Bristol Renaissance Faire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bristol Renaissance Faire ("Bristol") is a major Renaissance Fair in the Midwest. The Faire is located in a permanent park near Kenosha, Wisconsin. Most of the buildings are permanent year-round structures. The Faire seeks to recreate the visit of Queen Elizabeth to the port city of Bristol in the year 1574. It runs for nine weekends (19 days) from the second weekend in July to the first weekend (and Labor Day) of September.
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[edit] History
The Bristol Renaissance Faire was founded in 1972 by Richard and Bonnie Jo Shapiro as "King Richard's Faire". It started as a four-weekend fair and drew 10,000 people. Through the 1980s it became very fantasy-oriented, with many Tolkien-inspired elements, such as a Hobbit hole and wizard battles. In 1989 Shapiro sold the fair to Renaissance Entertainment Corporation and the fair re-opened as the Bristol Renaissance Faire, with a much more strictly historical approach. The reigning monarch became Queen Elizabeth I rather than the fictional "King Richard", and the year was set at 1574. Costumery became more focused and authentic, and a serious attempt at historicity was made. At that time the fair lasted seven weekends and drew over 400,000 visitors. In recent years the fantasy elements have crept back in, with fairies and the like patrolling the grounds.
[edit] References
Renaissance Magazine, Vol. 2, #1, Issue #5, Spring 1997
[edit] Further reading
- Scenes from the 2006 Bristol Renaissance Faire. ideapark.org.
- Sierra (2004-08-20). Bristol Renaissance Faire. Day Trips From Chicago: Wisconsin.
- Bristol Renaissance Faire, Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. h2g2. BBC (2003-05-01).
