Iowa Renaissance Festivals and Faires

• Photo Gallery of Costumes at the Dubuque Renaissance Festival
• When: Last Weekend in May
• Where:
  12345 N Cascade Rd
  La Motte, IA 52003
  See a map to this festival.

Meet Queen Catherine, King Edward and their royal court - photograph your child being knighted or selected a lady in waiting or learn about renaissance manners, dances and weapons. Be thrilled by swordplay, jugglers, and storytellers. Sing along with madrigals, celtic music and pub songs. Laugh at the comedy of the Wenches of Canterbury, the pirate troupe Predators of the Sea and be enchanted by Robin Hood, Little John, Queen Titania and her fairy court, Mother Earth and other colorful village characters.

• When: First Weekend in May
• Where:
  Middle Amana Park
  Amana Colonies, IA
  See a map to this festival.

Come join us for three days of family fun in the heart of Iowa's number one tourist destination.

• When: A Single Weekend in June
• Where:
  Westfaire Fairegrounds
  22984 Highway 6
  Council Bluffs, IA
  See a map to this festival.

High hilarity and medieval mischief await you at the annual Renaissance Faire of the Midlands, presented by the Bluffs Arts Council. Take a step back in time and experience an authentic 16th-century English village, complete with period entertainment, music and food-all nestled in a forested glen beneath the grandeur of the castle gates.

• When: Labor Day Weekend to Mid September
• Where:
  4501 Dean Ave
  Des Moines, IA 50317
  See a map to this festival.

Browse through more than 50 specialty shops. Attend the spectacle of the coronation at the Royal Court. Shout the battle cry of your favorite knight at the jousting arena. Partake in demonstrations by glass blowers, blacksmiths, potters, wood carvers, and painters. Bring a purse full of coin, for our merchants offer the finest in jewelry, weaponry, leather goods, candles, clothing, children’s items, chocolates, pottery and more.

• When: A Single Weekend in October
• Where:
  Riverside Park
  Riverside Blvd
  Sioux City, IA
  See a map to this festival.

Engage thyself in the revelry of a 16th century English harvest festival in Riverside Park. Embrace the merrymaking of the moment as the jesters, knights, maidens, peasants, magicmakers, musicians, archers, minstrels, storytellers, dancers, gypsies, and even the royal court of our Beloved King and Queen stroll about.

Do you regularly visit ren fests or have a festival that I should post? Have you sewn together a difficult renaissance festival costume or accessories? Ever bought a costume that was outrageously expensive? Have a bad experience you want to dish on?

Tell us about it. Ask questions on where to get gowns, how to sew bodices. The forum awaits thee.