Renaissance Festivals in the United States Quiz

Answer: false

Most Renaissance festivals are set in the reign of Elizabeth I, which spanned from 1533 to 1603 at the height of the Renaissance era. Despite the title "Renaissance Festival" or "Renaissance Fair," not all such entertainments are set during the Renaissance, a period generally thought to have begun in the 15th century, to have reached its height in the 16th century, and to have ended some time in the 17th century.

Some fairs contain elements of Medieval times. Others incorporate pirate themes as late as the 18th century.

However, a fair is highly unlikely to be set in the 20th century (during the reign of Elizabeth II).

Answer: California

The fair was organized by a Los Angeles schoolteacher, Phyllis Patterson, and her husband Ron. The one-weekend fair drew about 8,000 visitors and was intended to raise money for station KPFK. The Living History Center helped to design the fair.

Answer: William Shakespeare

Shakespeare wrote the majority of his plays in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Renaissance festivals will often include stage entertainments with shortened (or full) versions of his plays or parodies on them. Many stage entertainments at Renaissance fairs encourage audience participation.

Other performances are often held in the commedia dell'arte tradition, an early form of theatre that originated in Italy and gained popularity during the Renaissance.

Answer: The Arizona Renaissance Festival

The Arizona Renaissance Festival is set on thirty acres and had over thirteen stages as of the 2019 season. It is typically held in early February through mid-March and is attended by over 200,000 people in a season.

Answer: Mead

Wine, beer, and mead are popular alcoholic drinks to serve at Renaissance fairs. Popular foods at such fairs include turkey legs, bread bowls, and steak on a stick. Food booths and shopping booths line the streets. People can purchase wares such as wooden and metal swords, handmade and glass-blown crafts, toys, art work, books, and more.

Answer: White

Pale skin was in fashion during the European Renaissance, and the trend was popularized by Elizabeth I, who used bright white makeup to cover her smallpox scars. Unfortunately, the white makeup used for this purpose was often made of a lead powder. It is speculated by some scholars that Elizabeth may have died of heavy metal poisoning.

Answer: The Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire

The New York Renaissance Faire opened first, in the town of Tuxedo in Orange County in 1977. The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire opened in 1981 at Mount Hope Estate in Manheim. The Tennessee Renaissance Festival opened in 1985 in Arrington-Triune. The Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire is the newest of these four fairs, having opened in 2006 in Marriott-Slaterville.

Answer: The Texas Renaissance Festival

Everything's bigger in Texas! The Texas Renaissance Festival, which spanned 55 acres and had 25 stages as of 2016, is set from the 3rd through 16th centuries and features Medieval and Renaissance elements as well as Roman, Scottish, Celtic, pirate, and fantasy themes. Texas actually hosts four major Renaissance festivals: Scarborough Renaissance Festival outside Dallas, Sherwood Forest Faire outside Austin, Middlefaire south of Fort Worth, and the Texas Renaissance Festival outside of Houston.

Answer: An electric carousel ride

While human-powered rides (such as swings and tilt-a-whirls wound up by ropes) are common in Renaissance festivals, electric amusement park rides, such as carousels, are not. At such a fair, you might find strolling musicians, jugglers, magicians, singing pirates, animal rides, human chess games, and more.

Answer: Washington

Hosted in Columbia Park in Kennewick, Washington, the Ye Merrie Greenwood Renaissance Faire is set in the Elizabethan Era, around 1585, and features costumed vendors, live performances, and jousting.

Even Alaska has had its own Renaissance festival, the Three Barons Renaissance Faire, which opened in 1992 in Anchorage and is typically held in June.