New York Renaissance Faire

I’ve been wanting to go to Ren Faire for YEARS and finally made it up before the last weekend. With so many detailed reviews here, I’m just going to throw down some quintessential tips that I learned as a newcomer:
— COME EARLY! Parking is a painstakingly sloooow process. It’s organized but cumbersome and some mommy in a minivan will probably cut you off in the process. Curse that wench’s house!
— Bring plenty of coinage. The food is surprisingly decent for a fair (despite the turkey leg being WAY dry) and the stores sell all sorts of clothing, crafts, trinkets, magic spells etc, That you’ll want to take home. Tons of «carnival» games to entertain as well!
— Be warned. Sales people are PUSHY.
— Show up at least 10 minutes before the shows. They are packed and pretty amusing.
— Wandering around with a beer and a buzz is TOTALLY OK as long as you’re being appropriate. Don’t touch strangers. (unless they want you too?).
— Interact with the actors and staff. You get what you put in!
— Keep and open mind and enjoy. You’ll depart the grounds with entertaining memories and a few too many goods if your not careful…

So much fun. It’s very entertaining for the family, adults and kids. Its especially fun if you’re into the Renaissance time or shows like game of thrones. People like to dress up and go, wear nice dresses or hair pieces. They have shows like human chess, jousting, acrobats, sword tricks, singing, dancing, throwing tomato on someone, fairys, a place called queens landing (parallel to kings landing in got). The price to get in isn’t bad, and sometimes you can find coupons online especially if you’re on their mailing list. They have yummy pickles and funnel cake which you can purchase inside. I went twice, I don’t think I would a third time BC the shows get repetitive. It’s a picturesque place. Make sure you get coupons online before going

I LOOOOOOVE the NY Ren Faire!
This is the first year I have been back in a while and it still does NOT disappoint!
Always a good time! What’s better than walking around with a beer in one hand, turkey leg in the other?! Not much I tell you!
The jousts (and other shows), people walking around in character AND shopping make this an all day amazing event.
They brought back the knife throwing comedy show which I was glad to hear! Very entertaining and definitely worth checking out!
Can’t wait till next year!

A lot of fun if your into «Ye times of olde». A little tricky dragging little children around because it’s covers a vast area but still entertaining. Exciting games for 4 yrs or older & plenty of «Adult» beverages. Can be a little costly so pace your wallet. Exciting jousting tournament & other shows but keep your on the time. It can take a lil bit to get from one point to another.

Eh, look, it was fine. It was actually a lot bigger than I expected it to be. However, if you go for just a couple of hours, get your Turkey leg and Mead and you’ll be alright. If you’re really into it, go rent a costume or buy one… get a sword!

I’ve been to the PA Renaissance Faire and I have to say I was definitely impressed more with the NY Renaissance Faire! It’s huge and fairly cheap! There’s a coupon on their website for $ 2 off. I went this past weekend which was also the last weekend of the Ren Faire. We got there around noon and the parking was PACKED. We paid 10 bucks to park fairly close but there is free parking but it’s a hike. We began by wandering the towns and everyone was dressed up! Not just the people that work there but everyone! I felt so out of place so immediately I purchased a flower crown to blend in. I would definitely recommend making your own flower headband beforehand or a costume, the flower head band was $ 22 and kinda itching my head.
We saw so many good shows, I definitely recommend the magician show, it’s super funny and kind of adult humor but they interact with the audience, all I have to say is don’t be late or he’ll make sure you’re the star of the show (in a funny way).
The food was awesome! There are so many to choose from. My personal favorite is the soup in a bread bowl and the turkey leg was good, but kind of dry. The mead there is incredible! I love all the combination drinks they have. My personal favorite was the «Fruit Loop» it was cider, mead and blue moon mixed together.
Definitely remember to bring cash here, almost everything is and the line to the ATM was ridiculously long. I had so much fun and everyone there was so friendly, but a warning to females the line for the bathrooms lines are long but they move fast.
The joust wasn’t until the end of the day, so to beat traffic we only stayed for a little and left.
I am definitely so excited to go back next year

It seems a shame to write a review on the New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, now because the faire is coming to its summer end. So I highly recommend going next year!!!
Come one, come all to the magical land of Renaissance Faire! You’ve seen it in the movies and on TV, but nothing will compare to witnessing it in real life. Set inside over 65 acres of beautiful land, the Faire features over 125 performances on 20 stages. As you walk along, you are surrounded by a 100 costumed actors, keeping in the theme of being in the Renaissance or Medieval Times. A pirate may come up to you to talk about their adventures or a fairy might approach you with some magical dust.
Knights joust for favor, Robin Hood takes part in an archery contest and many other characters from storybooks appear in the park. Many attendees come to the Faire in costume to join the merriment but it’s not required. You’ll see everything from kings and queens, fairies and wizards to more modern creations like Steam Punk characters.
The food is decent with the most popular items being enormous turkey legs and pickle carts. Alcohol is offered all around the park, making this a great event for adults as much as children. Kids can enjoy pizza, mountains of chips, pretzels and ice cream stands. (This is NOT a healthy endeavor).
Shopping is a must. There are shops at every turn selling swords, crafts, candles, magic spells, clothing, specialty food and much more.
You can spend over 5 hours at the Faire, not see everything and still want to come back for more. The premises are open rain or shine.
I’m totally coming back next year.

So happy my friend suggested we come here !
I had a great time. The lords and ladies are super friendly. Everyone had a great big smile on their faces.
The costumes were amazing ! I love how everyone was in the spirit ! Made me want to dress up also !
The food is pretty decent. The turkey legs however were very overrated. They had no flavor. I wouldn’t suggest you pay the $ 9.50 they are charging.
Prices are super high! I spent $ 100 on nothing much basically, but food.
The costumes are expensive, but if you really can’t help yourself, get it! Trust me I was tempted also.
They have multiple shows going on at different sections of the park. They have a lof of kid activites to do.
The beer is flowing constantly ! The lines for it is super long.
They only have porta-​potties which were pretty clean shockingly. I have seen much worse.
CANT WAIT TO COME BACK NEXT YEAR!

This was my first time and I can’t wait to go back! So much to see and it’s great for any age. You have to walk around and stay for a few hours to get the full experience. There’s so much going on. You won’t get bored if you stop at every pub.
I loved how much detail they put into everything and how each employee was 100% in character. Great job.

Love coming here. Been going here for years and don’t ever get tired of it. It’s better to come in groups when you’re all dressed. I’ve been to them in costume with a huge group, was the only one in a group dressed, and with no costume on. The best experience with with your group all dressed.
Everything is overpriced here, so be sure to bring a lot of cash. There are some new vendors but everything seems to be the same for yrs.
The food is alright but when you’re super hungry… it’s all good! Food can get super messy, too.
They have great shows to keep you entertained. My fave is obviously the jousting! Its complete with fire breathing, dancing and joustinggggg! Cant go wrong! Great for well behaved children. I say this because there are a lot of vendors where you can touch things. Just keep an eye on your kids!

This was our first visit to the Renaissance Faire and we had a lot of fun. Food was really good. Shows were really good. The Nun show was hysterical and so was the Washing Whenches. I also really enjoyed the bird show. Would love to go see it all over again. I know we missed a lot of stuff and could spend one more whole day here. Great lil shops too.

Went to the New York Renaissance Faire for the second time now, this time with my girlfriend and it amazing! This review will be extensive, so be warned but there is so much to write about for something this big and this exciting. We decided to come here on Labor Day, hoping that the crowds wouldn’t be too crazy with others BBQing and enjoying one last weekend at the beach. We were right, it was nothing compared to my last visit. We arrived early thinking we would need to park in the back and either walk up the long hill or take the shuttle but we got $ 10.00 parking right near the grounds pretty easy. Everyone dresses up so don’t be afraid to embrace the environment! Its hard to tell who works for the fair and who is in costume because everyone not only looks the part, but acts the role!
It was hot, like really hot which was the only thing negative about the entire day. With $ 3.00 a water bottle and walking all day eating and drinking, you need to hydrate so I spent at least $ 20.00 on water alone. We got the coupon that gave us $ 4.00 off a ticket but make sure you have a coupon for each ticket you want to purchase. Only one coupon per ticket. Don’t be afraid to bring a backpack full of water either, you will need it after all the drinks and salty fried goodies.
The food is always awesome! Last time I had the giant turkey leg so I wanted to try something different this time around. The turkey leg, $ 9.50 is worth it and will fill you up plus its really fun to eat. We had the boar, aka the pork platter with beans, corn and a roll for $ 15.00. Totally worth the price, the whole platter filled us both up. They do not skimp on the pulled pork so easily can fill two lunches. The numerous beer, tavern and pub stands through out the faire have wine, beer, beer mixes of sangria, wine and the traditional mead! Mead is the oldest form of alcohol, think sweeter white wine. The beers are prices at $ 8.50 and the mead or wine per small glass I believe is $ 7.00. Not great but not crazy like going to a baseball game. They have so many other offering, fried mac n cheese, cheesecake on a steak, steak sandwiches and blooming onions just to name a few.
The shows and shops are what makes the faire so fun! We saw 7 shows throughout the day including our two favorites that stood out, Washing Wenches (literally stand up comedy, hilarious and a must see) and Chit Chat which was portrayed as a mid-​evil talk show. Other cool shows are the falconry show, the knife throwing duo, the combat battle at the giant chess board and the grand final, the joust! The joust packs in quick so if you really want a seat, get there early. If not, plenty of room on the grass overlooking the stadium. The joust alone is worth the fair so be prepared for a full day.
Overall experience is totally worth it! Spend the entire day here, so much to do and see!

Why go? Because it is just plain fun. Food, drink, shows, things to buy, people to see. Sure you can dressed up to blend into the mood a lot deeper but you will be no way out of place if you do not.
The shows are really quite good. I remember the Stewart & Arnold Knife Throwing from years ago. Hey Nunnie Nunnie! was a complete blast. The Sky Kings Falconry show was fun and informative. I got called on for Brett Blackshear Comedy Magic and, of course, got magically distracted on stage while everyone else in the audience saw full well what was going on.

This was the first time we ever came. We’ve always seen the signage during trips to our friend’s home and finally got a chance to visit after purchasing a LivingSocial voucher. They were two for one tickets and since there were only three of us, we had an extra and a woman at the front needed one for her kid, so we graciously offered.
The faire is located in Tuxedo, NY. You can get there by way of the Tappan Zee Bridge to the I87 or the GWB to Palisades Pkwy, so if your GPS is persuading you to go South to go over the GWB, there’s a reason. The ride was nice and smooth with no traffic. We arrived around 1pm and the lot was getting full. There are two parking lots; one is close to the entrance that costs $ 10 but I believe if you have handicap status, it’s free. The other lot is free for all but it’s a bit of a trek through the woods. We opted for the latter and the walk wasn’t too bad but they do offer shuttle bus service to the entrance.
Since we pre-​ordered our tickets, the wait on line wasn’t bad at all. From the parking lot, we spotted the guests that are into cosplay and dressing up. Some people were in full garb despite the sun and heat. It was very cool to see.
They have loads of concessions with offerings, like the onion blossom, mead, turkey legs and even chocolate covered bacon, which my son HAD to try.
Everyone was very pleasant and entertaining. There is so much to do for adults and kids, alike. This may become an annual event for our family. We had a blast. I even dropped $ 100 on a set of carved wooden cosplay swords. They even had Inuyasha’s sword!
Definitely take a day to visit the faire. It was great; not historically correct, as my son would mention, but it was still fun.

This is the second year I go with my family. The faire is a great time! Everyone is in costume and act the part. The visitors also come dressed which makes it fun.
The only issue is the heat which you can’t really change. My advice, stay hydrated and bring sunscreen especially for the little ones.
Also, they only accept cash when buying food and drinks so either bring cash or wait on the long atm lines.

*Game of Thrones/​Medieval Times fans, rejoice!
*Coming here is like A Whole New World, in a good way.
*Expect to see pple dressed up in wild outfits such as knights, princes/​princesses, fairies, etc.
*Expect these pple to REALLY get into character.
*Dunk the trash talking scoundrel with tomatoes!
*watch random performances throughout the event like acrobats, jousting, magic, comedy, dancing, etc.
*Enjoy fun stuff like archery, knife throwing, hair braiding, vendor booths, etc.

So I was one of those ppl that didn’t realize that there is only one bus that takes you to the Faire… So if your like me here is what you can do. Take the shortline bus at the port authority to Tuxedo Ny, once you arrive there you can either ask the ppl at the faire to send you a cab or google tuxedo cabs in the area. It should only cost $ 15 for the cab… And if you do wake up on Time there is only one bus that takes you @ 10am and picks you up @ 7pm…
Once we arrive I was automatically excited, it like a scene out of a movie. Ppl dressed up everywhere, gift stand, jewelry stands, food stands, snack stands, games stand… Think of any type of stand it was most likely there… Ppl screaming when you give a tip… It was fun… I tried the turkey leg everyone was craving about it cost $ 8… Not to bad, I was mostly interested in the beer and wine… Didn’t really get to one of those stands because the line was so long… The games are cheap and fun and all the characters are the area were wasted pants. Oh and if you were wondering I did not get dressed up… Everyone around me did that for me!
I would have to try it again but this time plan everything out. I just wish there were more then one bus from NYC to Tuxedo… Six flags has more then one bus!

I absolutely LOVE the Renaissance Faire in NY! It’s a bit of a drive but, once you’re there & situated, it’s so worth it. Parking can be a nightmare so do your best to come early. If you’re there to drink, I suggest pre gaming because the drinks are pricey and the lines can be long. This is a great place to go with friends or bring your kids to. They have one weekend per season where kids go for free. Check the calendar online before you go– there is something different going on each weekend!
Fun stuff:
–Archery & knife throwing
–Shows! Tons of different shows! (magic, comedy, dancing, music, plays, etc)
–Lots of people in wild outfits
–Outdoor bars
–Hair braiding
–Vendor booths
–Food (turkey legs!)
Some of the best shows include:
–Birds of prey
–Knife throwing show
–Ded Bob (don’t bring the kids)
–Glass blowing (super cool! Draws a big crowd– go early & get a good seat)
–Royal chess match (bring something to eat and sit on the grass)

The first thing I’m going to say… is this place isn’t for everyone. Yes, there are opinions that this place is overpriced, has crude actors and serves mediocre food. Some will flat out say that this is just too tacky for their taste.
First of all, this place is open for approximately only 17 days a year, so yes, everything is going to be expensive. This is no different than going to any other expensive amusement park. Adult admission is $ 24 (try to find a coupon online). A few other rides will cost extra. Beer is about $ 7 dollars. A pickle is $ 3. A turkey leg is $ 9.00. Costumes and medieval outfits can easily go for $ 100+. Preferred parking is $ 10. So you get the idea, be prepared to spend money. When a business is open only 17 days each year, expect at least 200 to 500% markups. If you don’t want to spend money, stay home and read a book.
Be prepared for plenty of walking! If it is hot and humid, stay hydrated! One lady actually fainted and had to be tended by in house medics.
Quality of food depends on the food stand. Lines can be long.
This place is quite well put together. The theme sticks throughout. You are not going to find a ride with the latest technology lol.
Some of the better acts are the joust, the French magician and the Birds of Prey. And yes, they will come around with a hat/​basket asking for tips.
Yes, the staff can be inappropriate or cheesy, but it is all part of the act — as long as you can tolerate it.
You will find some people wearing great outfits. Lots of cleavage!!! My girls always wear their own costumes when they visit this place.
We have been coming here for 20 years now, and it just never gets old. However, we may just visit the one in Manheim, PA or in Long Island next year.

If you have not been to the New York Renaissance Fair then you are missing out on a great time! If you go and you don’t have a good time you are «doing it wrong».
I discovered the New York Renaissance fair approximately 5 years ago, and since my discovery I have not missed a year! In fact this year I have already been there three times. I prefer to go on a Sunday since most activities in Bergen County are shut down on Sundays due to the blue law.
Tip: Money, money, MONEY, I see several whines on here about spending money. Spend some, spend some more, have a some fun, stop whining… However…
It IS very easy to spend a chunk of money on alcohol at the Renaissance fair. If it is your intention to get intoxicated for this event (and it should be) I highly recommend pre-​gaming in your car (after you have parked for safety). Walking into the Renaissance fair with a heavy buzz is a GREAT way to start. Why not sneak a flask in while you are at it? As an adult it makes just about everything that goes on here from the shows to the food MUCH more entertaining. If this is your first time at the fair after you have slugged a few tell the bartender at any bar that your date or significant other (male or female) has never tried ‘Mead” (honey wine) and get ready for a mead virgin surprise!
What to expect: For starters, an awesome time! When you first walk in be sure to pick up a program, and a schedule which will outline all of the times of the different stage shows (lately they have started to charge a dollar for the program which to me is kind of silly, but whatever). The map of the event can be found within the program. Typically I like hanging out at the Blue Boar Pub all the way in the back of the event by where the Birds of Prey show and Storytellers Nook (look at your map) are while waiting for the show I would like to attend to begin. They often have performers playing live renaissance style music on a small stage at the pub which can be fun. The fair itself is quite large, it is not just some small field with a few booths; you will definitely have some fun exploring the property and finding your way around to various events using the map.
I am not typically a fan of dressing up (even for Halloween) but for somehow I enjoy dressing up for Renaissance Fair and have built myself an outfit over time — go figure.
As long as you come prepared to spend some money on entry, drinks, games, and food (and perhaps a trinket here and there) I can pretty much guarantee you will have a very good time. Get your buzz on, and go watch some shows, some are better than others but I’m sure you’ll have all a good time overall!
5-​Stars for a 40-​minute drive to a great day trip. Saturdays, Sundays & Labor Day Aug. 2^nd — Sept. 21^st, 2014