Colorado Renaissance Festival
Nine week event. (June 11-August 7) Saturday and Sunday only.
Tickets good for one day.
Full disclosure, I've been to the Colorado Renaissance Festival before. I've gone eight years running, if I remember correctly. This might, justifiably merit a question of: "Why review it now?" Well, now I've got a blog. It may also raise the question: "Are you really objective about this?" No, no I am not. I am a fanboy, and this post is pure fanboy. If you want something more subjective, well, no one's gonna force you to read the whole thing.
This year saw some changes to last year's program. The classic act Puke and Snot, who do a two-man vaudevillian stand-up routine only made an anniversary appearance for the festival's 40 year celebration. This ran the first half of the festival, and there's no sign that the Puke and Snot Clone Show, which was the original actors' script performed by local entertainers, will return any time soon, which is a shame. It seems the Washing Well Wenches, a show built on flirting with the audience amid a slew of innuendo has fully taken over Puke and Snot's old stage. Washing Well Wenches is a good show in it's own right, and worth seeing if what I just said is at all intriguing to you, but it's still sad to see an iconic act leave the festival.
Other changes include the introduction of some new acts. The only one I was able to see was The Angels. I couldn't catch the whole show, but it looks like a solid set-up that will really shine with a few years under their belts. I'm excited to see if they stick it out long enough to build the following some of the longer-standing shows have built.
Other new acts include Hooligan and Turtle and Hare, both put on the festival's classic Pirate Pub Stage, which, for those who've been to the festival before, will hint at what kind of acts you're looking at here. For those who've never been before, firstly, go to the Colorado Renaissance Festival. Seriously, it's an event worth making a trip to Colorado for. Secondly, the Pirate Pub Stage is central to the fairgrounds, near a good bit of alcohol vendors, and is known for bawdy musical acts aimed at heavier drinkers. This is a general rule, and, not having gotten to see these acts, I can't say for sure that they fit the mold, but, on the reputation of the venue, I'd check it out yourself before bringing the kids. Actually, that's not a bad rule for the festival in general.
Some new street acts were present as well. There's now a unicorn to find, Twig the Fairy is back as usual, and then there's the Queen Owlchemist: a woman dressed as a bird with a nest whom you can get your picture taken with. I'm not sure if she's new this year, but I'd never seen her before. Then, of course, it wouldn't be the Renaissance Festival without Skidmark the Beggar. He yelled at me that my costume was a strange mix of Game of Thrones and Little House on the Prairie. He's coarse, rude, and unpleasant, but that's part of his shtick and it sets the tone of the festival beautifully.
Arsene of Paris was wonderful as always, and what was a close contest for best act at the festival turned into a landslide for Arsene when Puke and Snot left. If you've never been before, DO NOT ARRIVE LATE TO ARSENE OF PARIS. I will not say more for fear of ruining a truly fantastic piece of entertainment. The men of Celtic Legacy remain the rock stars of the festival, and the paths around their act turned into standing room only for a crowd that doubled what their stage was meant to accommodate as a venue. Maybe we'll see some changes in the future, but it seems like nothing short of the joust field would fit Celtic Legacy's fans. I was personally excited to hear them playing "Brewery Tap" in their set. While they've made a couple changes to their membership, the heart and soul of the group continues to be what it's always been.
For the first time, I finally saw the Endangered Cat Show. It's what it sounds like, a little slice of wildlife park show in the midst of a Renaissance Festival. They showed several cats, and I believe they were: a Chinese fisher cat, a white Bengal tiger, a black leopard, and one I can't remember the name of, but it looked a lot like an ocelot and I remember for sure that it wasn't actually called an ocelot. The stage set-up they've got is great for displaying these animals' abilities, and I was pleasantly surprised how engaging something that amounts to a zoo show can be with the right people running things.
The surprise turnout of the festival were Acrobatrix. Star and Thunder started, if I remember correctly, last year; but this was the year they came into their own. They're a great acrobatic showing, and they're doing a great job filling the gap left by the departure of The Kamikaze Fireflies. Not only do they fill a vital niche, but this year, their comfort on stage improved tenfold. They threw around quips, cracked each other up, and built a better rapport with the audience than the talented but, unfortunately, nervous and apologetic stage presence audiences saw from them last year. More than any other act, what I saw in Acrobatrix this year was a reassurance that as acts come and go over the years, the festival will maintain a stable of strong performers who come up through the ranks to prove themselves stars amid the crowds of Larkspur.
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