Renn Faire, or The Renaissance Faire is a craft fair, quasi-historical re-enactment, and performance art. People who work at Renn Faire dress in costumes from the Renaissance as well as Medieval Times. Booths sell crafts, jewelry, food, medieval weaponry, and all kinds of other souvenirs. Performers include comedians, magicians, sword-swallowers, mimes, jugglers, and people impersonating historic roles—such as blacksmiths or clothiers.

If you’ve never been to a Faire, then its hard to convey a sense of it. Many people when they go for the first time are overcome by the sheer hubub of it all. Hawkers in the streets, ribbons and flags waving in the wind, the sound of bells lutes and ocarinas in the air, the lilt of foreign accents, the smell of cooking foods and flowers, the warmth of sun on your face and the wind in your hair. Entertainers may want to talk to you as the character they’re playing and vendors may insist the item you’re looking at was carried on the backs of explorers from the wilds of the far off Indies. Via

Corona’s Koroneburg Renaissance Festival is Southern California’s only permanent Renaissance Village. This year, visitors to this 1450-1600 European Village were entertained, discovered fine arts and crafts, and enjoyed delectable food and beverages. The setting is the fictitious estate of the Baron Heinrich Von Lauffer, located along the Rhine River (aka Santa Ana River) between Mainz and Strasbourg. Each year the Baron invites the finest minds and most talented actors to celebrate the coming of spring at his Barony of Koroneburg. The festival celebrated the inventions and changes of the Renaissance period. This year’s festivities have come to an end, but it sure was a blast. Make sure and mark your calendars for next year!