I love Renaissance Faires, to the point where I’ve gone on two different road trips to attend Renaissance Faires in different parts of the country. As a result, I have now attended 12 different Renaissance Faires! With so many now under my belt, I guess I should rank them, and describe in detail which ones are worth attending (hint: pretty much all of them, but usually only if you happen to be in the area).

If it’s not on this list, it’s only because I’ve never been there. I have future plans to attend the other major Ren Faires in the country!

Day 10 finally reaches A-Tier, the Ren Faires I’ve gone on road trips to attend.

E-Tier: If you happen to live close by

#12. Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire (Ansonia, CT)
#11. Vermont Renaissance Faire (Essex, VT)

D-Tier: Worth a bit of a drive

#10. New Hampshire Renaissance Faire (NHRF; Fremont, NH)
#9. Enchanted Orchard Renaissance Faire (EORF; Phillipston, MA)
#8. Robin Hood’s Medieval Faire (RHMF; Harwinton, CT)

C-Tier: Standouts

7. King Richard’s Faire (KRF; Carver, MA)
6. Maine Renaissance Faire (MERF; Acton, ME)

B-Tier: Strongly recommend

#5. Northern California Renaissance Faire (NCRF; Hollister, CA)
#4. Connecticut Renaissance Faire (CTRF; Lebanon, CT)

A-Tier: Worth a whole road trip

3. New York Renaissance Faire

Tuxedo Park, NY
Last attended: September 2024
Website: https://renfair.com/ny/

Alright, let’s get into the big ones.

This one is absolutely huge. I mean, I’m a meticulous planner who can fit a ton into my schedule, but when I first went in September 2023, even I couldn’t do everything I wanted in one day. I did manage to visit all of the vendors, but it was cutting it a bit close, because there are just so many. And these aren’t just some randos who happened to buy a 3D printer, but real artisans with fantastic works to sell. Some of my favorites include Half Moon Travel Clothing (amazing wool cloaks, which I almost bought, but unfortunately I’m allergic to lanolin), Thorny Rose clothing, Son of Sandlar (often considered the best Ren Faire boots on the market, and owning a pair myself, I certainly agree), and Misfit Manor (fantastic wood creations made from Greek olive wood). Sure, there were some sellers of generic Made-in-China crap, but it was pretty easy to ignore them and move on to the real artisans.

The best performer I saw there was Aaron Bonk (whip show), who is an absolute legend. I mean, I’m a big Jacques ze Whipper fanboy, and while Jacques is a better performer with better jokes and audience work, Aaron Bonk is more technically proficient with even cooler stunts. But there are tons of other amazing shows as well, like Cirque du Sewer (trained rats and cats), The Flaming Ginger (juggling and acrobatics), Stahr Power (acrobatics and whips), and several others. You can fill your day with great shows alone.

This is also one of the only Faires on this list to have a permanent site, and it is extremely well-done, really feeling like a medieval town. You truly feel transported to another world. This has got to be the second-best site I’ve seen, only after my number 1-ranked Faire.

The joust is fun. Not the best I’ve seen, and there wasn’t anything that stood out much more than other jousts, but it was a good time.

If had to nitpick a bit, while the permanent setup is awesome, it does feel a bit cramped and tense at times. Maybe one reason it feels so immersive is that the streets are so narrow, it’s practically shoving the Ren Faire in your face. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, and you may need to step back for a break at times (fortunately, re-entry is allowed). And while the shows are awesome, I think I still prefer the shows at the CTRF. But these pretty are minor gripes.

With an other-worldly site that hosts a crushing combo of numerous high-quality artisans and amazing performers, the New York Renaissance Faire is easily better than all of the other Faires below it on this list.