Have you ever wanted to go back in time and experience a Medieval lifestyle? Ever dreamed of dressing up as a wizard, noble, knight, or royalty and being among others with the same interests? It’s all there at Maryland’s annual Renaissance Fair located in Annapolis, it is open to the public every weekend for the rest of the month of September and into mid-October, only for a $20 entrance fee.

Being a fan of everything medieval and magical myself, I just had the chance to see it in person. It was my first time so I didn’t know what to expect, but thankfully I got a lot more than I could have imagined. Everything from live jousting to live Shakespear plays it’s all there. Let’s not forget the variety of food available.

One of the first events that may catch your eye is the live jousting, but make sure to keep an eye on the time, so you don’t miss it because all the events have a start and end time on their event brochure. It starts off with everyone picking a section of the stage bleachers to sit at, which is important for later on in the performance. It starts when the King of the Fair and his Royal assembly announce the names of the participants. Depending on your seat you have a different champion to cheer for. As you watch you learn more about each participant. They demonstrate their skills on horseback and with a weapon. I don’t want to spoil too much of the experience for everyone, but understand that after watching this performance you really start feeling as if you are back in time.

Moving on to other events that may interest some, there are also magic shows, plays, and musicals done in multiple theaters all over the festival site, aerial silk shows, and even games to play that are a fusion of medieval activities turned to modern carnival games. For the less sensitive, there are shows with professional tricks done in unorthodox ways, whether it is juggling done on a unicycle or sword swallowing, the festival has many more surprises.

When visitors get hungry from walking through the seemingly endless attractions, the food at the venue may be just what they need. Even though they are not free meals many are cheaper than a lot of the other souvenirs offered. There is a large variety of meals to choose from. There are foods common to the modern day such as funnel cake, chicken tenders with fries, fish and chips or one could really get in Medieval character and get a whole turkey leg to eat on the run.

Before leaving, many people wish to bring something back home to remind them of this event. They can choose from something hand made which holds significance to the renaissance period. Remembering back there was a stand that sold medieval medallions with an image of the buyers choosing on the front and back, all for varying prices depending on the metal used.

With all of this in mind what could possibly be stopping Maryland residents from giving this annual event a try? Before the event ends have a look and explore the past as much possible because there are many more events to see than the ones described here.