.
So good.
Red Lion Tavern staff.
Haley looks good as a red head and also as a blonde.
I was in the Greek section and decided to try a salad.
I really liked it a lot. I’ll definitely have this again next year. Superb.
Three RenFest beauties.
Lourdes, Kelsey, Tanya and Alex were the best-dressed staff for the last weekend.
I loved getting pics of Pam all season long. Such a fun person and she loves her job at the Sea Devil Tavern in the Bilge Pump bar area.
Jim MacKenzie always had a large crowd for his act.
Kylie.
Adrianna and Kylie at the Bread Bowl stand.
Cheyenne and Kasia.
Chaste Treasures. Three beautiful and talented women.
On this last day, I had the cabbage rolls again from the Polish Pub. I never liked cabbage before and had never tried a cabbage roll. Now, I’m a big fan. Love it.
So delicious.
The bird act draws a huge crowd also.
Fun couple.
Kids love climbing. Fact.
Julie let me try the crab cakes and they were great. We shared them.
One of my favorite dishes at TRF.
Sara is someone that I love getting a pic with.
Melissa in front of the Asgardian Armory.
Love Erika’s headwear. So beautiful.
And yes, she gets a close-up.
I’ll miss getting pics with Erika.
I look forward to seeing Alex this next Spring.
He always looks good.
I enjoy my pics with him also. Such a cool guy.
Two colorful, fun ladies.
Love the carriage rides. If I had a date at the festival, we’d definitely take a ride in one.
This gentleman is the owner of the Wyrmwood Public House. My hat is off to him for creating such a cool bar.
I enjoyed all 17 days of the festival.
It seemed like the year flew by since the 2021 season. I hope this off-season goes by as quick because I’ll miss my time in the Kingdom.
At least I’ll have over 4,500 pics and videos from TRF 2022 to pass the time.
I met Johnny Danger (far right) this season. What a great guy. A true friend.
I love that TRF creates so many great memories for so many people.
A great trio.
Patrons love taking pics in front of the main Christmas tree.
I ran into this lovely lady again on the last day and was happy that I did.
The last day had a good crowd.
I met Mindy this season also. So nice and such a great part of the festival.
The beefeaters are the first and last to greet you at TRF and do a great job.
Still coming in on the last day.
The only way to come in from the parking area.
TRF entertained hundreds of thousands this season. And I was among them.
Until next season.
This concludes this post about the last weekend at TRF for 2022. I hope you enjoyed the look back.
I’ll have a blog post about the food coming up.
To see all of the pics and videos from TRF 2022, visit the site below and click on Photos.
Every weekend day of the Texas Renaissance Festival season, a cannon is fired to start the day. Over the years, thousands upon thousands have heard it and it filled them with a sense of excitement to know that the day at TRF has begun.
And even though so many have heard it go off, not many have actually seen it happen. This includes the cast and crew of the TexRenFest also because when it fires, they are all around the festival in their shops and booths getting ready for the day.
Last season, I was asked several times to meet crews before the festival opened to get their photos. When I started getting into the festival early to meet these crews, I knew that I wanted to see the cannon go off.
What follows are 12 videos for 12 days of the cannon being fired. Next season, I hope to capture all 17 firings.
I didn’t capture video of the first 3 days of the festival, but started shooting video on the fourth day. This firing is for the Sunday of the 1001 Dreams weekend.
A still shot achieved by using the video and advancing it to just the right spot and taking a screenshot. With a high quality iPhone that shoots 4K video, this is possible to do.
Alan is in charge of the cannon and also works on the fireworks show at the end of the day. Alan and I found out that we both worked for the same guy many years ago doing pyrotechnic work. Small world.
This firing is for Saturday of the Halloween weekend.
I shared the gallery of these videos and pics with someone and they were amazed at what I had done to get these pics. After so many years, you pick up some tricks.
Here is what I found on cannons… “A cannon is a type of artillery, usually large and tubular in shape, that uses gunpowder to propel a projectile over a distance. Cannons vary in size, range, mobility, rate of fire, and fire power.”
This firing is for the Sunday of Halloween weekend.
Alan really liked seeing these pics.
“Cannons were first used in China. The first European cannon was in Iberia, in the Islamic wars against Spain in the 12th century.”
This firing is for the Saturday of the Cosplay weekend. A film crew was there to record it. The cameraman still jumps even though I told them all what to expect.
A great shot of the video crew getting some footage of the firing.
On this next day, the Festival Queen lit the cannon. Alan always tells the person lighting the cannon to cover the ear closest to the cannon and also to open their mouths to lessen the percussion to the head. Many times, the person forgets to open their mouth.
This firing is for the Sunday of the Cosplay weekend.
I really like the still shots.
This next guy’s reaction to the noise is pretty funny.
This firing is for the Saturday of the Barbarian Invasion weekend.
I bet this guy would love to have this photo. It’s in the photo galleries on the website, if you know him.
“An English cannon was first used during the Hundred Years War, when small, primitive cannons were used in the Battle of Crecy in 1346. The end of the Middle Ages saw the introduction of a more standardized and effective cannon.”
This firing is for the Sunday of the Barbarian Invasion weekend.
Alan always has the best pose when firing.
On this next day, it was a little wet, so Alan fired the cannon from under an awning. “Keep your powder dry” is a very old saying that refers to soldiers using older guns that utilized gunpowder.
This firing is for the Saturday of the Highland Fling weekend.
This might be my favorite pic.
“Some of the largest cannons ever constructed were of Asian origin. Some European cannons were large also, but were abandoned in favor of larger numbers of lighter more maneuverable pieces. The Medieval Great Turkish Bombard required 200 men to operate, while the 18th century English cannon only required a dozen men to fire. By the Napoleonic Wars, only 5 men operated the British cannon.”
This firing is for the Sunday of the Highland Fling weekend.
If I were Alan, I’d want some of these pics framed for the wall.
“The word cannon has been used to refer to a gun since 1326, in Italy, and 1418, in England. From 1430 onward, the word cannon was only used to refer to the largest weapons.”
This firing is for the Friday of the Celtic Christmas weekend.
Another favorite.
On this day, Brandi Baldwin ignited the cannon. She was one of the only ones that did it right by covering her ear and opening her mouth.
This firing is for the Saturday of the Celtic Christmas weekend.
Alan looks good in his cloak.
“The earliest depiction of a gun is a sculpture from a cave in Sichuan dating to the 1100’s of a figure carrying a vase-shaped bombard with flames and a cannonball coming out of it.”
This firing is for the Sunday of the Celtic Christmas weekend. The last day of the festival. The Italian gentleman that ignited the cannon also did it in 2019, when the pandemic started. Alan had hopes that his igniting the cannon again would end the pandemic.
The last day of the 2022 season.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post about the TexRenFest cannon and a little history lesson. If you have enjoyed this post, leave a comment and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.
To see all of the pics and videos from the Texas Renaissance Festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The seventh weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as the Highland Fling and yes, there were a lot of kilts.
This is a story from my visits on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a cold and wet day, but I made the trip to TRF anyway because I figured there would still be people there.
I arrived first again and got my usual parking spot.
I don’t usually promote the clothing company that much, but if you were interested in checking out the merchandise in the Contraband store, visit the link at the bottom of this post and click on Contraband. Lots of cool stuff.
Most may not have noticed in these photos, but my right rear hub cap fell out sometime back. I went to the dealership and had no luck. I came home and found a set of 4 for $19 on Amazon. Many times, people have bad things to say about Jeff Bezos, but he gave the world one of the best shopping websites ever.
There are a few superstitions at the TexRenFest. One is that people never say the “R” word in reference to bad weather. The previous weekend, I was talking to a TRF photographer and said, “This season has been great and no r….” He said to me, “We don’t say that word.”
I said the no-no word and sure enough, the next weekend we had r…. Lesson learned.
My morning pic on the throne.
One of the beefeaters, Jim, striking a good pose on the throne.
Rudy, about to entertain the early arriving patrons.
The cannon was fired under an awning because of the r….
Ravenswood Leather has one of the coolest buildings at TRF. The upstairs balcony if for employees only, but I’d like to go up there at least once.
The staff at Ravenswood is great and MJ is a really nice person.
All of the ladies look great posing with the merchandise. Here’s Mary looking great in her hat and fur.
I had on my STORM Factory jacket and also my STORM Factory raincoat. When I button up everything, I look like I weigh 250 pounds or that I’m pregnant, lol.
Mary had her hair down for a change and I complimented her about how nice it looked. She said that she usually wears it up so it doesn’t get unruly with the humid weather in Texas.
Kevin is a very stylish pirate and the only one I know that uses green as his predominant color with his garb. Love the hat.
I’m going to have to find a solution to the puffiness of my jackets because I don’t like looking like I just ate a whole cow.
Elaine always takes a good photo. I learned her name this weekend and she’s a favorite to photograph.
I learned Dex’s name also. I thought it the polite thing to do since I take his pic often.
I stop by the Thirsty Pirate Pub a few times each weekend day.
The staff are always willing to pose for a pic and I appreciate that. Such nice people and hard workers.
Shelly and Katy are two more people that I met this season.
Kylie never takes a bad photo. Some people are lucky like that.
Her mom, Julie, is the same way. All of the pics I take of her always look great.
Such and attractive mother and daughter. And both are really nice. I’m glad that I met them this season.
The Polish Pub is another of my regular stops each morning of the festival.
Kasia has great people working with her. Kasia has become a great new friend and I appreciate her friendship.
I said last week that I’d learn this girl’s name by this week. Meet Jenna.
The Cajun Booth has one of the friendliest staffs at TRF and they have great food.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House and saw Allen at the front door, as usual.
Mickey made my kamikaze and it hit the spot on a cold and wet day.
I ran into Tim and Cameron again this weekend. They attend the festival several days of the season and always dress so well for the themed weekends.
Tim is very supportive of my efforts on social media and I appreciate that.
Sara and Abby from Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
I met Sara last year and we’ve stayed in touch via Facebook. She posts some funny stories.
Abby is Sara’s niece and I met her last season also. Abby Normal, lol.
Two tough dudes at the Asgardian Armory.
Erika has the best wardrobe and always looks fantastic every weekend.
Erika and Hyle.
I love Erika’s fur hat and I bet it’s very warm.
I’ll try and learn these young ladies’ names this upcoming weekend.
This is a fun-loving group. Very tight-knit.
The attendance was lower than usual because of the weather.
A little muddy in some areas.
Lots of rain gear and umbrellas.
Kelsey, Lourdes and Alex at the Steak on a Stick booth.
Lourdes let me try the boudin. She offered to cut it open for me but I ate it the traditional way and not with a fork. On this cold, wet day, it really warmed me up and tasted great.
The Steak on a Stick booth has a lot of great food items and the boudin is definitely one of their best.
Savannah works in the back area of the festival and I don’t always make it back there. It’s worth the walk to get her pic.
Catalina Longview always takes a good pic also.
I got a pic with Scott. Kurt Russell played Santa Claus in a movie and looks just like Scott. Scott plays Santa during the holidays.
I tried the chicken stir fry and it was good.
Good chicken, peppers and onions.
I stopped by Ravenswood Leather again and got Christina’s pic. A beautiful woman.
The patrons kept coming in, even though the weather stayed overcast all day.
I left about noon because there weren’t that many people in costume to photograph.
I snapped a pic of Willie on my way out. Such a character.
One of the funniest people at TRF.
The bad weather didn’t stop everybody from coming to the TexRenFest. Diehard fans.
This concludes the pics from Saturday.
On Sunday, the weather was still cold but not wet. First again.
If you arrive later in the day, it is a long walk from the parking area to the entrance plaza.
If you arrive early, it’s a short walk.
Such a great entrance plaza.
Much better weather than on Saturday.
A statue of the founder of TRF, George Coulam.
A great man and a visionary.
Morning throne pic.
An early morning pic with Willie. A good man.
The beefeaters of the Front Gate. They have a tough job overseeing all of the thousands that attend the TexRenFest.
Before thousands enter the festival.
The cannon was fired from its’ usual spot on this day.
Lady Iris paints the faces of TRF workers before the festival opens.
She has all of the many options for face-painting on a board so people can choose what they want.
There are many to choose from.
Lady Iris gave me a gift. It was a decorative spider and it is very cool.
Nuria as Queen Juana. Beautiful, as always.
The cast at TRF are so friendly and polite that it makes my job easier.
Rudy stays busy all day with playing his bagpipes for different occasions like weddings and the noon parade.
The morning dance with cast and patrons.
Ravenswood Leather shop has great merchandise to pose in front of.
MJ, Tori and Mary.
Mary is another photogenic person that I met at TRF this season.
I stopped by Elaine’s booth again on this day.
I learned Katherine’s name this weekend also. Very nice.
This pirate got her hat from Big Hat Pirates shop. It looks great.
Thirsty Pirate Pub.
Michelle, Michael, Shelly and Katy at the Pirate Pub.
I took some photos of the Polish Pub that I haven’t taken before.
It’s a great place to eat, drink and be entertained by their shows.
Hunters will appreciate this.
And this.
The Polish Pub is another place I discovered this season. TRF has many treasures to enjoy and this pub is one of them.
Ligia owns 15 booths at TRF, including the Polish Pub, the Thirsty Pirate Pub, the Red Lion Tavern and the whole Spanish section.
Her and Kasia are two new friends that I made this season. They are both great people and so hard-working. I respect them both and am proud to call them friends.
Ligia has a great group of people working with her.
People love Ligia and want to do a good job for her.
She is a Queen of the festival. This is her 46th year at TRF.
She started out making and selling empanadas. Her nickname is The Empanada lady.
TRF would not be as good without Ligia and her family’s hard work and efforts.
Jenna and Janie.
Kylie.
Kylie and Julie.
I enjoy stopping by to chat with Julie. It’s fun to hang out with her.
Rylie and Kylie. Two cuties.
Bri has a floof on her head. I learned that women wear floofs at the festival.
Kelsey and Alex.
Emily sells cool necklaces.
The staff of the Red Lion Tavern. Fun girls.
I saw a few Furries on this day.
My usual stop by the Wyrmwood. Notice Allen’s small hands.
The Wyrmwood also has an upstairs section.
I had Travis look up as I snapped this pic.
This girl’s name is Little Foot.
A pic with Travis.
These girls sing around the festival.
That’s a lot of faces to paint.
I’m always surprised to see guys going shirtless on really cold days. Not me. No way.
Abby and Sara.
Sara looks good in her fur.
Abby brightens my day when I see her.
TRF is a huge festival but I’ve managed to run into this couple on three different days. Nice people.
Erika, wearing a different fur hat on this day and looking great.
She is a favorite to photograph also.
Alex makes leather goods and is very talented.
He made what he’s wearing. Very nice.
Erika has been a favorite person of mine since last season when I first met her.
Alex and Erika.
Chelsea’s bird whistle stand.
She looks cute every day that I see her. One of my best friends at TRF.
Notice her floof.
A good group shot.
These ladies were having a lot of fun at the festival.
Better weather and a better crowd on this day.
No more mud to walk through.
More people in costume and no umbrellas.
I’m sure this guy liked the pic I took of him with the festival in the background.
A pirate and his main squeeze.
I started getting pics like this last season. It’s a great vantage point.
I ran into the King, who was playing golf.
This girl had on some cool pants. I asked her about them and she said that she made them.
The Spanish Court.
Getting a pic with Nuria is always on my list.
Lourdes let me try the fried shrimp and they were awesome.
Who doesn’t love good fried shrimp?
Tanya and Lourdes, two new friends.
This guy was balancing a beer on a stick on his head while playing the violin. Unbelievable.
Lots of great kilts during this weekend.
Elly was at the festival promoting different drinks. Nice girl and knows her stuff well.
They were giving out free samples in little plastic cups.
I talked with Elly for a while and she told me about their different drinks.
A good group shot.
One of my favorite pics from the weekend.
Love this pic.
I mentioned in last week’s blog post that I was going to try the fried alligator and this weekend, I did. Tastes like chicken, lol. Not really and it was delicious.
It should be on everyone’s list to try if they attend the festival.
The food stand areas always have a good crowd of people enjoying the great offerings.
With so many choices, there is something for everyone.
The Spanish section always has a lot of people getting some good food.
I also tried the chicken quesadilla on this day.
One of the best I’ve ever had. Ligia knows how to prepare great food.
Another favorite pic from the weekend.
Kilts and berets are always a good look.
This next weekend, I’m going to ask how much it costs to take a carriage ride around the festival.
Love this guy’s hair.
A much larger crowd than on Saturday.
More people equals more fun.
One of many photo ops at TRF.
Still coming in.
Lady Iris is always busy from before opening to close. And always smiling.
More Furries.
A smiling face to greet you as you leave for the day.
Such a long line to purchase a ticket.
I don’t know why these people wouldn’t buy their tickets online to avoid this long line.
Another successful day at the Texas Renaissance Festival.
This concludes this blog post. Look for another one next week for the last weekend of the festival.
To see the pics and videos from the festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
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.
I asked her how tall she was. She said, 6’1″. That is a tall drink of water.
My daily pic of Chelsea. I try to say hello in the morning or goodbye in the afternoon.
Even though Sunday wasn’t as packed as Saturday, it was still a very successful day for TRF.
I stopped by the Tea and Strumpets patio before I left for the day.
Lady Iris is always busy from opening to close.
I enjoy arriving early too much to come this late in the day.
Still coming in.
As I was driving out, the line of cars to enter was a long one. It reached all the way down 1774 and even down 249.
That concludes this blog post. I hope you enjoyed the look back.
To see the pics and videos from the Texas Renaissance Festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The fifth weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as Heroes and Villains. It is their cosplay weekend.
For the festival, I shot 591 pics and 4 videos. I also shot 377 pics of the Tease of the Seas show for a total of 968 pics for the 2 days. For the TOTS show, the total number of pics that I took was 560 and I cut it down to the 377. I was snapping a pic every few seconds of their act and shot them from almost every position.
I enjoyed shooting their show but the editing took a few hours. I think the end results were worth the time.
On Saturday morning. I arrived early and once again I was the first one to the parking area.
Yes, I believe in Auto Advertising.
I usually get up about 4:30am to be at the festival this early. I leave my place at 6:30am and have an hour’s drive to TRF.
One thing on my morning rotation is to get a pic on the throne. I wore my cop shirt for Halloween weekend and was the bad cop that had pink fuzzy handcuffs. That line worked a lot.
On Heroes and Villains weekend, I wore the shirt again and was the villainous cop that didn’t arrest people but gave spankings. That line worked well also.
I have to get the pic of the front gate beefeaters early because they have morning inspections now.
It was overcast this day, but didn’t rain.
The beefeaters undergo inspections by the patrons each morning.
There was a film crew at TRF this weekend. Here they are preparing to shoot video of the morning cannon. I told them everything that I had learned and it helped them out.
The camera man jerks as the cannon fires even though he knew it was coming.
Queen Juana ready to spank anyone that gets out of line.
A very good Penguin.
Tinker Bell is fun to shoot. She always poses well.
Case in point.
The King and Queen are always very nice to pose for me.
A good pic of them.
I photograph these ladies every weekend and their pics always come out good.
At his usual perch.
TRF entertains thousands every weekend. People dressed like this are a big part of it.
Rudy plays Hamish MacGregor. He entertains the patrons before the festival opens. Then he leads weddings with his bagpipes and also the daily parade. A very nice guy.
I stop by Ravenswood Leather each morning. It’s a favorite shop of mine.
The staff is one of the nicest at the TexRenFest.
I started getting pics with MJ last year and now do it every weekend.
Ravenswood Leather has a lot of great merchandise.
They have just about anything you could want for your RenFest outfit.
Mary wears the best hat and looks great in it.
I met Rebel at Comicpalooza during the Summer, but didn’t recognize her until she told me what character she had been playing at the con. She’s a great cosplayer.
This cute girl works at Tea and Strumpets. I try to get her pic when she’s not busy with customers.
The morning dance.
Elizabeth stops by Lady Iris’ booth for face and body painting each morning.
Chelsea is such a sweetheart. And fun to chat with.
The staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Becca and Sara. I gave them each a STORM Factory beanie for the cold days of Winter.
Greg is another great cosplayer that I see on the comicon circuit.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House for my daily kamikaze.
Mickey has been giving me free drinks and I appreciate that. I take a lot of pics of the Wyrmwood staff so maybe that’s the trade off. I like that arrangement.
Johnny Bravo. Love the hair.
On this day, a friend, Kasia, introduced me to a TRF Legend.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ligia aka the Empanada Lady. She has worked at the TexRenFest for 46 years. I was 11 years old when she started.
Ligia treated me to some of her famous empanadas. We had ones with bananas and others with beef.
I loved them both and will have them again. I preferred the beef because I loved the well seasoned meat. The banana-filled empanadas are great for breakfast. They were hot, fresh and delicious. Yum.
Ligia and I enjoyed the empanadas and she told me about her history. She has lead an exciting life that started in Bolivia.
Ligia owns 15 booths at TRF, including the Red Lion Tavern, the Polish Pub and the new Thirsty Pirate Pub. Without her and her family, TRF wouldn’t look as good and be as much fun. We should all thank her.
I’m very happy to have met her and I thank Kasia for making that possible. I intend to try more of the food from Ligia’s many booths so I can photograph and taste it for future blog posts.
Kelsey and Alex always look very cute.
TRF has mostly women servers at the food and drink stands. And I for one prefer it that way. A man with a hairy chest wearing a corset just doesn’t do it for me, lol.
The Cajun Booth has a great staff and really good food. On a colder day, I’ll have some hot Étouffée. They have shrimp and also crawfish.
Catalina Longview never disappoints.
These ladies are fun to photograph.
As a kid, I would have loved this experience.
My morning rotation always includes the Thirsty Pirate Pub.
I tried the meatballs on a stick and it was very good. You’ll see that pic later.
Shane always has time for me and I appreciate that.
Margot has a great accent. I think she’s from France.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub has a fun, friendly staff that works hard for long hours, but they always have a smile on their faces.
Elizabeth was a cop on this day also. But if she stepped out of line, I would have had to spank her, haha.
She makes a cute cop. Maybe I should have let her arrest me.
Love this pic. Such a fun girl.
I think this is a new sign. I don’t remember it from previous weekends.
Ligia’s son designed the Thirsty Pirate Pub and oversaw its’ development. Such an awesome job.
Michael always has time for me also and I thank him for that.
I met Bones Bojangles. His band shares stage time with the Tease of the Seas show. Good band.
If you haven’t seen the TOTS gallery of pics, you should check it out. Lots of great photos of these lovely, talented ladies.
There is also video of their entire act in one weekend gallery. I’ll load all of my TRF videos onto my YouTube channel after the 2022 season. I expect the TOTS videos to get a lot of views.
Captain Abigail Cadabra.
Valentina J’adore.
She’s never far from her bottle.
Men love hard drinking women and I am one of them.
Cara Cherie.
I have heard many men say that she is their favorite.
I have no clue why that is.
But if I had to guess…
I was in the front row and she looked right at me for this pose. Great pic.
The bendiest buccaneer that I know.
Captain Cadabra has a great wardrobe.
She leads the show with the voice of a sea siren and a body of a warship.
If you haven’t seen their show, you are missing out.
It is a must-see if you attend the TexRenFest.
They always play to a packed house.
At one point in the show, they bring up two audience members. This guy sure wasn’t shy about it.
I think that I covered their show well. And better than other photographers.
Sexy pose.
Who doesn’t love a woman with a drink and a whip?
Crack that whip girl!
Another great pose.
The ladies of TOTS also invite people up to dance.
Here’s to you, ladies of TOTS.
I was keeping my eye on them in case I had to deliver any spankings. Maybe next year, if I’m lucky, lol.
A colorful couple.
Good cosplay.
There is always a crowd at the Sea Devil Tavern area.
Julie looked great as Maleficent.
A rare photo with her. One of my favorites from the whole festival.
Going to get married.
I stopped by the Polish Pub.
Another very friendly staff.
The Polish Pub is a favorite stop of mine.
Ewa is always ready to serve it up with a smile.
Kasia has been such a huge help to me in doing my job at TRF. I can’t thank her enough.
I see this couple several times a year.
This guy always looks great.
A very cool steampunk pirate.
I think Haley was cosplaying Poison Ivy. She looked fantastic. As always.
A nice group shot of this staff.
Back to the Wyrmwood.
Sara makes a mold of the customers feet so that their new moccasins fit perfectly.
Cookin’ it up.
Kevin always looks great. He’s the only pirate that I know that wears green. He stands out.
Two good-looking pirates.
Good pic.
You may know the drill by now.
I always try to get a pic of a pirate’s rings.
Kevin’s also.
A good collection.
A fun group.
The Sea Devil has a great place for a photo op.
I saw these girls walking by and asked for a pic.
Someone’s cups overfloweth.
This lady said her chest was cold. It think her friend took care of that later.
Here is the meatballs on a stick.
Hot and tasty.
The Pub Crawl about to head out.
Still a lot of people coming in as I was leaving.
Saturday had a good crowd.
Lady Iris always has a line at her booth for face-painting.
A smiling face to greet you as you leave.
If you arrive later in the day, you may have quite a walk from the parking area.
This concludes the pics from Saturday.
I hope you enjoyed the look at this day.
On Sunday morning, I arrived first again.
Thousands will enter these gates on this day.
The beefeaters were wearing flowers in remembrance of the military.
Willie got one also.
The beefeaters call the gates holes. I heard Willie say to one beefeater, “Which hole do you want to be in today?”
Morning throne pic.
Morning inspection.
That film crew shot video of the beefeaters’ morning rituals.
The Queen lit the cannon on this day.
This lovely lass oversees the photography crew.
This young lady always looks great in her hat. I have photographed her several times.
Elizabeth getting her morning paint from Lady Iris. Lady Iris has worked at TRF for 29 years.
Rudy looking stylish with his pipe.
The cast of characters all froze in one place as the film crew went around filming them. It was cool to see them frozen in place.
Two tough looking characters who are as nice as could be.
I shot a pic of the people who take photos of patrons as they enter. After I snapped their pic, I jokingly said, “That’ll be $10.”
The lady in the middle said, “You could get $20.” We all laughed.
I told them that their pic would be on my website. As I was walking off, I heard one girl say, “We’re going to be famous.”
Glenda the Good Witch.
An even better shot of the Penguin.
The King and Queen ready to start the day.
Love the ‘stache.
Cruella DeVille and her brother.
Jade always looks great in her many costumes.
The band playing music for the morning dance.
The dance happens every morning and the patrons love it.
It was a little overcast this day also, but it never rained.
Ravenswood Leather staff.
MJ and moi.
You can see Mary’s great hat better in this pic.
I asked MJ to pose with the merchandise.
She made a joke that she was doing her best Vanna White, lol. She looks great.
I ran into Rebel as she was heading to work. Nice pose.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub all clean and ready for a busy day.
Smiling, happy faces.
The flower wreath employees are always happy to pose for a pic.
Three bills for a dill.
Catalina Longview is always on my morning rotation. Can you guess why?
Julie and Kylie always take a great photo.
Julie is another favorite of mine to photograph.
Kylie, her daughter, is very photogenic also.
Kelsey and Alex.
I stopped by the Polish Pub for some staff pics. A fun-loving, friendly group of people.
Kasia is the manager of the Polish Pub and does a fantastic job. I consider her a new, good friend.
I mentioned last week that I was going to try the coconut water. On this day, I did. The vendor gave it to me for free because I take his photo often. They keep the coconuts in a cooler so the water is chilled.
It was good. The vendor told me that an aspirin and some coconut water is a good hangover remedy. And now you know.
The staff at the Red Lion Tavern.
Haley looking as cute as ever.
Such a pretty girl.
Some of the Spanish Court. Queen Juana and company always look grand.
I was told about the parfait on this day. It is mashed potatoes and pulled pork that is layered in a cup. I will try that this upcoming weekend. Looking forward to that.
Nuria and her husband Chris. A great couple.
I’ve known Nuria for a while now. I first met her at a comicon. She also looks great as Wonder Woman.
Allen is always such a pleasant gentleman. He works the door at the Wyrmwood Public House.
Know when to say when.
I stop by the Asgardian Armory each day to get a pic of Erika. She wears such great outfits.
She always lets me get a pic with her also. So nice.
I’ve never photographed the little stand where Chelsea sells the bird whistles.
Another good friend that I made last year at TRF.
The final look of Lady Iris’ artwork on Elizabeth. A variation of Spiderman.
You don’t have to walk far to find beauty at TRF.
Exactly.
Her line should be, “My eyes are down here.”
Two more lovely ladies.
The food at the TexRenFest comes in many variations and it’s all very good.
The crowd grew as the day wore on.
On one of my favorite patios at TRF. Tea and Strumpets.
Three very colorful ladies.
Skidmark in his office. A kid came up to him and said, “You have a dollar on your head.” He replied, “That’s my overhead.”
The staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood for a drink.
Allen and Travis. Two great guys.
A nice staff photo.
Julie let me try the fried shrimp on a stick.
It comes with onions also and was delicious. I love fried shrimp and these were very good. A must try if you attend the festival.
With Amanda at the Glory Hole bar.
It looked like it would rain, but thankfully it never did. It turned out to be another good day to be in New Market Village.
Bones Bojangles and his band.
Elizabeth looked fantastic as an Aztec Warrior.
Great pic.
Funny.
Margot looking good in her hat.
Too old for this, but the kids love it.
This too.
Johnny Danger asked the pretzel vendor to get in the pic and it turned out good.
This lady’s pic got a lot of responses on Facebook. I wonder why.
I stopped by the Polish Pub for some pics. They have an attractive, friendly staff also.
Kasia had her staff serve me the pulled pork sandwich. Such a beautiful server.
The sandwich was awesome. Hot and delicious… a good combination.
The pickle stands have great color to them. I love the green and yellow together.
Savannah always yells out, “Spider!” when she sees me coming to get her pic.
Coconut water. Tried it. Like it.
Lots of people enjoying the great food.
Plenty of seating to enjoy your meal.
A fun couple.
A great dress.
Emma was on her swing in the Wyrmwood. I shot video of it.
The Wyrmwood bartenders are very cool dudes.
Having a drink under a beauty on a swing is a very cool experience and should be tried.
The Wyrmwood serves real liquor and has great ambiance. A visit here is a must on your next trip to TRF.
Here is the video of Emma on her swing.
A fun staff.
Alex will be wearing something similar for this upcoming weekend. It would be too cold for me to do that. I’m a wuss when it comes to the cold weather.
For that same reason, I’m done with camping out at TRF for the season. I’m not about freezing my ass off in the back of my Tahoe.
Alex has told me about other RenFests and I may attend them next year.
A great photo op for patrons.
The long line for face-painting by Lady Iris.
Sunday had a good crowd.
These people were in line to purchase tickets. I would purchase a ticket online to avoid the lines.
Still coming in as I was leaving.
Well, that’s it for this week’s blog post. I hope you enjoyed the look back.
To see all of the pics and videos from the Texas Renaissance Festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The 4th weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival was the All Hallow’s Eve weekend celebrating Halloween. I camped out that weekend and have some stories from that, so read on.
I arrived early at the campgrounds so I could drive around and check things out before I entered the festival.
They have a very nice sign for the campgrounds.
After I drove around and found the Call of Booty campsite, I parked near the entrance plaza and got the 2nd spot. Having a close spot makes it so much easier at the end of a long day of walking and talking.
I was able to get a pic on the throne this morning. During the day, there is always a long line to do this.
The front gate Beefeaters were happy to pose for a quick pic.
A look at the entrance area before thousands enter.
The cannon gets fired every weekend morning to start the day.
Tea and Strumpets has a great patio.
First, order the best bacon sandwich in the Kingdom here at the counter.
An added bonus is being waited on by this lovely lass. She always dresses for the theme.
And funny also.
Right beside the counter is a little passageway that leads to the upstairs patio.
Here’s what it looks like. One of the best places to enjoy your meal.
Later in the day, they host a Tea Party with food. It’s an upscale affair and is a very nice RenFest experience. Tickets for this are on the TRF site.
The view from this patio is great. I take pics from here every weekend.
This is another favorite view of mine.
During this weekend, I heard more compliments about my work than any other weekend. Several people mentioned to me that they appreciate what I’m doing to capture memories for them. It never gets old to hear nice things about one’s work and efforts.
The lady in this photo is in charge of the costuming at TRF. She told me that she loves what I’m doing out there. She also said that she looks at my pics so she can see her characters during the day around the festival. This helps her stay on top of things. I’m glad she enjoys my work and uses my site for her job.
She definitely looks great for Halloween weekend.
The cake looks good. Would you take a piece from a green witch?
The Spanish Queen Juana always looks stunning in her outfit and crown.
The King and Queen looking regal for the weekend.
I enjoy getting these ladies’ pic every weekend.
So many cute faces in great dresses and costumes.
This guy has his perch every morning.
More great fashion for a RenFest.
Rudy never leaves home without his bagpipes and pipe.
I love this lady’s pose. So fun.
The White Swan looking beautiful.
Ravenswood Leather.
The staff at Ravenswood Leather are always up for a great pic.
MJ has some great clothing.
I photograph this guy every weekend and this weekend I had him try out some different poses. I’m sure you’ll see him again.
Some of the best chicken in the Village.
The staff of the Thirsty Pirate Pub work hard all day serving up great food and drink.
But they always make time for me to get some pics.
If you haven’t guessed yet, the Thirsty Pirate Pub is a favorite spot for me to hang out and get some pics.
Pam at the Bilge Pump bar in the Sea Devil area.
I stop by the Glory Hole bar and talk with Amanda each morning. I used to have a morning beer, but now I enjoy a kamikaze from the Wyrmwood Public House.
I think I shot a good pic of this couple. I’m sure that they loved it.
For Halloween, I was an NYPD Commissioner of Halloween. When people would ask me about my outfit, I would tell them that I’m the bad cop with the pink fuzzy handcuffs.
That line worked more than you would guess. The women loved it. I said that line to a group of three sexy women and one lady turned to her friends and said, “Oh, yum!”
A nice group shot. I enjoy group shots because it is an opportunity to please several people with one photo.
This food stand staff is really nice and never refuses me a photo of them.
I found a few more food stands to get pics of the employees. Beauty is everywhere in New Market Village.
I have 4 weekends left and my goal is to taste and photograph more of the great food offered at TRF.
I’ve tried some, but the festival is so big that I’ll never get to it all in one season.
Adrianna and Kylie always look great.
So does Tanya and Lourdes.
Lourdes let me try the Crawfish and Cheesy Fries.
It was delicious and should be tried on your next visit. Look in the French section and you’ll be sure to find the stand.
Haley is very photogenic and I appreciate that she lets me take her pic.
Travis works at the Wyrmwood Public House and is very cool to me. I thank him for that.
Daddy is always good for a great pic.
When people hear me call him Daddy, I’m sure they’re wondering what the hell is up with that, lol. He prefers to be called Daddy and I play along.
Mickey made my daily kamikaze and it hit the spot. That is supposed to be a shot but he makes it in a rocks glass and super big for a shot. I love it.
The Wyrmwood bartenders are some cool dudes.
This was a fun couple.
I got a pic with Queen Juana.
As Nuria and I were posing, another RenFest photog snapped this pic.
A lovely lady that works at the Polish Pub, a new favorite place of mine.
Kasia and some of her friendly staff at the Polish Pub.
Another packed audience for a show.
Two cute cops. Too young for my pink fuzzy handcuffs, lol.
I’m determined to try the coconut water this upcoming weekend.
Three bills for a dill.
Julie receives many positive responses for her pics on Facebook when I post them. No wonder. She’s another RenFest beauty that I came across in my travels of the Kingdom.
Blaise is another one and she always dresses so well. Love the hat.
Cooking up some steak on a stick. I’ll try that this upcoming weekend.
Apollo promoting his show. He’s a very talented individual.
Who doesn’t need a few dragon teeth?
Haley’s eyes are great for a Halloween weekend.
The kids at TRF were able to go to each booth and Trick or Treat for candy. Getting to Trick or Treat at the RenFest is a very cool aspect.
A great pic of a lovely witch and her broom.
I was happy to get this lady’s pic.
A great face.
I ran into Reagan and her two Furry friends and was glad to photograph them.
More Reagan than the Furries, haha.
And yes, she deserves a close-up of her costume.
Erika always wears the best outfits and I love getting her pics.
She’s on my morning rotation of regulars and she’s always nice enough to pose for me and with me.
I complimented this guy on his workout program. His arms look great. And… it doesn’t necessarily make you gay to notice a handsome, well-built man. Just sayin’.
These girls were a fun group.
I forgot to get a pic with Reagan and was pissed at myself. Luckily, I ran into her again. This is a favorite of mine.
And yes, she gets another close-up.
A packed house for Tartanic.
Lots of smiling, happy faces. Love it.
The Spanish Court put up an altar honoring those that have passed. I love the Day of the Dead celebration.
A well-dressed pirate and his family.
When I see a lot of rings, I get this pic.
Nice rings.
The horses at TRF are some beautiful animals and well taken care of also.
I never wanted a piece of candy more in my life, lol.
Kasia had her staff serve me a Combo plate from the Polish Pub.
You get 8 items and 3 different sauces to go with it. The items are: Hunter Stew – sauerkraut mixed with a few kinds of meat, sausage, a piece of Polish sausage, 3 kinds of Pierogi – meat, potato and cheese, sauerkraut and mushrooms, and stuffed cabbage with rice and pork meat topped with tomato sauce and a pickle and dinner roll.
It all was very delicious and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
This was another fun couple.
It was a little chilly on this day. I couldn’t go shirtless like this guy.
I’m sure they loved this pic.
The food is an important part of TRF and shouldn’t be overlooked as a big part of your stay in the Village.
Darrell wasn’t cold. That’s for sure.
Blaise having fun with bubbles.
Her and Vendella are always in a good mood.
I ran into Kevin on this day and got a pic with him. He’s one of my favorite pirates at TRF.
This couple wanted a pic with me. I was happy to join them.
When is too much? I think they found that out.
Having a good time at the Pirate Pub.
It was an overcast day at the festival, but thousands still came out.
The Tease of the Seas show always brings them into the Pirate Pub area.
It has quickly become a favorite spot for many festival goers.
A lot of places in the Kingdom that serve drinks don’t serve food and vice versa. At the Thirsty Pirate Pub, you can get something to eat as well as drink. I like that.
I really like this vantage point.
As I was shooting pics around the Thirsty Pirate Pub, Gerald, the manager, walked up and asked me what I was drinking. He then gave me a free beer for all of my work with the pics and videos of the pub. That was very cool of him and I appreciated it.
Shane works in the upstairs section of the pub and is always very nice to me. Cool dude. He said that seeing my pics on Monday was a favorite part of his day.
The ladies of the Tease of the Seas show always play to a packed house and the audience always leaves feeling entertained by their act.
I had never seen a horse skeleton before I saw this a few years back. Lots of people pose with them.
Giving people a carriage ride would be a cool job.
Smiling, happy faces again. Are you seeing a trend at TRF?
People getting ready to go on the Pub Crawl.
Something tells me that I wouldn’t want to get into a fight with this guy.
Chelsea looking as cute as ever. She sells a lot of bird whistles.
Two scary looking ladies on Halloween weekend.
Mindy always gives me a great pic. I enjoy getting Red’s pic.
Even though it was overcast, the patrons kept coming in.
Three lovely mermaids.
You’ll see lots of photographers and film crews at the TexRenFest. It is quite a happening.
I enjoy getting the pics of the flower wreath girls and guys.
I’ve known Tony since last season. He’s a follower on Facebook and enjoys the posts. I appreciate his support.
Another cute flower wreath girl.
That concludes my pics for the Saturday of Halloween weekend at TRF. This next section deals with the campgrounds.
Here is a pic of the Call of Booty campsite. Lots goes on here and some can’t be photographed.
They use a pirate logo that came from the pirate, Jack Rackham. It’s my favorite historical flag also.
John Rackham, commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the calico clothing that he wore, while Jack is a nickname for “John”. Rackham was active towards the end of the “Golden Age of Piracy”.
They even have a store in their camp.
The ladies working there were very friendly.
I purchased a Call of Booty sticker. You’ll see that again later.
Notice his bone.
This group was having a great time.
A great costume for the nighttime.
And hers also.
These tatas looked so real, I had to ask about them.
The Master of Ceremonies at the Call of Booty camp was quite a character.
As the night came on, the crowd grew for the Naked Jenga game.
Naked Jenga is played with 2×4’s. As a person is called out of the audience, they must successfully pull a block from the stack. If the stack doesn’t fall, they have to do what is written on their block. The first girl had to do 2 topless cartwheels. There is a lot of nudity, which is why they prohibit pics or video.
I walked off for a bit and when I returned, a guy dressed as a Monk had to strip naked.
When I came back by later in the game, a woman had knocked over the stack and was completely naked putting it back together again.
This came by and looked cool.
The campground bonfire is across the street from the Call of Booty campsite.
There is a little city in the campground.
Lots of food stands to serve late into the evening. One little, temporary convenience store stayed open until 3am.
Henna tattoos also.
I had a piece of pizza and it was hot, fresh and good.
I ran into another favorite pirate of mine. Philip is one of the best dressed that I’ve seen.
I always like to get a pic with him.
The next morning, there were still people at the bonfire area.
The Call of Booty campsite was cleaned up and looking like nothing had occurred there the night before.
I will close out my story about the campgrounds with another little bit.
I shot video of Solar Rain, who performed at the Call of Booty campsite. As I’m shooting video, a couple comes barging up through the crowd to end up near me on the rope. Then, they started bumping my elbow while I’m trying to film the act.
After I had finished filming a performer, I stopped the camera and turned to this couple and said, “I wish you wouldn’t bump my arm because I’m trying to shoot video of the performance.”
Did this couple heed my polite request? No.
They didn’t bump me anymore, but they did start talking shit while I was shooting the next performer. You can hear them on the video saying shit like, “Oh we wouldn’t want to fuck up the video.”
I’ve thought about this all week and decided that I won’t call them every name in the book here on my blog, but I wish I had told them, “If being an asshole was worth money, you two would be rich.”
I ended up turning the other cheek and walking off before I could film the finale of the act. Taking the high road keeps you out of jail but it still burns in your gut like acid when you can’t get satisfaction from telling someone off. Trust me, they deserved it and I’m quite sure the Karma train will run them over soon enough and probably back up.
The next morning, I was up early and got the first spot in the parking area.
I had a spot available on my rear window.
So I placed my Call of Booty sticker there. It goes well with everything else on there.
Some may not know that when I worked in auto racing, I was sent to NASCAR race car driving schools all over the U.S. I became quite good at driving a race car at high speeds around some of the most famous tracks in America, like the Daytona International Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500.
In the real world, this skill comes in handy when you’re running from the cops, lol.
The front gate Beefeaters have to pass a morning inspection by a patron.
Rudy getting ready to entertain the first arrivals to the festival.
All quiet before the rush of patrons.
The morning cannon.
These are the two gentlemen that fire the cannon.
The cast getting ready for the morning dance.
Queen Juana looking fantastic for Halloween weekend.
Love this pic.
Chris makes leather goods. He made the chest plate that he’s wearing.
I’m getting him to make me a new utility belt for next year.
Chris and Nuria are a nice couple that I’m happy to have met at TRF last season.
The morning dance with patrons.
The band.
A fun way to start the day.
Elizabeth had “Nice Pumpkins” painted on her chest by Lady Iris. She didn’t know what Lady Iris was writing but loved the results. So did I.
And yes, a close-up of that artwork.
I ran into Savannah and got a quick pic before she went on to work at her stand.
The staff of Ravenswood Leather.
I enjoy my pics with MJ.
I love her many head pieces.
New day, different pose.
Yet to try this, but will.
I gain weight just by looking at the pics of all the delicious food.
These look tasty.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub.
The pub has a cute staff also.
Before it gets crowded with festival goers enjoying the new pub and stage area.
I stopped by Big Hat Pirates booth again.
I was looking for Chris to discuss my utility belt, but he wasn’t there.
Lots of great merchandise.
A selfie in front of their mirror.
Kids love riding ponies. Fact.
Pam takes a good photo.
I plan to get the fried alligator again this year also.
Blaise always has a great smile.
Kelsey and Adrianna getting ready for a busy day.
Julie and Kylie, her daughter, are quite an eyeful. Both so beautiful.
Julie always deserves her own pic.
Love the face painting.
Lourdes makes a cute little devil with red horns.
Harley and Samantha. Great smiles.
I’d see a doctor about that discoloration.
Haley looks great even when she’s chilling.
The Red Lion Tavern staff is also very friendly. And they have great BBQ.
The Spanish Court.
Violet fire dances for Saxon Moon and also Solar Rain. I did get some of her performance in the campground before I walked off from that loser couple.
This guy has some good poses.
Erika always looks grand.
A craftsman at work in the Asgardian Armory.
Alex wears garb like this all through the season. I couldn’t take the cold.
Another favorite.
Greg has become a good friend over the last year and a half.
Becca also.
A great make-up job.
The altar on Sunday.
Jacob and Ewa at the Polish Pub.
Kasia with one of her workers.
I told Kasia that we look good in black. She agreed.
On this Sunday, I tried the Polish sausage from the Polish Pub and Kasia served me up a good one. It was hot and delicious.
Getting a program is a must in order to see as many shows as possible during your visit.
Savannah is a sweetheart of a girl.
This guy holds this pose for a lot of the day.
I ran into Jay. He told me last year that people were calling him Pothead because of the pot on his head. That’s all I call him now.
Some of the staff of the Wyrmwood Public House.
Jay had her face made up well. She said it took her an hour to do this.
Mickey went inside after this pic and made my kamikaze. When I received it, I handed him my card and said to add a $5 tip. He told me that this one was on him. Free kamikazes is an added bonus.
I ran into Charlie the night before in the campground. He was one of the guys with an extra bone in his skeleton costume, lol.
The Wyrmwood is a very cool place to hang out.
Lovely singers in the Kingdom.
This woman had a fantastic hat and a great smile.
This group was happy to get their photo taken.
Smiling, happy faces.
Singing to the ladies.
Scott and his main squeeze.
Chelsea has a great smile also.
The Sanderson sisters. I love the blondes’ eyebrows.
I was told that this warrior had a squeaky eye in on Saturday and when you poked it, it squeaked. Funny.
Bree and her friend.
Red looks good as a pirate.
The Thirsty Pirate Pub always has a good crowd.
These girls were having a lot of fun at the festival.
Shane and Elizabeth.
They wanted a pic with the logo. It came out good. It’s all in the cropping.
If you attend TRF, you should make some time to spend at the new Pirate Pub.
This little booth always has a big crowd.
These two girls took a great pic while they were sitting down.
More coming in as I was leaving for the day.
She likes when I get her pic as I’m leaving.
The entrance plaza always has a crowd during the day.
I ran into Reagan as I was leaving the campground, so I stopped my Tahoe and got some pics.
Love her costume… and you do too. Don’t lie.
I plan on meeting up with her again on the Celtic Weekend for some new pics. I’m excited about that and wondering what she’ll wear.
That concludes this blog post. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my Halloween weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival.
I’ll have another post after next weekend, so check back then.
To see the pics and videos from the previous weekends, visit the site below and click on Photos.
I’ll start this post by saying, “Getting old sucks.”
This last weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed as Pirate Adventure and it is one of my most favorite weekends of their season. It is also a favorite of many people.
For this weekend, I had an assistant working with me. I usually get about 500 pics per weekend and I thought since I had help, I would get close to 1,000 pics for the weekend. We didn’t even come close.
We also had big plans to campout in the campgrounds and capture the action at the bonfire and also at the Call of Booty camp.
On Saturday morning, my assistant was 2 1/2 hours late in meeting me. My day started off badly. Sitting in a gas station parking lot for 2 1/2 hours will tire a person out. So before my day even started, I was frustrated and tired from waiting.
When he showed up, we went into the campgrounds and found a spot to set up camp. We were one row away from the bonfire. I had high hopes for the weekend.
Now to where getting old sucks. We made it into the festival at about 1pm. We worked until 7pm. I ended up with my quota of 250 for the day but my assistant only got about 62 pics. Much lower than I expected from him.
I also shot video of the Tease of the Seas show at the Thirsty Pirate Pub stage. More about that later.
When we got back to our camp, I was tired but willing to cover the night’s activities in the campground. I laid down for a quick rest. When I looked up in a few minutes, my assistant already had his PJ’s on. I thought, “So I guess we’re not doing anything more.”
We even had tickets to a party in the campgrounds that featured a Pirate costume contest. After I saw that he was dressed for bed, I dosed off again and woke up at about 3am, and we missed everything.
I’ll try and camp out again by myself and try to get some coverage of the campgrounds.
When we arrived at the festival on Saturday at about 1pm, there was a line to get a pic on the throne so I passed on that.
The previous weekend, Lourdes had told me that she would give me a dish of the crawfish mac and cheese if I wanted to try it. That was the first place I went on Saturday.
It was delicious and I’ll have that again before the festival is over. Lourdes is a sweetheart.
I always stop by the food stands and I definitely make sure to stop by Julie’s stand to get her pic. Others have commented on how beautiful she is. I agree.
Kylie works at a nearby stand and is Julie’s daughter. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I love seeing families working at the festival.
The French area is always packed with people eating the great food and drinks. It’s one of my favorite areas.
I had heard that the attendance for Saturday was around 32,000 people.
Last week, I misspelled Blaise’s name. I thought it was Blaze. She has a very cool name to go with her good looks.
Bandanas and corsets. What’s not to love about Pirate weekend?
Alex is always so nice and never refuses me a photo of her.
The Red Lion Tavern has some good shows and I plan to shoot video of them soon. They always have a packed crowd. And great BBQ.
Haley was looking as cute as ever in her Pirate outfit. I liked the skeleton hand coming out of her shirt.
I also plan to shoot video of Saxon Moon again this year.
A nice group enjoying their day at the TexRenFest.
I stopped by the Wyrmwood Public House for my daily kamikaze from Mickey. In his real job, he is a teacher of young kids. He told me that the discipline problems are getting out of line. Kids today are wild.
Monsieur Bunny prefers to be called Daddy.
This pic makes me laugh. He’s a randy fellow, lol.
I ran into Ms. Lilly Bontemp, aka the High Seas Barbie. I always enjoy getting her photogrpah.
This is what the patio of the Wyrmwood Public House looks like from ground level. It’s a great place to view the festival and all of the goings on.
The thousands of patrons were enjoying their day, seeing shows, eating and drinking.
The Sea Devil Tavern always has a big crowd.
Lots of Old School Pirates are found here.
Love the beard and pipe.
You may notice that I spend time around the Thirsty Pirate Pub. I just love the building and the area. It has drinks, food, a stage and great shows and lots of people having a great time.
It is a great addition to the Kingdom and I’m a fan.
And going from the Royal Mint to such a money making investment is a success story.
On Saturdays, there is always a crowd in the upstairs area.
It has a great view of the stage area.
And yes, beautiful women.
You had to know that I’d get a pic with them.
I even like the design of the ceiling.
Three more lovely ladies enjoying their time at the pub.
More skeleton hands grabbing tatas.
The staff at the pub is always nice and ready to serve you up something good.
I’ve never seen a dog or baby skeleton.
If my assistant was a woman, we would have taken a carriage ride.
Another look at the Sea Devil area.
There’s always colorful characters hanging around there.
I ran into Tim and his lovely lady and had to get a pic. Very cool outfits.
I stopped by the Polish Pub and saw another packed house.
My assistant got this shot and it’s one of my favorite ones from the weekend.
Even scooter riders can be Pirates.
Lots of shows to take in while at the festival.
Another fun group.
A fine Pirate and his best gal.
This is a view of the upstairs patio of ‘Tea and Strumpets’. Another great view of the TexRenFest.
Three cute Pirates.
If you can’t smooch your gal, you’re not a good Pirate.
Photographing the workers never gets old.
Such a beautiful smile.
Later in the day, I had the grilled pork on a stick.
It was delicious.
I photographed this lovely lady last season. Showing her Call of Booty pride. Love it.
I ran into Kevin again this weekend. He’s a favorite Pirate of mine.
Kevin and his main squeeze.
I ran into Erika and her friends and was happy to get a pic with them.
Daniel is a fun cosplayer I met last year.
Always good to get a thumbs up… instead of a middle finger salute.
Love the hat and her smile.
Another favorite of mine.
A beautiful Pirate.
I really enjoy photographing people having a good time. Nice pic.
More animals that the kids can ride.
The Pirate Pub always draws in some fun people.
A fun way to get tips for the performers.
This is a pic of the crowd at the Tease of the Seas show. Another packed house.
The show was great and the ladies are as beautiful as they are talented. The videos are good.
I plan on getting pics of the show this upcoming weekend.
This is my favorite pic of the pub to date. The lights and the sky make it a good one.
I’ve said this before but it’s too bad that the festival is only 2 months long once a year.
On Sunday morning, I was up early and headed into the festival for an appointment that I had.
A look at the entrance area before the thousands enter.
The Polish Pub.
They have a nice stage and great performers.
Kasia is the manager of the Polish Pub. She was so nice and pleasant. She offered me a jello shot to start my day. Any day that starts with a jello shot from a Polish beauty is going to be a good day.
Kasia also manages the Facebook pages for the Polish Pub and the Thirsty Pirate Pub. Her day job is working at the Consulate General of Poland in Houston. Great gal.
Jacob is a nice guy also.
He told me that he has worked at TRF since he was a young teenager. He even kept his streak alive while he was in the military by scheduling his leaves so he could work at the festival.
Some of the staff of the Polish Pub.
And a few more.
These two ladies missed the group shot so I snapped their pic later.
Kasia had her staff serve me breakfast.
I had never had pierogies before and loved them.
The two groups of performers at the pub.
A fun and talented group.
The Polish Pub has a great stage area where there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
Love the dresses, the hair and the hats.
Another keepsake pic.
The Pirate Pub before the crowds arrive.
Ready to entertain.
Chris is married to the Spanish Queen Juana.
As I said before, every good Pirate wears many rings.
Legal brass knuckles.
A different view of the Pirate Pub.
The staff at the Pirate Pub is one of the nicest and most hard working at TRF. They serve a lot of people each day and always enjoy their work.
Rudy is always good for a nice pic.
Getting ready to start the morning dance.
I’ve seen this area really crowded with patrons enjoying their time at TRF.
On a busy day, you can see thousands from this vantage point.
The staff of ‘Tea and Strumpets’.
Alex and his weapon.
I’m glad that the food stand workers haven’t gotten tired of me asking them for pics.
It’s a favorite part of my day.
One of my favorite staffs.
A mother and daughter working together. I really like that many families work at the TexRenFest together. Family is always important.
If you don’t have a good time at TRF, it’s your own fault.
The staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
Becca works at festivals all around the country. Fun job.
Greg knows a lot about their moccasins.
Vebecka works at the Asgardian Armory and is very nice and fun to talk with.
I really like this pic. Great gals and a great background.
Erika at her post.
I enjoy getting pics with Erika.
The Asgardian Armory staff is also fun and hard working.
Avalon Leatherworks.
I try to showcase different shops each weekend.
Avalon has some nice merch.
And great hats.
Also some nice leather goods.
And a friendly staff.
MJ works at Ravenswood Leather. A favorite shop of mine.
This guy was ready for Halloween weekend.
A nice Pirate pose.
This guy cooks a lot of food each weekend.
I wonder how much chicken they use for the 8 weekends.
This cheerful Pirate gives out Pirate coins to the kids. A nice touch.
Pam at her bar, the Bilge Pump.
The staff of the Sea Devil tavern.
It was Amanda’s birthday on this day.
I stopped by the Pirate Pub for a drink.
On Sundays, the crowd is a little lighter.
Kudos to whoever designed this stage area and seating.
The palm trees add to the look and make it feel like a Pirate’s Tropical Paradise.
The upstairs staff are two very cool people and I like them.
I’m sure this guy liked his pic because I framed it with the logo in it.
Michael used to work at Tea and Strumpets but now works at the Pirate Pub. He is a very friendly, hard-working guy and I consider him a friend.
This young lady posed with the funnel cake. It looked good but I didn’t try it.
With the horse drawn carriages, I’ve never seen a road apple, never.
A good-looking Pirate and his better half.
Another favorite staff of mine.
The menu board for the Red Lion Tavern.
The staff always have a smile on their faces.
Haley is on my pic list each day and never disappoints.
Another good Pirate and his best gal.
A lovely lady strolling through TRF.
I enjoy Saturdays as well as Sundays in the Kingdom.
Every day is magical with new people and experiences to photograph. It’s a photographers dreamland.
Rare to see an empty table in this seating area.
On my way out, I try to get a pic of the entrance area to show all of the people still coming in.
Face-painting is very popular and Lady Iris is always busy.
Don’t forget to get your hand stamped if you’re coming back later that day.
I hope you have enjoyed this brief look at the Pirate weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I’ll have more blog posts about the upcoming weekends so check back soon.
To see all of the pics and videos from the festival, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The second weekend of the Texas Renaissance Festival was themed 1001 Dreams. I didn’t attend this weekend last year and I’m sorry that I didn’t. I had a lot of fun, as you’ll see in the following photos and commentary.
Second weekend, first again.
They parked me on row 5 again. Loving life.
If you arrive later in the day, it’s quite a walk to the front gate plaza.
From row 5, it’s right there.
The gateway to fun and frivolity.
Five gates for so many people. They all fit.
The front gate Beefeaters will greet a lot of guests this day.
My morning Throne pic.
In this photo there are three generations of TexRenFest workers. Very cool pic.
I had kolaches for breakfast from the Queen’s Pantry.
The cast awaiting the patrons for a fun day in New Market Village.
The calm before the storm.
One of my favorite views of the Kingdom.
I really like getting a pic with Jade. She’s one of my favorite cast members.
A jolly crew this is.
The cast dancing with patrons to start the day.
Hamish MacGregor is another favorite of mine. Rudy is a great guy.
A pic with him is a must.
I try to get a pic of MJ every day that I’m in the Kingdom.
She works at Ravenswood Leather. More about that later.
Another of MJ’s cute co-workers at Ravenswood.
I passed by as this young lady was serving some apple pies with ice cream and had to get a pic.
Cooking it up.
Always a treat to walk by this booth.
Pam and Kevin at the Bilge Pump Bar at the Sea Devil area.
Damn, that’s two good looking pirates in that pic, lol.
Every good pirate wears many rings. They’re considered legal brass knuckles.
Kevin has quite a collection.
Mine are from my career in lifeguarding and motorsports. From left to right, 13 time lifeguard champion, turquoise for luck, Jeff Gordon NASCAR championship ring, Jeff Gordon Brickyard 400 championship ring, IndyCar Championship ring for Sam Hornish, Jr., and a ring from the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
In case you were wondering, I earned all of those racing rings when I worked in auto racing.
These next photos are of a new bar in the Kingdom called Thirsty Pirate Pub.
It’s huge and beautiful.
Notice the ground and the palms. Great finishing touches.
The staff are friendly and cheerful. And eager to serve you whatever is your pleasure.
The decorations are great.
I like these wooden sculptures a lot.
A very talented craftsman.
A quick look at the menu. I see some Jell-O shots in my future.
The upstairs area of the pub overlooks a new stage area that has a show called Tease of the Seas and features some beautiful women. Who wouldn’t like that?
Another view of the stage area.
From this view, you can see how nice the landscaping is in this area. Nice job.
A long bench for you and your crew.
A very nice upstairs area for drinking, eating or taking a break. And sometimes all three.
I like the decor. An effort was made to make this place look nice and I appreciate that effort.
Pirates and mermaids go together like PB&J.
I made a few trips to this area and I enjoyed my time here.
There are misters to fight the heat. They are a nice addition, but for someone like me that uses an expensive iPhone, I have to be careful around them.
A nice group shot of some people enjoying the new pub.
I had a strawberry mimosa to wash back the trail dust.
I was with a friend in the upstairs area of the pub when this nice couple joined us. They told us all about the camping situation since they camp out most every weekend of TRF.
As we are sitting there chatting, a pirate sits down next to me and bends over as he’s getting situated. A neatly rolled joint falls out of his hat onto the table. I smiled and picked it up. I held it out on the table so only he could see it.
Once he was seated, he looked over and saw what I was holding. His grin was ear to ear. He invited me to join him in smoking his joint in a private area but I declined. With my job, I can’t afford to get into trouble in the Kingdom. Any other time and I would have, gladly.
I don’t usually offer my opinion about certain things, but in this case I will.
I posted my pub pics on several Facebook pages. There were numerous comments made about the pub, mostly positive. It was the negative ones that I found out of line.
I won’t go into detail about these comments. I’ll just say that some people’s opinion is wrong. When I read these negative comments, I thought to myself, would these people prefer that the area still be the Royal Mint with some older ladies weaving cotton?
They apparently don’t realize that this pub is a MAJOR improvement to the Kingdom. It’s a great watering hole that has fabulous food as well. There’s an upstairs section that overlooks a new stage area that showcases the Tease of the Seas show and gives you some great views of the festival.
I’d prefer that these people with something negative to say stay far away from the new pub and allow people who appreciate the effort made to enjoy this great addition to New Market Village.
And if the pub was themed any other way, they’d be bitching about why it wasn’t a pirate theme. Get a grip… or slip.
My lovely Amanda at her post in The Glory Hole bar.
The guy to my right is 6’7″. I felt 5’4″ standing next to him.
One of my favorite food stand crews. Fried alligator and several other cajun dishes. Some of my most favorite in the Kingdom.
Ms. Blaze always looks great and her smile lights up her face.
I found out that these girls are the ones that serve the grilled pork on a stick. I’ll be having that next weekend.
Julie is always so nice when I ask for a photo of her. And she’s lovely.
I’m eager to see what the food stand workers will wear for Pirate’s Adventure weekend.
A beautiful face with great accessories.
You’ll see a theme with the coconut vendors.
Three bills for a dill.
I love the Asgardian Armory.
Erika at her usual spot, telling the patrons to visit Bloodbath and Beyond. I love that line. Probably the best in the land.
Bree looks great in front of their merch.
The shop deserves a look in person as the photos don’t do it justice.
Alex is always good for a great pic.
I’ll buy something from this shop, for sure.
The labor and skill to make these is incredible.
Such a great pose. When he struck this pose, his boss said, “I knew you were a crossed swords kind of guy.” Now that’s funny.
The shows always draw a big crowd and the talented acts are worth seeing.
Lots of great color. Love it.
Some might say fixated, haha.
The King was nice enough to stop for a pic.
Another fun pose. She was enjoying her day at the festival.
The Wyrmwood Public House is one of my favorite places to go in the Kingdom. In these next pics, you may see why.
Alan greets you at the door with a smile.
A girl on a swing above the bar is always nice. The lighting in the bar messes with photography, but you get the point.
If there is a heterosexual man that doesn’t like a beautiful woman on a swing above the bar, I don’t want to meet them.
Mickey making my usual Kamikaze. Much larger than a regular shot. And I like that.
More great decor.
Travis is another really cool employee at the Wyrmwood.
And if you didn’t think that I would get a pic with Emmy, then you don’t know me very well.
A great shot.
The view from the Wyrmwood is one of the best in New Market Village.
The Spanish King and his fair lady.
Haley makes a beautiful fairy. Wouldn’t you agree?
The Red Lion Tavern gets packed for their show. They also serve great BBQ.
I took 2 pics of this next couple. When I saw them again the next day, they said they loved the pics and wanted to buy framed copies from my photo site. I told them how. Good reviews are always nice to hear.
This next pic is really good. Love it.
The French section is always packed.
The menu board for the area.
The Sea Devil area. Lots of pirates in this area most weekends.
Great live band.
Another favorite shot that I like.
A pirate and a 21st Century, New Age, Renaissance Pirate. Can you tell which is which?
A beautiful pirate is hard to pass without getting her photo.
I spend about 4 to 5 hours at the festival and every day that I leave, people are still coming in by large numbers.
This concludes the pics from Saturday.
On Sunday morning, they parked me on row 6, but I wasn’t complaining.
It was still just a short walk to the front gate plaza.
Hundreds of thousands of people will pass this way over 8 weekends.
The plaza looking good and ready for all of the patrons that will visit this day.
My morning Throne pic.
The front gate Beefeaters are always nice enough to pause for a pose.
Hamish MacGregor getting ready to entertain the patrons.
The cast getting ready for the cannon to fire and the first guests.
More about this pic next.
The previous photo was taken from this upstairs patio of Tea and Strumpets.
Look for this sign to find the patio.
The King and his Queen.
The cast dancing with patrons to start the day.
Playing music to dance by.
This woman is a talented artist.
Ravenswood Leather.
Look for this sign.
Some of the best leather goods in the Kingdom.
All kinds of pouches and hats to choose from.
I enjoy going into this shop.
And a selection of furs.
Lots of gloves to look over.
MJ and her co-workers. Nice pic.
Getting a pic with MJ is now on my ‘To do” list.
He knows how to cook well.
It all looks and smells amazing.
Such great smiles.
Julie is a favorite of mine to photograph. Can you blame me?
I ran into Savannah and got a pic with her. She’s darling.
Blaze looking her best.
Smiling, happy faces to greet the patrons and serve them something delicious to eat.
Rev’s Armour Werx. White letters would be easier to see and read.
A cheerful owner and her sidekick.
Their merch is really very nice.
Everyone needs a good flask in case of snakebite. And to be sure, always carry a small snake.
Great display of items for sale.
Another good display of some awesome leather goods.
The crew of the Red Lion Tavern.
Haley said the glitter comes off easily enough… in case you were wondering.
Haley and Daddy for a quick pic.
Greg and I in his booth.
The Catskill Mountain Moccasins staff is great.
I treated them to pizza for lunch. It was very good.
Alex and his axe.
Chelsea and I chat every day of the festival and she’s pleasant to talk with. Sweet girl.
The patrons of TRF are always entertained by the many talented acts to see.
Another great pose… but he’s still crossing the swords.
I like getting pics with Alex. He’s a great guy.
And also pics with Erika.
The three witches from Hocus Pocus. The Sanderson sisters, Winifred, Sarah and Mary.
When you see Alan, you know I’m headed up to the Wyrmwood Public House.
Great customer but doesn’t tip well.
Bartenders at the Wyrmwood.
The patio of the Wyrmwood.
Another great view of the festival.
A lot to see from up here.
As I was looking over the balcony, I saw this beautiful woman wearing a crown. I yelled down for someone with her to stop her until I could make it down to get her pic.
I almost busted my ass coming down the back stairs, but the effort was worth it.
One of the most beautiful people that I’ve ever photographed.
A pic of Daddy and I. He prefers to be called Daddy and I play along. It makes me laugh.
The Wyrmwood has the best of staffs.
I asked this woman for a pic and she struck this pose. Awesome.
Apollo advertising his show. I’ll shoot video of it later in the season.
Queen Juana catching fairies.
Pizzeria il Forno has the best pie that I’ve had in New Market Village.
And served with a smile.
The horses always get more attention than the carriage driver.
The prettiest fairy that I photographed.
This never gets old to me. Love it.
This guy always draws a large crowd for his act.
Very striking, indeed.
I stopped by the Thirsty Pirate Pub for a drink.
Another great staff.
Coulrophobia brings on feelings of fear when you see clowns or clown images.
A great group shot.
Another menu board.
A fun group.
The view from Tea and Strumpets’ patio.
There are many days that I wish there was a Spring TexRenFest also. Two months a year is too short in my opinion.
There’s always Scarborough Fest and Sherwood Faire, but they are long drives away.
People still coming in as I was leaving for the day. I leave around 1pm each day because it is an hour’s drive home for me and then about 6 hours of editing and loading pics and videos from the day.
And I pride myself on having my media up the night of taking the pics. I think people like seeing their pics as soon as possible.
Lots of cars parked around me on this day. Being close is the tits.
When I asked this guy to take my Throne pics, he said strike a pose. So I posed as if I owned the place, lol.
That’s it for this blog post about 1001 Dreams weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I hope you enjoyed reading it and seeing the pics.
Check back for more blog posts about upcoming weekends.
To see the pics and videos from the TexRenFest, visit the site below and click on Photos.
The fifth weekend that I attended the Texas Renaissance Festival was the Highland Fling weekend. This was my first time visiting the Kingdom on this weekend and I didn’t know what I was in for.
I had an assistant working with me this weekend, so you’ll see some behind the scenes shots of what it is that I do at TRF. These first pics are from the Saturday of the Highland Fling weekend.
I climb up on the King’s throne to get these pics.
At TRF, there is regular parking that is free. With this free parking, sometimes it is a helluva long walk to the festival and then back to your car.
There’s also Preferred Parking, which costs $20. I did that one day and liked the proximity to the front entrance of the festival. And after a long day of walking, having a short walk to my Tahoe is a blessing.
TRF also has Handicap Parking for free and also Valet Parking for $40. The pic below is of the valet area before anyone showed up. It is right near the front gates. I mean, right there.
I was able to get my assistant to snap a pic of me on the throne. It’s not as easy to get up there as you would think.
We ran into this guy at the front entrance area. When I asked for his pic, he struck this pose.
Then, he put on his goggles, extended his wings and struck another pose for us. Impressive is a good word for his look.
Pennywise was right inside of the front gates and I was glad to get her photo. She must have a party size can of helium to have a fresh red balloon every morning. It completes the whole picture.
Tinker Bell was always a lot of fun to photograph. I see the TRF characters from early in the morning until the afternoon. They are always energetic, in character and having fun.
It takes a special type of person to work as a character at the TexRenFest and they have a lot of special people on staff, Tinker Bell being one for sure.
I’m quite sure that there were 2 different girls playing this role. They were good characters and always happily posed for myself and my assistant.
The guy in the middle knows how to pose to make a statement. He was always fun to photograph and gave us some good pics.
After spending some time near the front gates, my assistant, Ryan, and I headed to what I call ‘Food Stand Row’. There are several food stands lined up and next to each other. I would walk down this row and get pics of all of the people working in said stands.
This day, Blaze was wearing glasses.
And we took some pics without them. Blaze knows how to pose to create a good picture.
If anyone gets a close-up, it’s Blaze.
After taking some pics, Ryan and I ordered what would be called Brunch because we ate between breakfast and lunch.
This photo of Blaze serving hot, delicious food is a favorite of mine because it says a lot about the festival in one pic.
On the left is crawfish etouffee and on the right is shrimp etouffee. We enjoyed this meal and headed to the Sea Devil area for a morning beer.
Amanda was there to serve them to us. The little bar that she works at is called ‘The Glory Hole’. That’s really funny.
This is a shot that I’m proud of. They each spent a lot of money on their clothing and hats to look this good. Kudos.
The staff at the Sea Devil bar were always up for a photo. They have a good job at TRF. They work at one of the coolest places to hang out, there’s a live band that plays right in front of them and everybody loves a bartender serving good drinks.
As a note, I bought some Honey Mead from the Sea Devil bar. I think I’ll need to drink some more before I give it a thumbs up or down. One small plastic cup isn’t enough for a fair review.
These 2 girls are good friends and it shows. Fun pic.
Here is an example of a mid-range shot that I always take of people.
And from that pic, I can create a close-up like this. “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
That is a very famous line from an old movie called ‘Sunset Strip’. The delusional Norma Desmond is about to be arrested for murder. She sees a news camera and thinks she’s on a movie set with Cecil B. DeMille directing the film. She delivers that famous line and it has been used over and over again.
That was your Hollywood History for today.
Hercules struck several different poses for me when I came across him in the Kingdom. Some call this pose the Double Biceps. Others know it as ‘The Gun Show’.
Next TRF, I’m going to ask him where he got that head piece. It’s amazing. And I bet it kept his head warm on those colder days during the festival.
This was the second time that I ran into this pretty lady. I think it was 2 weekends in a row. If you are a fan of people wearing great hats, then the Texas Renaissance Festival is for you.
I’ll give you one guess as to what this guy’s name is… He even gave me a wristband with his name on it.
Painkiller.
Mr. and Mrs. Painkiller. Looking good.
I ran into some Star Wars people, but not as many as you would think. Still a good number of people came as their favorite Star Wars character. I always saw a Mandolorian or two, each weekend.
Here is another time when I use the word striking. As in, “She was striking.”
Definition of Striking… Someone who is striking is very attractive, in a noticeable way.
Here is another mid-range shot that I always take of people. Her necklace is awesome as well.
And another close-up that came from the mid-range pic.
Here’s Erika at Booth 211, Asgardian Armory. She had so many different looks for each day of the festival. I think she wore something different each day for 17 days.
I don’t think it’s possible for Erika to take a bad pic.
Ran into Leos again. As you may have noticed, he was at the festival for a lot of days. At the next TRF, his brother Argos is supposed to join him.
How many brush strokes to create the look of Leos’ face? In a previous post, I guessed at 200. It could be more. His face always looks great.
Alex Draco had on his tartan for the Highland Fling weekend.
I would not be able to go to TRF as either of these 2 characters for several reasons.
My stomach hasn’t looked like that in 25 years and I’m a whimp when it comes to cold weather. My hat is off to both Alex and Leos for their efforts to create such a great Kingdom, full of all kinds of characters.
This guy looked really good. A tartan hat set him apart from all others that were there celebrating the Highland Fling.
This fine couple performs for the guests of the TexRenFest. Purple is one of my favorite colors and they look great in it.
Their IG account is called The_Minstrel_Rav’n. Here is what they say about themselves…
“Telling Songs and Singing Stories of Pirates, Taverns and Elven Lasses.”
Fun couple with a cool job.
I saw a lot of people with those wooden drinking vessels. This couple had them and looked like they were enjoying a walk through the Kingdom while having a drink.
Nuria as Queen Isabella. The entire Spanish Court were wearing tablecloths around their dresses. It was their way of celebrating the Highland Fling while still being in character.
Here is another favorite pic of ours. Such beautiful dresses and he looks great as well. I’d wear what he has on just to run errands around Houston, lol.
A second pic, the mid-range shot, is always a great way to capture the details of people’s clothing, outfit, costume or garb.
I also liked this next guy’s look.
I asked them to get together for a shot of the 2 of them.
Then, I asked him to remove his helmet. I sometimes prefer a photo of someone holding their helmet. It shows the face behind the headgear and they always look cool holding their helmet. Like they’re ready for action.
If I hadn’t asked him to remove his helmet, he would have been content with the shot of him and his girl. Like it is, they loved the shot without his helmet also and even posted it on social media and tagged The STORM Factory. I like it when things turn out like that. I feel like I’ve done my job well.
Here is the King of Spain. I didn’t talk with him much, but he was always nice enough to pose for me.
This was a fun group to photograph. The guy on the left had some great eyes.
This is when I really enjoy the close-ups.
If you didn’t think she was a favorite of mine, you’d be wrong.
Blue is a good color for her.
The Spanish King and his Court. Here, you can see them all wearing, what I think are, tablecloths.
I introduced Bird in a previous post about TRF. She works with the bagpipe band Tartanic by selling CD’s and other merchandise to the audience watching their show.
I’ve mentioned before that I love the fact that Pirates show up on every weekend, no matter what the theme is…
“The theme this weekend is the Highland Fling, but we’re going as Pirates.”
“Great. I’m in.”
One of the prettiest Pirates that I photographed.
Alex looked great on this Saturday of the Highland Fling.
Here’s a pic of their crew. During the Celtic Christmas weekend, they called me over to photograph them in their Holiday outfits. That pic came out great. You’ll see it in a future post.
I wanted to try their fried crawfish, so after taking some pics, I order some.
It was a good meal and I almost ate all of it. I didn’t want to feel bloated while I walked and worked.
I never noticed this before, but Kevin is wearing a pair of Steampunk goggles around his neck on this Saturday. I’m a big fan of Steampunk. Here is what Wikipedia says about it…
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.
Any good Pirate worth his salt has a good ring collection. I know I do.
Definition of ‘worth one’s salt’…
To be ‘worth one’s salt’ is to be worth one’s pay, or good at your job or profession. Being a Pirate is a full-time job.
Another good pic of a nice couple enjoying their day at TRF.
Most all Pirates have a swagger in their poses. If you look in the back, on the left, you’ll see Amanda working in ‘The Glory Hole’.
Scott would come by to chat with Amanda every day that he attended the festival, which was several times. I would be there some days also, having my morning beer from Amanda. We’d talk about the festival, the characters, and other things TRF related.
These next pics are funny.
I was told by a guy that I needed to go get this guy’s pic. When he turned around and I saw his breasts, I started laughing. I took a full-body shot and then this mid-range shot.
Then I asked him to grab his tit. Gold.
I was able to run into this girl a few different times while I was working at the TexRenFest.
She happily posed for me and got some great pics.
Pothead. Jay wears a pot on his head and one person called him Pothead. So do I.
Jay told me that every flower in his pot was given to him by a kid at the festival. Pretty cool.
Here’s Tits McGee and his friends enjoying some beer at the Sea Devil.
These girls work at the Wyrmwood Public House. That’s Shelbelle Shamrock in the middle.
The Burlesque Show at the Wyrmwood is great and you should check it out this next TRF. I highly suggest it.
This guy looks so good that he looks like he just walked off of a Hollywood movie set.
This is the crew of one of the shops located around TRF. I tried to get a lot of workers.
Mario and Luigi. Great!!
There is a funny story with this couple.
After I photographed them as a couple, I asked to get some pics of just her. So I did.
I then showed the pics to her and after seeing them, she said, “The girls look nice.”
I had to agree.
I would be curious to know who is the most photographed character at TRF. This girl has a seat on a pedestal and she sits there as people come by and snap pics of her.
I have said this before, but I’m convinced that there are 2 different girls that play this role. And both look great.
Good friends, good times.
I ran into Lilly Bontemp on this Saturday. She had a wooden drinking vessel also.
Her hat has a mermaid on it, but it’s the skeleton of a mermaid. That is very much like a Pirate.
This lady has 3 different nose rings. I’d be so scared of accidentally ripping my nose up when something got caught on it. She fit in at TRF perfectly.
Some choose to stay in character for their photos. I like the guy’s outfit. That’s another one that I’d wear.
Bree and Erika at Asgardian Armory.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I think colored contact lenses can complete a certain look and often times put it over the top.
In this shot is an example of contacts creating a great look. She looks Awesome with a capital A.
If ever there was a reason for a close-up.
I brought Ryan by the Wyrmwood for a drink.
Mickey made us 2 kamikazes. We downed them and hit the road to get some more pics.
I’m not a fan of people raising their arms like this. In order to get the arm in the frame, the pic ends up being a lot further back. She does look great though.
In this shot, you’ll see what I mean. Her arm is lower, which allows me to crop in and get closer to see more details.
Next TexRenFest, I’ll spend more time covering this woman’s act. She’s in a group with other dancers and they’re all as pretty as her.
Haley was wearing a tartan skirt to celebrate the Highland Fling.
This is a good example of my shooting practices. The pic above is a full-body shot. This pic is a mid-range shot. And the next pic after this one is the close-up I was able to create from this pic.
The flowers and her face make-up gave her a great look.
I’ve mentioned several acts that I want to cover the next TRF. This dancer is in one of the acts I’ll cover.
Great necklaces.
Apollo always took some time to pose for a pic. That was cool of him.
Lilly changes the flowers on her hat and uses similar colors on her face that match the rest of her clothing. It all goes together. Her stockings are great also.
If you’ve never seen Lilly dancing around while Tartanic plays, you’re missing out. It’s a high-point of the day for a lot of people.
This lady worked with the band, Tartanic, also. Pretty fantastic face make-up.
Here’s Philip. I’ve mentioned this before, but he was voted as one of the Top 10 Pirates of TRF for 2021 by our group at the STORM Factory.
I would love to have a coat like that. I’d wear it everywhere. Philip was the only Pirate that had a great hook. We love his hat, the hair, the hook, the coat… everything. Kudos to Philip.
My friend, Chelsea. She told me one day, “I want to thank you for always asking to take my picture before you do.” I told her, “Of course.”
That is my policy. I don’t shoot people without them knowing it, which a lot of photographers do at TRF. When you see those guys with the long lenses… well, those aren’t for close-ups.
They like to stay a long ways away and shoot people without them knowing. I believe that to be downright wrong.
This sign is for the booth that I’ll be meeting people next TRF for photos.
This is the Wyrmwood Public House. That upstairs patio is awesome.
Maps on a scroll. Very cool, indeed. Good move by TRF.
One of the things I told Ryan, when he was working with me, is to never cut off parts of people’s costumes, outfits, or garb. This next pic is an example of getting all of the top feathers in the pic. Possibly, other photogs would cut them out.
I love that there are big parades on both weekend days. And always starting at noon helps me cover them.
Who doesn’t cheer for beer?
Jade, looking great as always.
These next shots are by Ryan while I was shooting video of this act. This is Cirque Olympus.
I’ll load the videos from TRF on YouTube soon.
Both of the girls in Cirque Olympus are amazing. It’s a great show and if you’re at TRF again, you should definitely check them out. You won’t be disappointed.
It takes years of conditioning to be able to do this several times a day.
She did all of these maneuvers without anything to catch her if she fell.
What a great shot. Awe inspiring.
I would not want this girl mad at me.
Ryan did a great job of capturing some great images.
Now, for some more shots by Ryan that I was in. We started out our day with getting some great pics of this guy.
Here I am photographing the Food Stand workers.
This was one of the few times that I was able to get a pic with Blaze.
TRF is a fun assignment.
Here I am showing this girl the pics I just took of her. I do this with every person, couple or group. They always have final say as to what gets posted on the STORM Factory site.
Being photographed with beautiful women never gets old. This pic concludes our Saturday at the TexRenFest. Sunday pics up next.
I was the first one at TRF again on the Sunday of the Highland Fling weekend. I may get up early to be there that early, but I prefer it because I never get stuck in traffic and it’s a short walk to my Tahoe when I’m ready to leave.
500,000 people will enter this area over 17 days time.
I love witnessing the calm before the storm.
All quiet… for now.
Approximately 29,400 people will come down this walkway on this day, according to our math.
I had Ryan snap my pic again.
Willy is great. He adds to the whole TRF experience.
Hamish McGregor entertaining the guests before the gates to the Kingdom open.
For breakfast on that Sunday morning, I had an egg, ham and cheese quiche and milk.
Ryan had the kolaches, milk and coffee. We were both happy with our meals from the Queen’s Pantry.
Here is what Wikipedia says about RenFaires…
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which purportedly recreates a historical setting for the amusement of its guests.
These girls were on my daily routine of shots to get. They were always happy to see me.
Funny story…
I’ve mentioned in previous posts about one of the coolest places to hang out while at TRF is the area around the Sea Devil bar. There’s always cool people around there having drinks and looking awesome.
I make it a policy to walk by there every so often. Ryan was off shooting the Joust and I was taking pics around the Sea Devil. I took one woman’s photo and it came out great. As I’m showing here the photo, she says something to me.
She said it so softly that I couldn’t hear her. I asked her what she had said, then she said, “Can I kiss you?”
I said, “Sure.” I could tell then that she was a little tipsy. I’ll chalk it up to a good experience. How many times have you been working and have an inebriated woman ask you for a kiss? Exactly.
This girl looked great in all of her pics.
I couldn’t say how many times someone made a comment about the STORM Factory’s business card. Every time, it was something to the effect of, “Cool card.”
One time, I shot this lady and after I gave her my card, I heard her tell her kids, “Look how cool his card is.”
Another time, I gave my card to a Pirate. He looked at it and said, “Pretty pimp card.”
I noticed that this cute girl was working at different food stands on different weekends. I didn’t know some rotated to other work locations.
If I were a kid at TRF, I would have been all over this horse. For all of the drinking and half-dressed people, TRF has many things for the kids also. I’m always impressed by that. Even elephant rides.
Erin played Glinda, the Good. I heard her explaining one day about how she had made her scepter. She is very talented. More about Erin in my next post.
These people were more than happy to pose for me. They work at a shop and probably don’t get many photo requests.
I’ve been calling this guy a Warrior. Next TRF, I’ll get more info on him, hopefully. He might tell me to F off.
This is probably the look I’ll get when I ask him something, lol.
Skidmark going to work.
His office.
Mid-range.
Close-up.
Another pretty Flower Girl.
I first met Jana during the Cosplay weekend, on the Sunday. Ryan and I ran into her again on this Sunday of the Highland Fling.
I’ve mentioned that I’m a fan of anything Steampunk and her hat is fabulous.
Jana always gives us great photos and we’re grateful. Kudos to Jana and her sense of style.
Lilly and her co-worker. But those abs…
Blaze had her glasses again this day.
The glasses offered a different look for her. I liked it.
It is rare that I meet Jade anywhere in the Kingdom. I usually catch her at the entrance in the morning and I never see her again. TRF is huge.
Ryan and I saw her on this Sunday, so we got some pics.
Full-body shot.
Mid-range.
Close-up.
A great group shot.
This girl works in a food stand way in the back of the Kingdom. It’s a walk to get to her, but worth it. She was always so happy to get photographed.
Memories with good friends are the best.
Here is an example of the shops in the TexRenFest Kingdom. Simply beautiful. Ryan snapped this pic.
And all of the rest of the pics in this post were shot by Ryan. He did a good job.
Great art. Love it.
Tartanic having fun with the crowd. They’re really funny between songs.
You will even see characters up in the trees while you’re at TRF.
This is a good pic of mother and daughter.
Great make-up and worthy of a close-up.
Here is the stage for the Washing Well Wenches show. I’m excited to shoot video of this act next TRF and get some good pics. I love these girls.
A dunk tank. These girls would hurl insults at these men that were trying to dunk them. One guy succeeded, but there were a lot of insults flying. Another fun attraction offered by the great people at the TexRenFest.
Good pic.
In an earlier post, I mentioned that the Washing Well Wenches had a map of the Kingdom. Here I am shooting video of them showing me that map.
She raises the dress and reveals the map… on her ass.
She starts out by talking about the “Entrance” and “Exit”, complete with her pointing at them. It’s quite hilarious. This might be the funniest bit in all of the Kingdom.
At one point, the girl bending over was touched and she said, “I think I just became a woman.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “I love these gals.”
I take the pics after I’ve been given permission.
Then I show all of the pics and get their approval.
And if Ryan is with me, I can get some pics with people.
When you saw that pic of Jana earlier, you had to know that I would want to get some pics with her also.
Jana wears high shoes and boots, but she is still a tall woman without them.
Here I am discussing an interview with a Fire Dancer named Violet.
You may not notice this… the girl next to Violet is as tall as me. I’m 6’1″ when wearing my Harley boots. Her moccasins barely have a heel. She is what we refer to as, “A tall drink of water.”
This is Violet’s friend, another Fire Dancer. And beautiful also.
Years ago, I went to TRF with a $2,500 video camera and shot everything on MiniDV cassettes.
Now, with technology, I can buy a $1,000 iPhone and get 4K quality video without carrying some huge, clunky camera.
I learned a lot about Fire Dancing from Violet. The interview turned out great and we were both happy with the end result.
Ryan took some good shots for me. I was happy with his work.
On Saturday, he shot over 1,500 pics because he was shooting on Blast. That’s when the camera takes several shots in a matter of seconds.
I had to stay up through the night to get everything organized and loaded onto the Factory site. I ended up showering, dressing and heading back to TRF on Sunday Morning with no sleep on Saturday night. None.
As a rule, I try to load everything shot in a day by that night. This is for the people that are eager to see their pics. I know what that’s like and we aim to please.
I know of some other programs that tell people it will be 3 days before their pics are loaded. That is ridiculous. And totally deferred gratification.
Some of my favorite pics with characters are with Jade.
Another thing about using an iPhone as opposed to a regular ‘camera’ is the view screen is much larger that those little viewers on digital cameras today.
People can’t see the pic well enough to know if it’s good or not. With a Pro Max iPhone, the screen is big enough to see even small details.
Knowing the Doorman at the Wyrmwood Public House is a good thing.
With my friend Greg in the Catskill Mountain Moccasins booth.
This guy was a funny character. And I mean that in a good way, lol.
I’m coming to the end of this post. I’ll close with something funny.
Willy was posted at the exit gate, where they stamp people’s hand if they want to re-enter later in the day.
As Ryan and I are leaving, I put my hand out for Willy to stamp. When he raises the stamp and starts to stamp my hand, I move it and walk out of the festival, laughing.
Ryan said that Willy looked at him with a look like, “What a dick?” Hahaha. Then Ryan snapped a pic of Willy right after I psyched him. The pic says it all.
I would leave the festival every day about 3pm in order to finish editing and loading the pics from the day by 10pm that night. It takes that long sometimes.
And every day that I was leaving, there were many that were just arriving.
Thanx for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. To see all of the 3,105 pics and videos from the TexRenFest 2021, click on the link below and go to Photos.
And remember…
“Always be yourself… unless you can be a Pirate, then always be a Pirate.”
The third weekend that I attended the Texas Renaissance Festival was the Cosplay weekend called ‘Heroes and Villains’.
I ended up with 458 pics and 5 videos. I kept with my tradition of arriving earlier than everyone else. I enjoyed getting early morning shots.
This weekend, I also started getting some pics in the big King chair located at the entrance. It’s a great Photo-Op.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, some days I was allowed into the Kingdom before it was open to patrons. These next pics are Before and During the festival so you can see the transformation.
This area is right inside of the main gates. There are always people, cast and crew here. Some are exiting, some are just entering and some are working as characters for TRF.
This is a great area to sit and chill while you people-watch. Seeing all of the costumes, outfits and garb is always a lot of fun.
This next pic doesn’t show just how crowded this area gets.
I have breakfast at these little tables in the early morning. Hard to get a seat later in the day.
And you can see that for yourself in this next photo. The TexRenFest entertains over 500,000 people every season. People gotta sit somewhere.
On Saturday morning of Cosplay weekend, I had a ham, egg and cheese quiche with milk. It was delicious and filled me up for a lot of walking and talking during the day ahead. I got it at the Queen’s Pantry, one of my favorite places for breakfast.
I always tried to get pics with the staff of Catskill Mountain Moccasins. Here I am with Sara. She works at other RenFaires around the country. Cool job.
My friend Greg was always nice enough to let me store my backpack and coat at their booth when it got hotter in the day. That helped me out a lot.
Had more good comments about the STORM Factory business cards.
These ladies were always a lot of fun to run into. I loved getting their pics each weekend. I plan to shoot video of their act next TRF.
Jade is one of my most favorite people to photograph while working at the Texas Renaissance Festival. She’s so beautiful and her make-up is unreal.
I think you’ll enjoy the special post I do just about her.
I enjoy shooting group photos. It’s an opportunity to make a lot of people happy in one pic. This group might have been the biggest group that I photographed. Twelve people.
I always enjoy taking photos of people that put in the effort. This group looked great.
And when someone puts in that effort, I like to reward them with close-ups to show just how fabulous their work is.
A lot of time went into these looks. Planning, designing, buying, building, creating, and then putting it all on to go to an event.
After I took the pic below, I noticed that it was a woman. Before I could catch myself, in a surprised voice, I said, “You’re a girl!”
She busted out laughing. As I was walking away, I heard her repeating my line to her friends. “You’re a girl!” Then they laughed all over again as they were walking off.
The beautiful Lilly, dancer for the bagpipe band Tartanic. I’ve mentioned her serious headwear game and she never disappoints.
I love that her make-up always goes so well with what she’s wearing. Lots of style that Lilly has.
I love this next guy’s look.
“Hold on honey. We can’t go to TRF yet. I forgot to put blood on my face.”
I tried to eat different things while at the TexRenFest. The pic below is of fried alligator. It was very good. Tastes like chicken, haha.
I have run into Logan at several events this last year. He’s a very talented cosplayer and I’m always impressed with what he wears.
I agree.
Another fun group shot. I photographed many groups and made lots of people happy with my work.
I always try to get pics of Skidmark.
It’s always good to see Pirates at TRF no matter what themed weekend it is. This guy had a good look.
Ran into Leos again. I loved seeing “Renny’s” because it made my job easier, in that I could hit my quota for pics faster.
This is a good pic. I’m sure they were happy when they saw it.
This girl was my favorite Pennywise. She wore a mask most of the weekends except for the last weekend. That last weekend, I was super thrilled to get a pic of her face in full make-up.
I don’t usually post things out of order, but here is that pic from the last weekend of TRF and when she didn’t wear a mask. Her face looks fantastic.
Another Pirate. I think this Pirate married a Mermaid and turned her into a Pirate.
My cute friend Chelsea. I look forward so seeing and talking with her next season at TRF.
This next photo was picked as one of our top pics from TexRenFest 2021. Easy to tell why.
The shows at TRF can get packed and turn into SRO. (Standing Room Only). Every show and act is worth watching. There are some unbelievably talented performers at the Texas Renaissance Festival. You should consider visiting.
I love the color in this pic. Her make-up is superb. The wig, the hat, her face, all perfect for her look.
If I had a choice between a girlfriend that was pink with pink hair or a girlfriend that was yellow with bright yellow hair… I prefer the bright yellow hair.
Nuria was a lot of fun to run into. I think her character is the Spanish Queen Isabella.
This is a great pic. One of our favorites.
Another great group shot of family and friends enjoying their day at the biggest RenFest in the U.S.
This guy was happy to pose for me and I always appreciate that.
This next costume is a favorite. Do you remember Fat Albert and the Gang?
The kids would watch a SuperHero on TV called the Brown Hornet.
I give you… The Brown Hornet. Thumbs up.
And any fan of the Simpsons knows about Duff beer. This is a great costume. Hats off to him.
I like this girl. She poses with a lot of people and gives them great pics to remember their day at TRF. I’m sure she does pretty well in Tips.
Philip was voted as one of the 10 Best Pirates of the TexRenFest for 2021 by our staff. His clothing is spectacular.
The hat, the hair, the hook… it all works so well together. Kudos to Philip for a job well done.
This cute girl’s pic was used as the feature image for the Saturday Cosplay gallery of photos and videos.
When I look through my galleries, I get a smile knowing that when my photo subjects see their pics, it makes them happy and sometimes excited.
These next photos are from the Sunday of Cosplay weekend at TRF. I’m an early bird again this day.
I was always able to find someone to snap a pic of me on the King’s chair. The people at the Texas Renaissance Festival are some nice folks.
The Front Entrance crew was always nice to me and I photographed them quite a few times. I even shot their Season-End photo on the King’s chair. You’ll see that pic in a later post. It turned out great.
Jana is a great person to photograph. This was the first morning that I met her and she impressed me a a lot with her look.
I ran into Jana another day at TRF and got her pics then also. You’ll see them in a later post as well. It’s easy to tell why I love shooting pics of Jana.
On Sunday morning, I had a BLT sandwich. (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomatoe). My blog is read in over 180 countries. Some don’t know what a BLT is. This could be the best breakfast in the Kingdom. It’s sold at a food stand next to the Queen’s Pantry. The name of it is Tea and Strumpets.
In the morning. some of the cast and characters put on a show near the entrance to entertain the patrons. TRF goes all out to give people their money’s worth. And they succeed, in spades.
In my experience from working at TRF this past season, Sundays are a bit slower than Saturdays. I’ve always felt that Saturdays at any event I attend are better than the Sundays. People are more apt to drink more and be in a more festive mood on a Saturday because they don’t usually have to work the next day, Sunday.
I love being in the Kingdom in the early morning of the day. And it’s fun to watch the crowds grow as the day goes on.
Here are those two Wenches again, lol. I love these ladies.
Skidmark never disappointed. He was always disappointing. Just kidding. I loved getting his pics a lot.
Erika works in Booth 211 for Asgardian Armory. She yells out to get people’s attention. Since they sell swords, axes and other killing weapons… she yells out, “Welcome to bloodbath and beyond.” That’s a great play on words with the Bed, Bath and Beyond company name.
I was happy to have a booth to go hang out at during the long days. And Greg was always fun to talk with. He’s a great guy.
I really liked Sara’s headpiece. It looked like a crown or tiara, not sure which.
I have 3 tankards from TRF that I’ve purchased over the years and 2 wine chalices. I love the drinkware at the TexRenFest.
Here’s Lilly on Sunday. Her make-up looked great and her hat was impressive, as always.
I will find out this woman’s name next year at TRF. She always looked great and had a lot of variety in her looks.
This is Scott and Amanda. Every morning around 10am, I would come by and get my first beer from Amanda. I’d drink it while we chatted about the day and the festival. Amanda is a great new friend.
Here’s Chelsea on Sunday. Great smile.
Nuria also enjoys cosplaying when she’s not Queen Isabella at TRF. I recently saw her as Wonder Woman at a Xmas Toy Drive. Wow, did she look great.
This is the band Saxon Moon. I photographed them twice, interviewed them and also another interview with their Fire Dancer, Violet. Great band and great guys and gal.
I enjoyed my interview with Violet and learned a lot about Fire Dancing. She is very talented and a lot of fun to watch. I look forward to seeing her next season.
Pirates on Cosplay weekend. I love it. This is a good looking couple and they look great.
This next photo is of Cirque Olympus. I watched their act several times and shot video of it. They are each so talented and when the perform together it becomes a helluva show. I told you that the shows and acts at TRF are fantastic. You should visit and see for yourself.
This pic is of midday in the Kingdom. As you can tell, it’s a little slower on Sundays. A great time to visit.
I love these shots of looking down on the festival. So much to see and take in.
I’d like to thank the Food Stand Tea and Strumpets for letting me go up on this patio to shoot these shots. The pics help tell the story of a day at the festival.
This angle is always my favorite one from on the Tea and Strumpets patio. You can see people way off in the distance. I love these pics.
This cute girl was selling flower wreaths for a girl or woman’s hair. At TRF, there are 400 on-site shops and vendors like this girl all over the Kingdom. It’s a shopper’s paradise.
Here is another beautiful and talented lady that works at TRF in one of the shows. Her act is another one that I’ll shoot next season.
I bought a few pickles while at the TexRenFest. They were great. I started taking pics of all of the pickle vendors. You’ll see more of them in future posts. The pickles are delicious.
I photographed the Red Queen several times and she always made a great face. She’s a favorite to photograph.
Here’s another beautiful dancer from the Texas Renaissance Festival. Are you seeing a trend? Persuading you to visit TRF is becoming easier, lol.
I shot pics of the Food stands and the bars. These girls work at the Sea Devil bar. I enjoyed going by every day to get their pics. And they were always excited to see me because they knew it was photo time. The girl in the middle is Kay and she’s a sweetheart of a girl.
I saw Alex Draco on this day at the festival. Alex was always a lot of fun to talk with. He taught me some things about RenFaires. There’s patrons and Renny’s (Rennies). There’s a costume and then there’s garb.
A costume is what you put on to go to a party. Garb is more about a lifestyle choice. Pirates would wear garb and not call their clothes a costume. Alex knows a lot about RenFaires. I plan on learning lots more from him.
The kids could even pet a Velociraptor while at the festival. How they train those things is amazing.
Here’s Mickey again. I mentioned in my last post that Mickey was a bartender at the Wyrmwood Public House out at the TexRenFest. Today, I’ll show you more.
The Wyrmwood also has a burlesque show with some very attractive ladies. I believe this is the only bar in the Kingdom that serves hard liquor. I love that.
This is Mickey and Monsieur Bunny. He prefers being called Daddy. I shot a video of Daddy yelling down heckles to the patrons from this upstairs patio. The video is hilarious. I’ll tell you how you can view it at the end of this post.
Daddy, Mickey and Shelbelle Shamrock. Great people that work at the Wyrmwood Public House in the TexRenFest Kingdom.
I ordered several kamikazes from Mickey over the weekends at the Texas Renaissance Festival. Soon, I never had to order or even say, “The usual, Mickey.” When he saw me enter the Wyrmwood, he’d start mixing my kamikaze. Now that’s service. I felt like I was in the James Bond movie about Voodoo.
The bartenders at the Wyrmwood are fantastic and lots of fun also.
I met Blaze while she was working at a Cajun Food Stand. I ate there several times while at TRF. And I began to photogrpah her and her co-workers every day I worked out there. Blaze is very photogenic and I loved getting pics of her.
Here’s another group shot and one of my favorites. I’m sure they enjoyed seeing this pic and then downloading it from the site. I love seeing smiling, happy faces. I know I’m doing my job well when I see this.
That other large group photo was 12 people. This one came close to beating it with 11 people.
I’ve mentioned this in other posts, but I’m a big fan of using contact lenses to change the look of a person’s eyes. Many times it completes the look and often times sets it off.
Another of our top pics as voted on by our staff.
When I asked this family for their photo, the dad said, “Okay girls. Get into position.” Then they all posed like this. That was awesome. Another of our favorite pics from 2021.
The Texas Renaissance Festival is my new favorite event or festival to cover. This season, I shot 3,105 pics and 47 videos. Next season, I’ll have an assistant and should come close to doubling our pics and videos from the festival.
Next season, I want to focus more on the food. I can’t afford to buy food at every stand just to take a pic and taste it or I’d go broke fast. I’m thinking I can talk to some stand managers and ask them to prepare something that I can photograph so I can promote the great food at TRF.
It would be great if the Texas Renaissance Festival gave me a Per Diem each day so I could buy food so I could review and promote the Food Stands in the Kingdom.
I ran into Jana again later in the day on Sunday. I was glad that I did because I wanted a pic with her in that great outfit.
I was also able to get a photo with the Spanish King and his court.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this recap of Cosplay Weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival 2021.
I have 3 more weekends to post about, so stay tuned for more.
To see the photos and videos from the TexRenFest, go to the link below and click on Photos.
Thanx for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. And remember…
“Always be yourself… unless you can be a Pirate, then always be a Pirate.”
I have lived in Houston, TX most of my life. For a lot of those years, I had never heard of the Texas Renaissance Festival. That’s hard to believe since it’s the biggest RenFaire in the country.
TexRenFest is located about an hour Northwest of Houston, in a town called Todd Mission. TRF has been around since 1974. They boast 55 acres of festival fun, but I think it’s larger now.
There’s 200 acres of camping facilities. They have 21 stages for shows all throughout the day and 400 shops to buy anything you can think of.
This year, I decided to attend TRF for some fun pics and videos. I skipped the first 2 weekends and had plans to start attending on Pirate Weekend. As a Pirate, my thoughts were that I’d like that weekend. I was right.
I paid for my admission that first weekend and I think the tickets were around $35 after tax was included for each day.
As you will see in future posts, I like to arrive at the events I cover early in the morning. I like to tell a story with my pics and videos and to start a story, you must have a beginning.
I had been to TRF back in 2016, so I knew what to expect and I was excited for what the weekend would hold for me.
The first person that I approached about getting a pic was Lilly Bontemp. She is also known as the Pink Pirate or as the High Seas Barbie.
Lilly ended up being a favorite of mine to photograph. Her outfit is stunning and demands photography.
My favorite part of Lilly’s outfit is her hat. It is a great color and has a mermaid on it. And true to the Pirate way of life, it is a skeleton of a mermaid.
I met Lilly that Saturday and Sunday of Pirate Weekend. These next 2 photos are from Sunday. Notice how she changed it up for the second day of the weekend.
I enjoyed meeting Lilly and getting some pics of her. She was always so nice to me and I appreciated that. You will see more of Lilly in future Blog Posts about TRF 2021.
The next person that I photographed was Hercules. He’s got one of the coolest head-pieces at TRF. I also like that he has the body to play his role.
I ran into Hercules later in the weekend and caught him playing an instrument and singing. He’s a good addition to the festival and adds a lot of color and character to the scenery. You’ll see more of him also.
This next girl was a favorite Pennywise to photograph and I got her photo every chance I got. She wore a mask but still looked great. Only during the last weekend did she go maskless. And her make-up job was fantastic.
I don’t usually like to post pics out of sequence, but here is that pic from the last weekend of TRF and Pennywise with no mask so I can show you her great make-up. You can tell she’s a very pretty girl even with the make-up.
I arrive before the festival opens, go in the gates right at 9am and start getting pics of a lot of main characters that are gathered by the entrance in the morning. Many days, I had 1/3 of my daily quota for pics within the first hour and a half.
After shooting for a while, I would stop by and grab breakfast. My first day there, Saturday, I tried the Kolaches. Where I grew up, these are called ‘Pigs in a Blanket’. The food was hot and the milk was cold.
It was a good breakfast and gave me energy to do a lot of walking and talking.
On Sunday morning, I decided to try the ‘Biscuits and Gravy’ with sausage. That was really good. Both days, I ate food from The Queen’s Pantry. It’s a great Food Stand and I ate there often during the 6 weekends I was at TRF.
Here is Phil, aka Houston Tan Man. I met Phil in 2015 at a Comicon in Houston. I loved getting his pic then and I was thrilled to see him at TRF.
Phil is one of the nicest people that I’ve ever met while covering Special Events. And I’ve been doing this for over 25 years.
He’s another much-needed character at TRF. Phil poses for photos all day and does it happily. He also walks in the parade at noon. Then later, he makes appearances around TRF as Tan Man.
If you see Phil next season at TRF, tell him The STORM Factory sent you. I’m sure he’ll laugh.
That first weekend I ran into another friend from the Comicon circuit. Greg works at Booth 212, Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
It was great running into Greg and it worked out to my benefit. Greg allowed me to store my backpack and coat at their booth, in the back area. That was a huge help to me. Many thanks to Greg and Catskill Mountain Moccasins.
This next pic is of Sara and myself. Sara works for Catskill Moccasins as a Manager. Her regular job is in the Nursing Field, but she also works at RenFaires around the country representing Catskill Moccasins.
Sara was so nice to me. She even offered me a free ticket to come back to the festival. Meeting Sara and becoming friends with her was a high point of my TRF experience this year.
I photographed this young lady several times also. Her character doesn’t speak so I don’t have much info on her, other than she is beautiful.
Now look closely… is this the same girl? I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. You be the judge.
I met Katrina that first weekend and was able to run into her a few more weekends. One day I walked by her and in her best deadpan accent, she said, “Have a horrible day.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
It’s a good line for her character to say and she plays it well.
This is Chelsea. I tried to photogrpah her every weekend. She worked at a little stand that sold Bird Whistles. She sold a lot of them. I was surprised out how many kids wanted a Bird Whistle.
Chelsea was another of my favorite people to photograph. We would talk about the festival and other things, so I looked forward to passing by and seeing her each day.
I don’t know if I’m alone with this, but I spent a lot of time photographing the Food Service staffs. I shot quite a few pics of the crews working the food stands.
And everybody allowed me to photograph them. I tried to focus on them because they were working while everybody else drank, ate and played.
I know what that’s like so I made a conscious effort to put a spotlight on them as well. They work very long hours, on their feet all day, busy greeting and serving hundreds of people and all with a smile on their faces. They deserve some limelight.
I met Amanda that first weekend. She works in the Sea Devil bar area. Her little bar is called ‘The Glory Hole’. Now that’s funny.
Amanda served me my first beer at about 10am on that first Saturday morning. Every day after, I met Amanda about 10am for my morning beer.
We would talk about the festival and have some laughs. Amanda was another friend I made at TRF this year and I look forward to seeing her again in 2022.
Glenda, the Good Witch is another main character at the TexRenFest.
Erin’s costume is great. And she was always nice enough to pose for me.
As a photographer, I have a few pet peeves. For the first shot, I believe in getting everything in the frame. Then you can step up for a close-up, etc.
When I give someone my phone to take my pic, I always say to get the feet in the frame also. You can always crop in, but you can’t add what’s not in the original photo.
I gave my phone to an older gentleman to get my photo with Erin. He cut off the bottom of her dress.
I didn’t feel like bothering him to shoot it again.
You’ll see Erin in future posts. She’s a favorite of mine.
I overheard Erin talking about how she made her scepter.
What is a Queen scepter?
A sceptre (British English) or scepter (American English) is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty.
I ran into Jay several times during my time at TRF this season. Jay even asked me to come by his booth to photograph the ladies he works with. I even did a short commercial for his booth.
Jay said that some people call him ‘Pot Head’ because of his outfit. I laughed at that and started calling him Pot Head.
I used this photo as the Feature Image for the Saturday pics from TRF in my Photo Galleries. She was a cutie and I loved her hat.
These next 2 pics are of Mickel. I photographed him 2 or 3 times over the course of TRF this season and he was always a great pic.
I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces every weekend. It made my job easier when I knew that I’d be getting some good photos each day.
This couple looked great and I was happy to get their pic. That beard looks good.
This is the first time that I photographed Kevin, in the green, but it wouldn’t be the last. Kevin posed for me several more times over the weekends.
This trio had some really nice clothes on. That is 3 very stylish pirates right there.
This is the second Lilly that I ran into that first weekend. This Lilly works as a dancer for a bagpipe band called Tartanic.
I enjoyed watching their act. And having a beautiful girl like Lilly dancing to the music only adds to the experience.
I tried to photograph Lilly every chance I got. Her make-up was always spectacular and I looked forward to seeing what she did next.
Lilly also has a serious hat game. I loved the different head-pieces she wore during TRF 2021. You’ll see others in future posts about TRF.
I approached lots of people for photos that first weekend. I only had a few refusals. I was polite when they refused to pose for me. I just walked off thinking it was their loss to get a great pic of themselves having fun at a great festival.
I’m happy these 2 girls agreed to pose for me. And I’m sure they were happy with this pic.
I like to call myself a Memory Maker. I capture the fun things in life and help people remember a fun time in their lives.
This was my first pic of the Spanish Court. I didn’t even realize the guy in the middle was the Spanish King.
These next 4 pics are some of my favorites from the Pirate Weekend.
I saw this woman standing outside of a shop and thought she was attractive and looked great. I asked her for her photo and she said yes.
I always take 2 shots. A full body shot and a close-up.
She struck such a cool pose and had a great smile.
Then her husband and daughter showed up. I was happy to snap their pic.
As I said, I’m a Memory Maker. And this family has some great photos to remember their day at TRF. They’ll enjoy these pics for years to come. And that makes me as happy as a Pirate with both his hands on booty.
These next 2 pics are some more of my favorites from the weekend. Now this guy really looks the part of a Pirate. The hat is awesome.
And his clothes all have the same color scheme as his hat. His overall look is fantastic.
This Pirate works at the Sea Devil bar area. He’s a singer in a Pirate-themed band. I was glad to get this pic for him. See: Memory Maker.
I met Paolo that first weekend also. He’s very talented and I watched his show several times over 6 weekends.
At one point in his act, he juggles knives while balancing on a ball. Very impressive.
This couple was fun to photograph.
As I was taking their pic, the guy said something about cropping him out of the photo. I laughed and told him I was good at cropping.
When I got home, I cropped him out just for the laugh of it.
Blaze works at a Cajun Food Stand. As you can tell, she was one of the prettier girls that I photographed during the weekend. And yes… I remembered where she worked and photographed her several more times.
I photographed this mother and her twin daughters. The twins were very cute in their Pirate hats.
When I stepped up for the close-up shot, the mom made a funny face. When I showed the twins the photo, they busted out laughing at their mom’s expression in the picture.
This is Apollo. He’s part of the talented act Cirque Olympus. I shot video of their act and will load it onto YouTube soon. It’s already in my Photo Galleries.
Pirate weekend will always be a favorite weekend at TRF for me. As a Pirate, I prefer to mix with my own kind.
I saw this woman’s hat and had to get a photo of her. She looked so cute.
As I was talking to her, she mentioned that her friends said her hat was too small. I told her it was very cute and she liked that.
This first weekend, I met Alex Draco. I ended up getting his pics several more times over the course of the 6 weekends.
Alex is a photographer also and takes some good pics of the festival. I learned a lot about RenFaires from Alex. More about that in a future post.
Smiles are contagious. Every time I made someone happy by showing them their photo, I walked off with a smile also.
I photographed this Royal Gentleman a few times while at TRF. I love his clothes.
The Texas Renaissance Festival is the largest and best in the country. It’s in Houston’s backyard. 500,000 people attend each year. There’s talented acts, great food and drink, fabulous costumes, outfits and garb, fun-loving people everywhere you turn… what is not to love about the Texas Renaissance Festival?
This guy reminded me of Jason Mamoa.
I love that shirts are optional at the TexRenFest.
My first guess is that she is the Phoenix. The colors are magnificent and her hair goes with the whole outfit. One of my favorite pics.
I enjoy shooting groups because it is a pic that will be enjoyed by all of them for a long time.
This photo could be a Promo Photo for the festival. She looks that good in the pic with the bottle of mead.
I ended up with 234 pics and 1 video from the weekend. I would increase my quota over the next weekends.
After this first weekend at TRF, I was hooked and excited for the next weekend.
My next Blog Post will cover Halloween weekend and will be longer than this post with more photos and stories.
Thanx for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. And remember…
“Always be yourself… unless you can be a Pirate, then always be a Pirate.”
I always look forward to the Pirate weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival. The festival opens at 9am. I left my place at 10am and it usually takes me about an hour to get there.
On this day, it took me 3 1/2 hours in bumper to bumper slow moving traffic. It was a beautiful day and Pirate weekend is really popular so I guess everybody wanted to go this day.
After 3 1/2 hours in traffic, I was burned out by the time I got there so I didn’t stay too long. The last thing I wanted was to get into traffic on the way home too. I still enjoyed my time there.
These two were having a good time.
I love taking group shots of people enjoying themselves.
This girl was busting out of her top, literally.
Here’s a good shot of a family. The dad had his whole head painted.
This couple looked great.
Here’s my favorite family shot. The little girl is holding up her hook hand. This gives me pleasure to provide a good memory for people. They’ll enjoy this picture for years to come.
These two girls were cute in their pirate gear.
This one girl is wearing fairy wings. They also have a fairy weekend too.
Notice how thin this ladies waist is with her corset on. Wow.
These two looked great also.
This was another nice group shot they’ll cherish.
I liked this girl’s face painting.
There were also barbarians there.
And Romans too.
Plenty of places to sit and eat. I love the food there.
I especially love the “Steak on a Stick”.
Here was a girl made up like a statue. She looked awesome.
This guy with the horse body is always there posing for pictures.
This lady was lying on the ground and when she moved and growled a little kid started screaming and crying. It was funny.
If I go next year, I’m leaving much earlier to avoid the traffic. But I’ll definitely be back.
Every year in October and November, the Texas Renaissance Festival takes place in Todd Mission, Texas.
I’ve been several times and I always enjoy myself.
There’s many things to see and do. The food is good, there’s attractions for the children and a lot of shows with very talented people performing.
This article is about my trips to the festival.
You get a feel for the place right at the gate where the ticket takers are in costumes and also the accents.
When you walk in, there’s a guy ready to take your photo.
Then you see this guy! If you don’t feel like you’ve gone back in time now, you never will.
The grounds are great and always well kept and clean.
You’ll start to see people in their European dress.
Here’s a map that comes in the programs. The Texas Renaissance Festival is very big.
The King comes out to greet everyone.
They have a different King every year.
He takes a seat and the performers entertain him and the crowd.
I always like to go to the festival on Pirates Day and Halloween. More people are in costumes on those two days.
Spelling Renaissance can be tough for some. Just remember, it has one ‘n’ with an ‘ai’ and two s’.
The kids always love to get their faces painted.
There are a large amount of shops at the festival selling all types of things. Here you see some of the hats for sale.
They have some really nice merchandise.
If you’re into dressing up, you can find all the things you need here, but bring your credit card with the big credit limit, lol.
This leather pouch is $85.
I like seeing all of the guns from a different period of time. They don’t fire, but they still look cool.
There’s cutlasses and swords of all types.
If you’re in the mood for a pretzel, you can stop this guy and get one.
They have a booth that you can dress up and have your picture taken.
I did it. I asked one of the girls that was working there to pose with me.
You’ll see lots of people dressed for the part of a Renaissance Festival.
Many are quite attractive.
You can get some great photos with the characters that are walking around.
I bet it gets hot in these costumes.
The ladies can purchase dresses from the time period.
I enjoy walking through the property and ‘people watching’.
These people came dressed for Pirate Day.
There’s live music at many venues around the festival.
I love the drinkware.
These were really nice.
I was going to come back and buy some before I left, but I forgot.
This is a good looking couple.
Again, you see all of the colorful hats that are offered.
I met so many people when I’m walking around photographing them. I really enjoy it.
The food is really good all over the property.
Here’s the first little girl I saw selling headdresses of flowers for the ladies.
These guys look ready for battle.
Here’s another group playing to the crowd watching them.
They have attractions for the kids too.
I thought that this family looked cute all dressed to theme.
This was another cute family sporting their pirate wear.
Here’s another attractive young lady that I met.
I thought this stuff was really neat. It’s made of leather and I bet it’s pretty expensive.
I wouldn’t wear it, but there’s a lot of guys that do.
Here’s the menu board for just one area of the festival.
These two guys were playing to a patio of people as the ate and drank.
The Texas Renaissance Festival is the nation’s largest, most acclaimed Renaissance Theme Park.
All I can say about this guy is that he looks very flamboyant.
This little kid is trying to catch one of those toy fish in the water.
I love seeing the women in their dresses from that period of time.
This musical group had a dancer in front of them entertaining the crowd.
A lot of people dress up and I like seeing them in their outfits.
These people probably rented the blue outfits, but the lady in the hat looks fantastic in her get up.
I always have the ‘Steak on a Stick’ when I’m at the festival.
Here’s a conquistador, I think.
It’s cool to see people standing around just mingling while wearing these great clothes.
Each year, over 600,000 people attend the festival.
The theme park is situated on about 60 acres of land, located 50 miles northwest of Houston, Texas.
There are over 200 daily performances on over 25 stages throughout the village.
This lady had on a really nice outfit.
The festival has over 400 shoppes, featuring some of the finest work by artists, craftsmen, artisans and merchants, as well as live demonstrations by craftspeople.
These two young ladies were happy to pose for a photo.
If you like seeing women in sexy gear, then this is the place for you.
Here’s another couple that look ready for battle.
I thought this family looked good for Pirate Day.
Someone stole her hat, so she wrote a note about it and stuck it on her head instead. I thought that was funny.
This woman has on a full outfit and was having a good time at the festival.
Here’s the second cute little girl I saw selling headdresses of flowers for the ladies to wear.
They teach you have to use the magic crystal ball at the festival.
The Texas Renaissance Festival opened in 1974 with just three stages and 15 acres of what was once an old strip – mining site.
I think this guy had the best thing on. He looks great.
The festival’s founder, George Coulam, built the festival from humble beginnings with a handful of vendors showcasing their wares on blankets under the trees, a small group of performers offering improv-style entertainment and a dedicated group of patrons who wanted to spend the afternoons in another world.
This guy looks like he’s ready for some S & M action.
This looks like a painter from that era, aside from the blue in his beard.
You’ll always see some Captain Jack Sparrow’s on Pirate Day.
They looked good in their costumes.
Today, the festival has grown into an incredible dream world spanning nearly 60 acres, featuring eight-themed villages lined with close to 400 unique shoppes and a cast of thousands entertaining patrons from all over the world!
Right inside the front gates, they put on a big dance.
It’s fun to watch them dancing in their dresses and costumes.
I saw some more weapons at another shop I entered.
This was their sexy mannequin in the front of their store.
I met these two people at Comicpalooza in Houston in 2015.
Here’s some more young ladies dressed for the occasion.
I think that wearing the chain armor on my head would bother me.
This person is always at the festival.
I thought these two young ladies were cute.
The kids love playing on all of the attractions.
And they can ride ponies too.
These two look so serious.
These four people were decked out in pirate gear for the day.
Hundreds of thousands of patrons journey through the Royal Gates each season to experience the merriment and magic of the New Market Village by interacting with jugglers, minstrels and fortunetellers while exploring the variety of hand-crafted works of pottery, sculpted metal, woodcarvings, jewelry and other unique treasures found throughout the realm.
You can take a horse and carriage ride if you like.
Here’s another attractive young lady that I met.
Everybody has fun at the festival.
At 12 noon everyday, they have a parade where all of the people in costume and all of the workers march on by. I always try to videotape it for my YouTube Channel.
You get to see everybody that’s working the festival that day.
And you can get some great photos too.
Magical gardens, festive games, hands-on demonstrations and colorful costumed characters enhance the atmosphere while continuous entertainment takes place on more than 25 stages around the grounds.
The TRF, the largest Renaissance themed festival in the nation, continues to grow, from just 33,000 patrons opening year to a record-setting 606,694 patrons in attendance in 2012!
True to its mission, the TRF provides an adventure-filled escape back in time where one can delight in the pleasures of a simpler age.
The sights and sounds of the festival are reflective of the period which inspired its’ inception.
This lady always rides this huge horse around.
I thought this young lady looked like a goddess being driven around. Her white dress, blonde hair, cute face and being on her chariot all played into me thinking that.
These two girls went all out in their outfits and looked great.
The kids can try to climb this wacky ladder. It’s impossible, but they love trying.
You can test your strength by trying to ring the bell at the top using this mallet. I tried one year and failed miserably, so I won’t try again, lol.
Here’s another cutie that was working one of the food stands.
I bought some fried alligator from her. It was good.
Many don’t know the difference between a pirate and a privateer.
They both raid ships and steal all of the belongings and booty.
But the privateer is doing it for some King and has a Letter of Mark to prove it.
He has to share with the King and the King loves having a privateer on the high seas that is raiding the ships of his enemies.
Here’s the third little girl I met that was selling headdresses.
Now this guy looked like a pirate.
Hundreds of pines and other native trees and landscaping have been carefully designed and planted around the grounds and beside shoppes, which also stay true to the architectural styles of the Renaissance period, from their turrets to their deeply pitched roofs.
I bet these guys get hot in their outfits.
Entertainers, shopkeepers and staff are dressed in 16th century attire and speak the tongue of lords, ladies, paupers and wenches, all of which creates a truly authentic atmosphere.
Here’s someone taking a carriage ride that I mentioned earlier.
In 2005, the festival also opened the Royal gates during the week to welcome thousands of students for the inaugural School Days event.
The School Days program, designed as age-appropriate, educational and entertaining, has seen tremendous success in a short time.
Students are invited not only to attend, but to immerse themselves by participating in contests.
The School Days program welcomed more than 46,000 students in 2014, and continues to expand its reach to students, offering them a rare chance to see history come alive at the festival!
This was another cute couple that I photographed.
I love this ladies’ hat.
This guy looks like he’s got it made.
This is the first time I saw a lady wearing an eye patch.
I bet it’s hard to drink with that thing on your face.
In one area, you can throw ninja stars…
knives…
And hatchets.
There’s a petting zoo for the kids.
They love seeing the little pygmy goats.
You can ride an elephant if you want.
This cute little girl was riding a llama. Her dad should have taken a photo.
It would’ve been one that he would love forever.
I did this maze and hated it. I’ll never do it again. It ate up too much of my time and I eventually had to have help to find my way out, lol.
At least from the top of the maze tower I had a nice view of the grounds.
You can see wandering musicians around the festival too.
In another area, you can try your luck at shooting a bow and arrow.
These dresses were from a shop called BOSS WENCH.
I could never put on full body paint like this. Imagine how hard it is to get it all off, especially your back.
I usually get to the festival when it opens and stay all day long, although I’ve never stayed for the evening fireworks show.
This girl was spunky.
You can tell she was having fun.
At the festival, you can learn many things. You can learn about pottery, facepainting, the art of blacksmithing, candle carving, glass blowing, quill writing and much much more.
You can get married at TRF and also renew your vows.
If you’re in the mood, you can have your fortune told by a Tarot Card reader.
There’s a costume contest and a broadcast journalism contest for high school students at TRF.
This fox costume was cool.
I think this photo is from a day when I went on Halloween.
This one too. I liked her costume and her sign.
Pretty funny.
This guy was holding court with his friends.
These dudes were walking around singing to the people in different areas of the festival.
I ran into more shops with weapons for sale.
All sorts of knives.
Here’s the guy with the great costume again.
I think he wins, hands down.
I gave him a few bucks and interviewed him for my YouTube video from the festival.
This girl was one of the cutest that I saw.
I thought it was funny for them to be chatting away normally, but wearing what they were wearing. It just looked funny to me.
Here’s ‘Spunky’ again.
It can get crowded at TRF, but it’s a fun type of crowded when everyone is having a great time.
I watched a lot of the shows while I was there. The next few photos are from the Gypsy Belly Dancers.
They were fantastic.
They all wore colorful dresses and danced really well.
This young lady was awesome.
Then this lady walked on stage.
She wore a sparkly top.
It looked great in the sunlight.
Then she pulled out a big snake.
She proceeded to dance with it on her head. It was very cool.
I was surprised the snake didn’t bite her, but it never did.
I think she stole the show.
Next, I want to show you Shunyata. Another dance team.
They were belly dancers also and very good.
They put on an entertaining show for the crowd watching them.
They even danced with swords balanced on their heads. This was awesome to see.
I have the video of them and the other acts on my YouTube Channel if you want to see them dance.
Last, I’d like to show you a very talented young lady. Jenny O’Connor. I loaded this video on YouTube and called it The Hot Violinist.
It’s been viewed millions of times. People love it. You should watch it.
Here is the link to it.
She played another song and a young lady came out and danced to the music.
Finally, Jenny grabbed a guitar and jammed while another dancer accompanied her with beautiful moves and a scarf.
I hope you have enjoyed this look at the Texas Renaissance Festival.
If you ever have the chance, you should go. I love it and go every year if I can make it.
I hope I see you there one day.
I have more than 25,000 travel photos on my website, as well as my videos, for your viewing pleasure.
Also, you can ‘Like’ my Facebook page for updates about what events and places I’ll be traveling to next.
