Koroneburg Old World Festival

Tons of fun for the whole family. Great Entertainment, shopping, food.

Hoping it continues. Great reenactment groups. Permanent structures. Be sure to do the archery! One on one instruction.

So you wasn’t to go to the cheaper ren faire? The one that doesn’t charge you an arm and a turkey leg just to get in… Then this is the place for you.
They don’t quite fleece you as badly as the other ren faire, but you can have a lot of fun here as well. I know that I enjoyed my trip here.
Pro Tip #1: Come here the first couple of weekends that they are open. You will find a much less crowded event.
One of my buddies from high school is a blacksmith here and it was awesome to see him at this event. Even without knowing someone here, they take care of you at this event. If you park out in the hinterlands aka the cheapo parking, they have a hayride trailer to take you up to and back from your vehicle.
Pro Tip #2: do dress up in a costume. It is much more fun to do so. It’s not like you can wander around with a sword in public anywhere at anytime you know.
A must see at any ren faire is the washing well wenches. These ladies never disappoint and now matter how vulgar something may be, they do it in a way that kids can be present and not understand it. They are very clean with the best engenders ever. In the show that I watched of theirs, they had us all rolling. Heck they were rolling themselves and had to stop a few times to regain their own composure.
They didn’t have jousting while I was there, in lieu thereof they had a battle recreation between the French and the Spanish. It was fun to watch as they had cannons thundering, muskets booming, and the sound of steel ringing as swords halberds spears and the like clashed together. Having the smoke wafting across the battlefield brought this to a more realistic feel. It was enjoyable to watch to say the least.
The shops were willing to negotiate and if you have cash, as there are discounts that may be possible to negotiate. Just remember cash makes many many things much easier and cheaper at a place like this. They have swords, jewelry, top hats, leather creations, corsets, dresses, vests, you know, anything that could be periodic pieces and would look good on you or in your house. These folks are definitively real artisans here.
All in all this is a great event done in a casual fashion that the whole family will enjoy beyond a shadow of a doubt. I highly suggest that you make your way out there to enjoy something new and different. It is exciting fun and worth the trip to drive out here.
Who knows I may even make it out here for another trek this season!

A very sad experience last year was ok but this year for having to pay 18 dollars to get in and 5 to park the people inside should be tallest somewhat friendly and interactive. Last yeR I got a ton of photos this year maybe 10 and that includes my wife and 4 people I knew from Irwindale other then that the people were not friendly and gave my wife and I the impression that they didn’t wnt to be there. Will be taking this one off my to go to list for sure and will let my friends know as well.

This was the first Renaissance faire I have ever been to, and I had a great time here.
Went there on the last day of the festival, and unlike other fairs I have been to you won’t have known it was the last day. I was referred to the faire by one of my friends, who’s a works as a shopkeeper there. All of the entertainers and shopkeepers were super friendly. The juggling act was a lot of fun to watch. There’s a lot of stuff for kids as well as adults. I would definitely go again.
P. S. Here’s a little tip for anyone looking for cheap tickets. Look on Amazon local. I saved over 50% on my tickets.

Had a great time! The beer is amazing. I love the Kronenbourg. The food is really good too. Maybe the complaints here are for the food at Wilkommen Inn? We didn’t try that so I don’t know. We tried a bunch of stuff from Das Bratwurst Haus and Funnel Cakes Etc. both days we went and it was delicious. The best funnel cakes and potato soup I’ve ever had.
The location is perfect. It’s surrounded by nature and near a river. It was breezy and cool yesterday. It’s kind of peaceful, like walking through a Renaissance themed nature trail. The buildings are so cute! I wish I could live here. We saw bunnies in the herb garden. There’s also fun stuff to do like archery and a giant swing ride. The attendees, entertainers and shopkeepers are all really cool. Lots of cool, affordable clothes, décor, home goods and pagan stuff if you’re shopping.

This was our first Renaissance Faire we have ever attended and we had a great time! It was very authentic! There was so much to see as we walked through Koroneburg. Everyone was really nice, friendly and had plenty of interesting info. The jousting was awesome and so was the pyro/​knife juggler! The Battle Pageant was cool and liked that they shot off the canons! There were a couple of other shows we didn’t get to catch! They had some good ale which made the whole experience even better! It’s def worth going to! We are planning on going again next year!

I only recently found out about this Renaissance Faire. It’s much closer to home than the larger Pleasure Faire in Irwindale. Not only is it closer, it’s less expensive to get into ($ 18 instead of $ 28), less crowded, and the prices of merchant goods is MUCH more reasonable. This is where one should buy their costumes and accessories unless money is no object for you.
Because of the smaller crowds, we were able to enjoy the day at a much more relaxed pace than in Irwindale, and spent more time talking to the merchants and other faire goers. Also, during the battles you are able to view them from much closer. All in all, we enjoyed it a lot and plan to return, possibly even a 2^nd time this season. I do wish they didn’t overlap with the Pleasure Faire by 2 weeks, but I guess they have their reasons.
The reason I only gave 3 stars is that the faire grounds weren’t maintained all that well. I think the promoters need to spruce things up a bit, and they certainly need to do some major marketing! If I didn’t even hear about this until last year they are doing something wrong. GET THE WORD OUT Kroneburg!!! You’ve good a good thing going, keep at it.

My first renisance fair what a blast It’s awesome so much fun spent the day was so fun. From the food to the wares it’s a good time.

Amazingness! This is for the true renaissance faire fan. Significantly smaller than the more mainstream Renaissance faire, I was referred to this one by a friend. I feel this very is a lot more authentic but it definitely is not as lively as the big one. The shows are great and equally as entertaining just obviously a smaller crowd. I highly recommend this place for anyone who is interested in buying authentic quality Renaissance attire and little things. Compared to the big Ren fair everything is under half price for the same exact stuff, so this is where I would I shop if I were you. Decently priced to get in I do believe tickets are cheaper if you buy online. They carry hard alcohol, beer, and wine which is awesome. The food is Ok at best but I’m not here for the food anyways! I definitely will come back again and again and again because I love it here! Highly recommend.
PS:
If you dress up people will interact with you more and it will be more fun!

I’ve been to this faire several times and I recognize several people here that have left reviews as participants/​vendors and actors of this faire. While everyone should be allowed their opinion of this faire, they should be up front about their relationship with this business to be fair for the customers who are interested in going and spending their money.
Having said that, the food is usually really bad, And I mean very horrible. They have a good bottled beer selection. The entertainment is okay. We liked the washer women, the pyro juggler and the battle. The faire seemed to be too much of a mix of different cultures from various different years, but very little German Renaissance. The streets were kind of empty and there really weren’t too many actors interacting with us. I remember when we would go to this place around 10 years ago and it was much more lively.
There’s a lot of neat vendors with creative items at affordable prices, and there is a lot of shade and the over all cost to visit is reasonable. It’s an ok experience but we’re not really looking forward to visiting again because each time we do, we have less and less fun.

Fun and entertaining especially for kids but adults will not miss out. Very retail oriented but enough things going on to make it worth the price.

Save your money people and go to another Ren Fair. Hardly any fun activity there and the bathrooms were out of order ALL day! The people never interacted with us and the place was not of a Ren Fair. There was no water fountains and it is not handicap friendly! Very small Fair. Not worth your time!

I’ve been going for about 10 years and love the intimate feeling of the village faire. It is mostly permanent buildings — some with gardens and you are welcome to walk in and sit in the shade and chat with the participants. Take your time as you stroll through because there are nifty things to see all around. Walk fast and you miss it all.
Love the ale stands all through the festival and the joust is always a treat. Don’t miss the ‘back roads’ like the one that goes along the river canyon — take a left at the gazebo on the main path.
There’s over 30 vendors — and the merchandise ranges from standard resale items to some very nice handcrafted art — blown glass, metal art, maille art, pottery, costuming (not from China, yay), jewelry and more. There are games, a giant swing and a carousel with wooden horses. Tarot cards, massage, henna painting too.
They opened up a new section a few years ago and put in a stage and a pub and some guilds down there. Vendors are moving in and the trees are planted. I like to go see the Washer Women show on the stage.
The food varies from standard festival foods in the food court to a real coffee shop and an icecream shop too. There’s a German food booth nearer to the front that makes some amazing things — Das Bratwurst Haus. Try the Lebekaiser (spelling?) sandwich.
There are a lot of different guilds representing German, French, Italian and English companies and encampments. There’s a really nice Apothecary Garden up front with real medicinal herbs and plants too.
There are at least 3 stages, maybe more — they keep adding. Good solid acts with real ‘meat’ to them. Could use more musical acts.
The festival runs from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day. See you there!

This is my all-​time favorite Renaissance festival/​faire. It’s set in the only permanent Renaissance village in California, so all the buildings are permanent, which really lends authenticity to the setting. It really feels like a «family» setting there… like it’s really a full-​time village with full-​time residents. Everyone really gets into the spirit of the festivities, and makes you feel really welcome. The shops carry some of the most beautiful, and reasonably-​priced theme items I’ve ever come across… and I’ve been to MANY faires in my time! All in all, a very wonderful festival… one that I never miss! Oh… and last but not least, it’s very kid-​friendly. Tons of fun things for the little ones… as well as the grown-​ups!

I have mixed opinions, I have been to the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire and a friend suggested I come out to Koroneburg. So with discounted tickets we did.
I had heard things about this festival, but really didn’t know what to expect.
I will first say that the website really sucks. There is little information to plan a visit or even get there. Thankfully, the address is on the website, and Google Navigation was able to get us there. How about a map, accurate schedule, and decent information on where you are located if people outside the 909 are going to come.
I knew it was a permanent site, which could be a good thing. I just marvel at the hodge podged cluster fun this place is. This is supposed to be a German village and hosts a small castle looking building next to a brightly painted English Tudor building, and a host of other styles of architecture. There are tent villages in around the fixed buildings and much construction… I was also surprised by the construction of the stages, unpainted 2×4’s with corrugated plastic roofs.
Again it is supposed to be a German village but were greeted upon arrival by the ticket takers in Italian. Other participants spoke to us in Spanish. Only 1 person I recall saying, «Guten tag» all day.
We went for their big weekend, Memorial Day as the theme or whatever is that it is a military town. They supposedly do battles, which we did not see any of. There were no real characters or participants about. There were however hawkers. The streets were lined with aggressive hawkers trying to separate us from money. $ 2 to smash a carrot with a hammer? Really? Is that Medieval or Renaissance? It was amazing as it seemed like there were only maybe 100 guests there all day. Maybe 40 at the Washer Women, 5 at the Archery competition, 15 at the Pyrojuggler, 10 for Galileo, 20 for the Joust and we saw about 8 at the food court. So if we pretend we never saw the same person twice, 98.
The site looks like it has a lot of space and a lot that it could offer, but sadly comes up short. The arena is very small and there does not seem to be a whole lot. Few vendors, 1 food stand and a second beverage stand.
The shows…
The Washing Well Wenches are great anywhere. But the audience was not very participative, which makes for a slow show. We sat in the front row and tried to be enthusiastic.
We saw the Pyrojuggler and although he claims to have been doing it for 20 years was not all that good. I don’t recall seeing any juggling only fire eating tricks. Ironically, he was pretty much begging the audience to tell 5 friends how great the Faire was to get people to come. His finale was interesting, the does the whole show standing on a box with «explosives» written in chalk upon it. Tells the audience people don’t believe anything on stage is real. So he opens the box and removes a bowl and walks to the back of the audience where he throws the bowl of non-​dairy creamer through his lit torch and creates a fireball and a smell of burnt marshmallows. So do I beleive there were «explosives» in the box, Nay. Do I believe he can play with fire, Eh. I have personally handled fire and was not impressed.
We were approached in the street to see Galileo, so we went in and saw the show, well as long as we could. We left maybe 10 minutes in because it was so stupid we could not take it any more. I think that if this performer were able to go back in time and teach in the 1500’s he might have a better reception, but talking to 21^st century people as though they are complete ignorami does not entertain me. He was laughing at his jokes more than the audience did…
We also did the archery, which was cool. I have not shot with a bow in years. Did pretty darn good if I don’t say so myself.
Benefits of Koroneburg over Port Deptford at the Original Renaissance Faire in Irwindale…
— Free Parking or $ 5 preferred parking, vs located a county park which charges $ 10.
— Historical staged Re-​enactment battles vs a staged joust show
— $ 18 admission vs $ 25, although both have deals… $ 18 can be reduced to $ 13.58 buying online while $ 25 can be purchased online as a 2 for 1. so in reality the best deal for a couple is Koroneburg $ 27.16 vs Port Deptford $ 25.
— Permanent structures (many under construction) vs buildings erected every season and approved by county inspectors
Benefits of Port Deptford over Koroneburg…
— 6 Ale Stands vs 1
— dozens of Food Vendors vs 1
— dozens of Shops vs maybe 8 – 9
— 20+ stages with over 100 different shows vs 7 shows on 6 stages.
— 10+ parades vs 2 parades
— Activities for all ages, RenQuest and Kid’s Kingdom for children. Pub Crawl and Rogues Reef for Adults vs well nothing age specific to compare.
— Dozens of activities to participate vs archery, smashing fruit & swing
— Queen Elizabeth and her entire court, Sir Francis Drake, Lord Mayor and dozens of other characters vs a Baron.
— Hundreds of performers engaging in improvisation vs none
and so much more.

Well if you are expecting a giant RenFaire as most people do, this is not it.
This festival, however, does have wonderful shops that sell interesting trinkets and wares. There are games, and a tournament of jousting and sword-​on-​sword action. Good food can be found just about everywhere.
The shows are alright, and everyone works for tips, so be sure to bring some extra 1s and 5s. There is one show that you need to see and that is the washer wenches – super funny chicks that put on an amusing performance!
Anyway, check it out if you have never been before, but just know that this festival is not indicative of how other faires are.
Enjoy!

My bowling group has gotten me involved in Ren Faires for the last few years now. Yes, it’s a bit geeky (and expensive)… but it’s a bit fun to dress up and carry swords. (And not to mention, it also comes in handy for Comic-​Con — there are guys who also wear their pirate garb around the San Diego Convention Center around that time!)
Koroneburg is one of the bigger Ren Faires that we usually go to each year. Unlike the Big Bear and Felicita locations, Koroneburg has permanent buildings and booths, giving the place the air of a German village.
While I haven’t seen as many vendors as in years past (not to mention as many guilds — that is, the professional groups that dress and act like characters), there’s still plenty of stuff here to see. Check out some of the shows — in particular, Thomas Wood, the Pyro Juggler is great — stop by Faire Ladies and Faire Lords for some sturdy outfits, check out the joust the Imperial Knights troupe performs, and peruse the weapon stores for some gear. However, there’s only 2 – 3 places to get some grub, and the menu’s the same in each place (although I recommend getting the smoked turkey legs — it’s not a Ren Faire experience if you don’t have one).
The people are friendly and more laid back than what I’ve heard about at some of the more «serious» Ren Faires, and keep an eye out for the Baron — he’s the short, stout gentleman with the German accent that’s walking around with the huge-​ass beer stein!
Granted, this place is further out from San Diego, but it’s well worth the drive to come here. I know that the economy is hurting folks, but please make the effort to check this Ren Faire out!

Quick & Dirty: It’s a Renaissance Festival, so they got horses, knights, maidens, wenches, and all that stuff. It was surprisingly fun, what a sight to see.
Long & Medieval:
Before going to this festival I have never been to a Renaissance Fair, so I have nothing to compare this to except Medieval Times and Excalibur in Vegas, but I won’t make comparisons because they aren’t the same, at all.
Koroneburg is in Corona, get it? Corona… burg? Eh? EH? yeah. Well, it’s almost in Chino and back in the hills a little bit. It looks like it once was a park or something that they turned into a little village where people sell trinkets, serve food and alcohol, and perform battles, while pretending it’s ye olde world. The whole place has permanent structures so it feels somewhat real.
I have to admit, I didn’t think it would be my cup of tea but it grew on me after the first couple of minutes there. Sure, you got some pretty interesting characters roaming around, people speaking funny, and some interesting sights to see. But honestly, everyone was sooooo nice. The people here really do an awesome job at making you feel welcome and showing you a good time.
In addition to cool booths (leather, clothes, etc.), the bars (yes there are a few), and games, there is also an arena with battles, jousting, horses, etc. It’s really cool. There are other shows that happen throughout the day and they’re staggered, so you can see it all if you time it right. There is enough to last all day.
The one neat thing about the festival is that it’s pet friendly. I took my dog and she was welcomed by everyone. If you have a well behaved pet, bring em. I saw someone waling around with a snake, yes a snake.
Overall, I really liked the Koroneburg Festival. I don’t know why I didn’t go before.
Would I go again? Yep, it was a good time.
Should you go? Why not? Show up before noon if you want to see all the shows. It’s open from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day.
Later,
Sam

Obviously, this is going to come down to juxtaposing Koroneburg with Southern California Pleasure Faire (or Dam faire or «Original» faire as they prefer now). There have been other faires in the area, but Koroneburg and Southern have been going the longest and most consistently. On top of that Koroneburg and Southern overlap each other when it comes to when they’re held.
The two are, however, very different. For one thing, Koroneburg is specifically German. You don’t shout «huzzah,» but rather «oom pa pa.» They have a baron with a comedically large tankard and not a queen.
Also since Southern has been operating in a park, they’ve been working out of tents and temporary structures. Koroneburg has charming, little buildings that remain there year-​round.
What Koroneburg has over Southern:
— Permanent buildings
— Cheaper admission ($ 18 vs. $ 25)
— Cheaper food
— Cheaper shopping with a greater amount of the goods made by the people working the faire
— Free parking
— More laid-​back faire workers
— Less crowded
— More historical re-​enactment battles and demonstrations
What Southern has over Koroneburg:
— Bigger
— More vendors
— Entertainment — Now, don’t get me wrong. Koroneburg has some great entertainers (Pyrojuggler Thomas Wood, for instance), but there are no plays, dancers, or much else other than jugglers and military demonstrations.
— Greater variety of food — Since Koroneburg’s a bit smaller and has one place to get grub, this is sort of a given.
— More re-​enacters — Southern is sort of the Disneyland of Renaissance faires. They have wandering workers dressed as different historical figures and others carrying on scripted conversations and so on.
Overall, Koroneburg is small, but cute — a good faire for bargain-​hunting for props, costume pieces, accessories, etc while avoiding crowds. Seriously, I’ve gone on days when it felt like my friends and I were the only people attending the faire.
It’s geared more toward specializing in its militaristic re-​enactments, which it has in conjunction with a joust. They pull out actual cannons and fire them off for your pleasure.