The first Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival was held in 1994. The event took place at the Butler Country Fairgrounds. After three seasons, it moved to an abandoned farm in West Newton. The festival was canceled in 2006 due to lack of funding, but the next year it was purchased by Rocky Mountain Festivals and revived.
The Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival is set in a fictional 16th-century village of Morelandshire. The fairgrounds feature several stages of continuous entertainment, hosting about 60 shows throughout the day, as well as an artisan marketplace, corporate and group events, theme weddings, and more.
Hundreds of costumed characters and performers create an unforgettable atmosphere, maintaining the illusion of an authentic 16-th century English village. They include minstrels, jousters, jugglers, maidens faire, and even Good King Henry himself. As far as entertainers are concerned, the festival features musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, swordsmen, fire breathers, and storytellers.
The Artisans Marketplace features about 100 shops offering handmade and unique wares, including jewelry, pottery, art, weapons, clothing and costumes, shows, and more. Live demos held at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival include glass blowing and blacksmithing. And of course there are food vendors offering Renaissance fair staples such as steak on a stake and roast turkey legs.
Like most other Renaissance fairs, the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival hosts themed weekends to make things even more interesting and encourage festival-goers to return again and again. No two festival weekends are alike. For example, the 2017 themes included An Adventure to the Past (Opening Weekend), Celtic Fling, Children’s Weekend, Wine Revelry, Pirate Invasion, and Oktoberfest: A Final Huzzah.
Photo: Cristina Saucedo
