Whimsy, wonder abound at 37th Tennessee Renaissance Festival (2024)

The Tennessee Renaissance Festival hosted by Williamson County Parks and Recreation in Arrington has a long-standing history of building community through fantastical fun, and this year’s event did not disappoint. After multiple weekends of jousts, fairy appearances and sword sales, the festival closed its magical gates on Monday until next year.

Walking into the grounds of Covington Glen in the shadow of Middle Tennessee’s very own Castle Gwynn, visitors are transported to a world of wonder. Knights and trolls wander the lanes while merchants barter off potions, armor and fairy wings.

“It’s a lot to take in,” said Kerri Hudson, WCPR public information coordinator. When the parks department took over the festival in 2022, Hudson said she got hooked on the environment.

“The festival is infectious — I would not have described myself as a festival person before becoming involved in this,” she said. “[It] just envelopes you and it has something for everyone.”

Providing entertainment to any and all demographics has been WCPR’s goal since 2022. At that time, Hudson said the festival already had a “dedicated and devoted fanbase,” but the parks department has added some more family-friendly elements to make Covington Glen a welcoming place for all.

“Families were already coming, but we wanted to add more kid-friendly aspects to it,” Hudson said.

This year, that included the addition of a new Mermaid Grotto that expanded the footprint of the festival grounds and offered new vendors and one-on-one interactions with half-submerged mermaids. Other performers like the Daring Horseman and Chaste Treasures also joined the lineup this year bringing refreshing acts enjoyed by both children and adults.

Perhaps the best part of the Renaissance Festival though is the creativity and dedication of the costumed visitors.

“The majority of people that come to this do come in some kind of garb,” Hudson said. “It’s amazing, just walking around and what you see in terms of outfits that are just people having fun expressing themselves.”

Patrons don fairy wings, elf ears, cloaks and capes, crowns, tunics and all sorts of medieval accessories or whimsical outfits to embrace the spirit of the festival. While plenty of vendors at the festival offer period-appropriate clothes and accessories, dedicated visitors make their own costumes.

“I’ve been here before, but this is my first time actually dressing up,” said Aubrey Lawson, who made her glowing cloud crown herself. “It’s been more expressive, and you get to join the others’ celebration.”

Lawson’s friend Kiauna Lawrence spent a month during her college finals perfecting an ornate giant mushroom hat to go with a dress she had made for the festival years prior. Both visitors drew smiles and questions as they moved through the grounds — a testament to the festivals judgment-free community feel.

Despite some weather challenges and a deafening swarm of cicadas, Hudson said turnout at the 37thTennessee Renaissance Festival was on track to match last year’s 75,000 ticket sales.

“Renaissance festivals are very much community driven, and I feel like in the Tennessee area they really do support the Renaissance individuals very well,” Hudson said. Now that this year’s event has ended, Hudson and her team will start preparing to make next year even better for passionate festivalgoers new and old.

Find more information about the Tennessee Renaissance Festival at tnrenfest.com.