All the Festival is a Stage

Imagine stepping through a gate and entering a world where lords and ladies, kings and queens and knights in shining armor still walk among us.

It's not a dream or a fairy tale. It's the annual Carolina Renaissance Festival, where “all the festival is a stage” as spectators become an essential part of a bustling European village. Costumed participants speaking the Queen's English sell their wares and render magical performances for seven weekends from October through November in Davidson, NC.

6,000 to 10,000 visitors enter the gates of the 18-acre village each day, where they are greeted by a maiden who quickly brings them back to the age of chivalry as she exclaims, “Good day milady! Good day milord!”

Inside, the village buzzes with excitement as townspeople and attendants move from shop to shop, evoking the spirit of the Middle Ages as they sample foods such as gigantic turkey legs and stews in bread bowls and purchase crafts inspired by the period, including jewelry, clothing, ceramics, custom-made leather, even armor and medieval weaponry.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2003, The Carolina Renaissance Festival has become one of the largest Renaissance fairs in the nation. Actual replicas of medieval cottages, castles, pubs and shops line the winding street that leads visitors to rides, games, street acts and stage shows inspired by the era. “It’s literally a constructed, make-believe village,” says Melissa Nagy, the festival’s marketing director.

Along with the historically accurate cottages and shops, more than 100 villagers lend an added air of authenticity to the town. “Every person represents someone in a village,” says Nagy. Those who visit the festival often, she says, will come to recognize the characters and almost become a part of the cast. “We have orphans in the village,” explains Nagy. “Guests will ask them, ‘Did you find a home yet?’ ”

As visitors make their way through town they will come upon a variety of stage acts, performed by actors who bring their show to different festivals around the nation. One of the festival's most popular acts is Don Juan and his servant Miguel, a pair of dueling comedians who keep the crowd rolling with silly sword fights and wild antics both on and off the stage.

Another is The Mud Show, a new comedy performed by The Sturdy Beggars, who keep the jokes clean, but live by the motto, “ ‘all the world’s a stage, just add water.’ ”

Using modern satire helps the visitors and the performers relate to one another better, Nagy says, “The humor is today’s humor aimed at family entertainment.” The performers often bring spectators into the jokes and stage acts, creating a friendly, fun environment that draws the visitors and the performers closer together.

The show that is the festival favorite is The Joust. Held in the Royal Arena, The Black Knight and Green Knight battle to the death in full suits of armor atop skilled horses, dueling with all kinds of medieval weaponry and hurling insults as sharp as their swords. As the royal family and spectators cheer them on, the knights put on a high-spirited, stunt-filled performance that never fails brings the crowd to their feet. Lances shatter, swords clash, dirt (and sometimes the knights themselves) fly through the air and only one combatant walks out of the arena victorious.

The actors and vendors are made up of both local and out-of-state participants. Many full-time staff members live and work half a year in North Carolina and the other half in Arizona, where a sister festival is held each year. Nagy encourages the festival's guests to “stop and look at each moment,” and notice that even though the village is make-believe, the events, relationships and ambiance that take place mirror those of a real medieval village. The intricate detail of each and every act, costume, shop, cottage and tent make for a magical trip back in time.

The Eleventh Annual Carolina Renaissance Festival will be held October 2 through November 14, 2004, on Highway 73 at Poplar Tent Road, between Concord and Huntersville. For more information, call (877) 896-5544 or visit www.renfestinfo.com.

by Beth Hardy