Oregon Renaissance Festival

Decades of watching Ren Faires depicted on tv and movies may have left me poorly prepared for the realities of local renfaire life. I expected quite a granf affair and was a bit disappointed. Tickets cost like $ 20 or more but I got a free pass as I’m sure many did. For free it was a pretty swell way to spend a couple hours. For actual money, I would have been pissed off.
It was a really hot day this summer, and it takes about 45 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the actual faire. Unless you know where to park, and it’s not at all clearly marked. I had to leave an old lady behind who had been sharing my confusion, but I found she was slowing me down.
I had been so excited at the prospect of sitting at the long table up high and eating my giant turkey leg. No big long table, and the turkey legs cost $ 8 apiece. Only at the end of the day they sell 2 for $ 8. Too late, bastards, I had fried mac and cheese instead (which wasnt very good).
I went on the one ride (I think just one) which was kinda fun. But the dudes actually push the ride, and even though they encouraged me to bring my beer on the ride, they pushed my chair so I will spill it all over myself. I asked them to not do that (I can barely handle dizzy anymore as I age) and he did again — twice. That’s not cool!
Some cool items for sale — pricey. Beer and wine not terribly cheap, but needed. Lots of odd characters. You’re never sure if they work there or not. And what’s with the costumes they have… they must be really filthy.
So, the show with the wenches was funny. And the knights competing was kinda cool. But all in all not so awesome.

This was my first Renaissance Festival I’ve had the chance to go to, so I came here with no expectations of what it should be. To put it in simplest terms for those unaware, it’s a bunch of performers and guests using the Washington County Fairgrounds to roleplay «Medieval Times.»
I had a blast! It was a very hot day, so the crowd was a bit on the light side, but the performers seemed just as enthusiastic and energetic as if it was a full house coupled with a lot of audience interaction. I had more fun at this than I ever did at the Washington County Fair and actually spent the entire Sunday there.
The various scheduled events on the roster don’t cost money to watch, but the entertainers do solicit for tips. There are multiple showing, so plan accordingly if you want to see everything.
Maybe my expectations are lower than most because I haven’t been to any of the other more established Renaissance Festivals in the country, but it was an overall enjoyable experience and I look forward to attending again next year.

TIP: Highly recommend for kids, but bring a lot of cash.
My first renaissance festival, and I had a blast! Boyfriend and I went last week Saturday, and I expected it to be super cheesy, but it wasn’t too bad. They did a pretty good job organizing this.
There’s tons to do here. The festival had various performances going on throughout the day, including a rat circus and a joust (no cost). Other activities included archery, medieval costume rental, face painting, and a psychic (these cost money).
So much to do it’s almost difficult to exhaust in one day.

This was the most boring and uneventful festival I have ever attended, I was so excited to experience soemthing new, but I was very disappointed. I went to walgreens and got the discounted ticket ($ 10.50 I believe) and I’m so pissed I wasted so much money on that ticket! There wasn’t nearly enough to do, while some acts did have some high points (jousting was pretty fun, falconry show, belly dancing and the rat show with the high wire act) overall I was unentertained the whole time. My turkey leg was the worst piece of meat I have ever tasted, no amount of barbeque sauce could remedy it. At least I can say it was authentic because it tasted like they just threw it into the fire without any seasoning. Everything was horribly overpriced as well. Hopeully in years to come this festival will take off and improve, but until then I wouldn’t waste your time.

This festival pales in comparison to the Maryland Renaissance Festival, which I have attended in the past, but I’m not on the east coast anymore, and it was still a fun excursion. I purchased 2 for 1 tickets via Groupon; had I paid full price, I probably would have thought it was more expensive than it was worth.
We spent the afternoon on a Sunday here and were able to check out a small number of shows: The Washing Wenches, The Cirque Du Sewer (Rat Circus), The Greatest Pirate Story Never Told (we managed to come on pirate’s weekend), and a Falconry Exhibition.
The Washing Wenches was a comedy show that was definitely rated PG-​13+. They pulled people from their audience (some who didn’t volunteer themselves), sang, teased people, and used some water for their skit.
The Cirque Du Sewer starts out with the rats doing some tricks (the act was pretty darn cute) and ends with the «ringleader» doing some acrobatics herself on a tight wire. The humor was pretty punny and silly.
The Greatest Pirate Story Never Told was essentially an improv show. The actors were definitely talented in that they interspersed their improv play with some musical acts, but I’m not a huge fan of improv, so I wasn’t really blown away with it.
Now the Falconry Exhibition — that was impressive. Even though it was in the jousting arena, the show was very intimate. We were able to see the birds close-​up, and the trainer had them swooping directly over the audience from perch to perch. The show was both educational and entertaining, and this was definitely the highlight of the day.
I would have liked to stay longer and see more shows (especially the jousting), but it was getting pretty hot out and we were tired. I think I’ll probably come again next year but try to attend on a cooler day as well as remember to bring my own water. That being said, I appreciated the fact that the festival didn’t price gouge on water bottles — $ 2 /​each.
There were you typical vendors selling bodices, magic wands, face painting, CDs, hair wreaths, jewelry, etc. Additionally, it wouldn’t be a renaissance festival without the giant turkey legs or the cheesecake on a stick vendors.
We didn’t try any of them out, but there were some games as well around the area. You could throw tomato halves at someone, try to climb to the top of one of those wobbly ladders, and throw axes. I also saw a temporary swimming pool where they had mermaids you could get a picture with — that was my first time seeing something like that, and it was pretty neat.
Overall, the major draw to this festival is the shows. The number of attendees dressed up was very low, but there were enough people who were involved in the festival dressed in renaissance garb that it wasn’t too bad. I would have really liked to have seen more musical acts, but maybe next year!
Definitely don’t pay full price for this — in addition to Groupon tickets, it looked like there were some other options for discounted tickets that were accepted at the entryway.

A small, but amazing faire! There is so much to do. I think we sat for a half an hour to have lunch and then kept on going! The villagers are great and very ingaging. The food is good, festival pricing, but not bad. Try the orange sorbet served in an orange. It is huge and very tasty. About admission, We got in on a buy on get one because we bought one from Walgreens. 11.95 is the discount there. Regular pricing is 15.95 for an adult. Groupon also has a deal. Parking was free. Some of the entertainment is a little too raunchy for my tastes (The Washing Woman one), but there is plenty of other good, clean fun. Make sure to see The Greatest Pirate Story Never Told. You will want to see it twice! Also, you can participate in a village dance, which is fun. Overall a good value and a great little faire. Go next year! You won’t regret it!

Oregon Renaissance Festival
Fun! Very much enjoyed people watching here. From the very small fairies to the seasoned renaissance groupies, this is a festival of the strange and wonderful. Really enjoyed the Royal Joust of Peace. You get to cheer for your appointed knight as the jesters from each realm jeer you! Want to participate? You can rent a costume and join in. Booths with medieval wares and foods of old (turkey legs everywhere). Things run much slower here, so bring your patience and prepare to enter into the fantasy. Then you are assured to have fun at the Oregon Renaissance Festival.

We had never been to a renaissance fair, so we were excited to go. They put out half price tickets to get in, and children 4 and under were free. Nothing was free when you get there. Everything had a price, even the entertainment was constantly asking for money. If you wanted a beer they were 8 dollars, and all games or other things 3 dollars. If your a family is on a budget this is not for you. Wish something came with admission, at least a play structure.

I actually went to this event last year twice because it was so much fun! There was hot air balloon, big cats, hypnosis, and many performers and musicians. This year I checked the calendar and it was still one from 2013 until right up till opening, which made it difficult to plan out activities. Now it seems schedule change every week and I had to wait to have second week released.
This year it seemed activities has been reduced and not as many were attending. After the turkey leg, throwing knives, and watching Washing Wenches, there was no entertainment we were interested in so we ran out of things to do in 3 hours.
I’m not sure if I happen to attend the day not as many vendors and performers got together, but I hope they’ll have some of my favorite ones back next year, or perhaps I’ll take a drive to other events further down the road.

My family went to their opening weekend and the kids and adults had lots of fun. They have a variety of musical acts, acrobats, comedy shows, and games. The falconry show looked interesting, but we only caught a moment of it. The food, of course, is terribly overpriced, but you can bring your own. Make sure to bring lots of water, sunblock, and comfortable shoes. My kids especially loved the pirate’s maze and the opportunity to battle a knight. My youngest liked the «real» mermaids and wearing her fairy garb. My husband is already talking about going back this year.
Parking was free and you can find discounted tickets at Walgreens. 2014 is the second year for the this festival and it’s already pretty great. From the sounds of the other reviews, they’ve made lots of improvements from last year. Stop reading this review and go to ren fest!

This was a great little festival. Only the second year and building! Cast in Bronze was definitely a highlight! The joust show was well-​done and lots of audience participation. A few vendors, prices were about what is to be expected. Some of them were local and they were great! Costumed guests didn’t show up until the afternoon. Costumes were there for rent and reasonable. Washing Well Wenches were a hoot, a few traveling performers, lots to do for the afternoon. We’ll be back next year!

This festival is small and it does lack some things, the first being the wax hands, that is always a staple we get at the festival in our home state, please add that attraction. Also, I would hope that someday the fairies will come to visit, like «Twig the fairy» she is awesome and magical. All in all, I enjoyed my time here, the shows were entertaining, Washing Wenches (?) I believe was hilarious and I do like the bird show as well. It was a short day, not that much to do, but nonetheless a good time with my family.
I think people need to remember this was the first renaissance festival in Oregon. I have been going for many years back in my hometown in AZ, which has been happening for many years and is huge and awesome with tons of shows and vendors. I ran in to some people from the AZ festival who told me that the AZ festival started out exactly like this one, small and still finding it’s way. The thing is if we don’t support these types of things, it will go away and never have the chance to grow and become better. I am excited to go this year and see how it has grown.

I had high hopes for this renaissance faire. I love them. I go to several every year.
You’re better off visiting another Oregon ren Faire, such as Canterbury Renaissance Faire in Silverton (6 years old!) or the venerable Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire in Kings Valley, Oregon. It is celebrating its 19^th year this year.
This one was such a disappointment, I had to write this review. And then I didn’t post it. thinking that maybe… Just maybe… they would apologize. But they didn’t. So here’s the review.
When I arrived, it was hot and I was unhappy to be in line in my garb waiting for the debit card processing line to move. It took nearly 20 minutes to get my ticket and get in. They only had one machine going and most people wanted to use a card.
As I went through «security», I was stopped to have my bag checked. That’s fine. I expect that at many events. However, what I did not expect was to be told that my musical instruments that are part of my established character are not permitted. I would have to leave them in the car — that it wasn’t fair to the musicians already inside who had paid to be there. It was pushing 100 °F outside — I was not leaving my instruments in the car.
I immediately attempted to compromise, stating I would just not play at all. The security person said that wasn’t good enough. The whistles couldn’t even be seen. So I took the one out of my belt and put it into the carrying pouch on my back, making sure they were hidden.
This wasn’t good enough either, because, well, the security guard knew I had them. I argued and eventually she let me through the line.
I complained, inside, to the information booth and they made some soothing noises about the security being required but didn’t offer any sort of apology or make amends.
I later complained on their facebook page — where I was belittled and the person on the page inferred I was lying about the whole situation. No official apology for my treatment.
In my humble opinion, this faire is a waste of money. There weren’t many vendors and the shows were lackluster. Maybe I was just cranky about my treatment at the gate, but I was very regretful of actually paying money for this faire.
I’ve told my faire friends and fellow faire participants and volunteers about my experience as well. The only high point was the turkey leg tasted good.

I went into this Ren Faire with an open mind because the first year for any Ren Faire is typically small and difficult. This Faire was a bit on the small side, but still loaded with fun.
Despite its small size, the wonderful cast of this festival were so engaging and fun that they really did manage to pull you into the atmosphere. Both my partner and I can be pretty shy and often prefer to disappear into the crowd, but the characters at the ORF were so funny and friendly that being accosted by them throughout the day was actually quite a treat. I think both of our faces hurt from laughing and smiling by the end of the day.
The booths selling food and wares are relatively few compared to the bigger Faires I’ve been to (but is it really fair to compare ANYTHING to Bristol outside of Chicago??), but really high quality. I paid $ 7 for a basket of fish and chips, which I thought was a pretty decent price for special event food. And, even more surprising, the fish was the most delicious I’ve had in a couple of years.
The music was predictably wonderful. Bagpipes, harp, drums, horns, and many others that we didn’t see. A small band of madrigal singers – since the weather was utterly rotten that day, even by Portland standards, and the crowd was tiny – serenaded directly to my partner and I for the better part of half an hour. What a rare treat!
The shows are really not to be missed. We caught one of the jousts, which was not the best I’ve ever seen, but still worth attending. The Washing Well Wenches were really crude and so outlandishly silly that I was almost a little uncomfortable for them at first, but they had even me laughing by the end of their show. Beware volunteering yourself from the audience unless you don’t embarrass easily and have a good sense of humor! Thom Sellectomy (har har) the comedic sword swallower is really not to be missed, and the same goes for the wild cats show. As another commenter here said, despite the cat show not totally fitting the Renaissance theme, it is well worth your time.
In my book it’s really the shows that make this Faire worth what you pay for it. We bought tickets early from a booth at the Washington County Fair earlier this year and so only paid half what people paid at the gate. What a steal!
BOTTOM LINE, because I am long-​winded: This faire is still getting started and so it may be a bit small, but if you go to it willing to be engaged I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. We had a lovely time.

Go to KC where it is done well – this event was a complete ripoff at $ 20/​pp on top of parking. Jousting was the highlight but super-​contrived, slow mo falls once conquered. The fairy queen and the sheriffs daughter along with one jester were the only good actors – and the unicorns.

This was an absolute blast! The joust was amazing and all the players are incredibly entertaining and eager to teach and share. The food was delicious and the games were great! I didn’t get to experience everything, so I’m going back!

I must say, after reading two reviews of the Oregon Renaissance Festival I was a bit weary of purchasing tickets and nonetheless spending an entire afternoon there… That being said, if I had to give my trip to the renaissance festival a motto it would be something along the lines of… «I’m Glad I went». The beer was overpriced (to be expected), the food was overpriced (to be expected), but what makes up for it is the actors and actresses who are pouring their hearts out on stage for something they’re truly passionate about.
The Wench Show and Cats of the World show are must sees. And while the cat show might not necessarily fit with the theme, they do their best to tie it in… and on top of it being interesting as hell, it’s for a good cause.
Also, do yourself a favor and go for a turkey leg. It’s food truck cheap (no fries included), and damn delicious.

So we went to this festival for the weekend. We got a room at the nearby hotel so we could ride Max straight to it, drink as much as we wanted, and have a nearby place to crash.
Ok, so we’re fairly experience Renaissance Faire goers so we know all the comparisons that are going to be made here. First of all, it costs a lot of money to put something like this together. And if people want this to be successful and continue to grow, then they need to support it. Both financially and vocally. So… I could make comparisons about how this festival is not like some other festival but I won’t. The bottom line is this festival is just starting out and it has a lot of potential.
What can you expect? Jousting! Yep, they have several shows a day and because we visited for two straight days we can tell you that the shows are different. They each have a different story to tell. Beer! There are at least 3 bars. They have a good selection and the prices are what you would expect from any festival, about $ 6 a beer. They also have mead and wine. Wenches! The wash tub wenches are hysterical! We saw the show twice and haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Archery! We shot arrows! Big cats! We saw some beautiful large cats in a show, leopards and tigers and such. They were gorgeous and the show was very educational.
Swordplay! Turkey legs! Human power ferris wheels! Many of the traditional Ren Faire elements are here, just not in a big showy manner yet. The street performers really do a good job of setting the scene, but the audience could do their part and show up in costume or rent one at the faire. Seriously, $ 18 will buy you a great costume.
You can throw axes and darts, shoot arrows, and many other types of games. These range from $ 2-​$ 4 and are a fun diversion. The cost can add up but it’s a lot of fun. Throw back a few beers and go head to head with your buddy tossing Chinese throwing stars at a wall and wager the cost of the next round. It’s a good time. So be prepared for that. The entertainment is free, but the games will cost you.
We had a great time and would happily go back again next year. We wholeheartedly support this faire and hope they return again. If you want something like this to be local in Portland, then you need to go, spend some money and support it, too. It is definitely not as great as it can be, but it will get there with your help! Ride Max, get drunk, enjoy your day at the faire. It’ll be fun.

Shall I get medieval on their a$$?
I won’t be nearly as harsh as all that. But, it is important to note that all of my comments are going to be in direct comparison to the area’s other renaissance faire held two weekends every July in Silverton. So, for brevity’s sake, I dub this festival, ORF, and the Canterbury Renaissance Faire, CRF.
Getting down to brass tacks:
1) Admission: ORF is $ 20/​day for adults, $ 10 for kids (ages 5 – 12). CRF is $ 14/​day for adults, $ 11 for kids (ages 6 – 12). ORF has a season pass option (there are 13 festival days spread over five weeks) and CRF has a weekend pass. The ticket line was a disaster. Don’t penalize folks who buy tickets in advance with a long line.
2) Parking is $ 5 at ORF and FREE at CRF, although I did have to step around cow pies.
This festival is held at the Washington County Fair Complex. So it is an established venue, with fancy things like flush privys. The main ring around the festival is paved, so easier going for those with mobility issues or pushing tots in strollers. CRF is held in a farmer’s forest. Personally, I prefer the shady forest, which both suits the event and those with an English complexion.
What is funny is that there was almost zero crossover between the entertainers and vendors at the two festivals. This is the first year of this festival and it is run by an East Coast company. I’m guessing that they used some of their regulars rather than bringing back the Silverton crew.
Breakdown of the entertainers:
1) Jousting — Round Table Productions (based in PA) put on a decent show, but it was a little lackluster compared to the Imperial Knights (based in S. California) at CRF. Similar structure with four competitors each playing a role, in this case, the Scottish knight, the bumbling knight, the egotistical knight and the queen’s champion. There are qualifying events, like snagging the rings, then a few rounds of head-​to-​head jousting. At ORF, the acoustics were poor and I missed the antics of the MC at CRF. In both cases, they use rescue horses, so if you’re wondering why they aren’t terribly peppy, at least two of the horses here are 20 years old. We’ve seen two jousts and they were structured differently. In one, the queen competed and did quite well, thank you very much. Nice to see a lady in charge. It is a 30-​minute show with more hand-​to-​hand combat by the troupe on a second stage with a few other ‘characters’ mixed in. Didn’t know Sir Francis Drake was a swordsman.
2) If ribald humour is your thing, then get thee to the Washing Well Wenches show. These ladies, I used the term loosely, were hysterical. And only very brave souls should agree to be audience participants. They live up to their tag line, «Good Clean Fun, Wet, Dirty Women.» For me a definite highlight. Their counterpart at CRF is Adam, the Baudy Juggler. I think he has more people walk out of his show. Their loss.
3) ORF had about four other stages with a variety of entertainers.
The best of the rest was Thom Sellectomy — Comedy & Sword Swallowing. I was slightly horrified (in a good way). My son thought he was hysterical. I will never look at party balloons the same way.
Food and drink:
A handful of food vendors specializing in (mostly) themed items like turkey legs and steak on a stake. Even though the options might have been a bit better here, I actually prefer the food at the other faire. But, basically it is a draw. And, yes, beer is served here.
Merchandise:
Again, very little crossover between festivals. And in the end, we probably spent about an equal amount. Our favorite vendors were from way out of town (San Diego and Palm Desert), so don’t put off purchases if you have your heart set on something. Most of the vendors are essentially vagabonds traveling from festival to festival all summer long. There were some good finds here and prices were pretty similar, but perhaps a little higher here.
It took me awhile to warm up to this festival. The setting and the feel just aren’t what I’ve come to expect. The people were friendly, the entertainment was good, but I personally give my tip of the hat to CRF. Part of it is that this festival felt more like a county fair. You pay admission and then there are fees left and right. You had to pay extra for themed carnival games, so it can get expensive if you have kids that want to try out archery or go for a ride in the swing chairs.
And I don’t know how else to say it than CRF feels more authentic. You walk around the forest and many of the visitors, not just the vendors, are in costume. I think it has a higher rate of attendance from those that are into Renaissance Faires and the lifestyle. This is the first year of this festival, so we’ll see if they return next year. Attendance from the first weekend is already up dramatically and they will be around through September.

Every year for the last 10+ years, I have attended the amazingness that is the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis (sometimes 2 – 3 times every fall). So now that I live on the west coast, when I heard that there would be a festival near Portland, I was so excited! I have a really nerdy love for these sort of events.
It was pretty cool that I could buy 2 tickets for the price of 1 (for the first 2 weekends of the festival only though). General admission is normally $ 20 per adult, and military gets a $ 5 discount. It takes place at the Washington County Fair Complex, and as I sat at the traffic light, I looked to my left. All I could think was how very unimpressive and temporary it all looked. Light turned green and I turned only to see signs that they were charging $ 5 cash for parking. Geez. So now we had to go find an ATM and come back. You would think they’d provide that information on their website.
Food options were expensive, limited, and mostly disappointing except for the turkey legs. Who goes to a Renaissance Festival to spend money on pizza and calzones? Come on. The games were pretty typical (throwing stars, axes, knives, that hammer thing with the bell, etc.) but what happens when you win? You get a certificate. Nothing cool, like a free game or $ 2 off a beer or something. A certificate.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some redeeming qualities about our experience despite how mostly lame it was. There were a few rides that were actually manually operated, they had kombucha (yay!), and there was some terrific talent. Thom Sellectomy’s comedy & sword-​swallowing and Danny Lord’s silent comedy were both hilarious (their shows absolutely deserve 5 stars on their own). I also loved the fairy-​boy at the front who pranced around and blew glitter at me when I walked past The people working here were wonderfully entertaining; it is obvious they love what they are doing.
The website states that this year is the 1^st Annual Oregon Renaissance Festival of Hillsboro, so I am sure they are still working on perfecting it all. They have A LOT of room to improve and could definitely stand to borrow a page or two from other Renaissance festivals’ books.
I’d have been mad at myself if I had paid full price for a ticket but it is probably worth checking out at least once. The overall experience just didn’t do it for me. Go for the shows, if not anything else.