Florida Renaissance Festival 2012 - Deerfield

Jana Lee

Adam Lowe

Anyone who knows me knows I am a big fan of the Florida Renaissance Festival. To prove it, I bought a season ticket for the 20th Anniversary event.

Albannach

Every year I ask my friends if they are going to the Ren Fest. A common response, "It's not my thing". Well if your thing is sitting on your couch with the TV remote stuck in your hand, flipping through your 500 channels and finding nothing to watch - you may be right. If your thing is to enjoy amazing, exciting, innovative, live performances or laugh until your face hurts -the Ren Fest might be a good fit. You may want to check it out.

I personally have dragged many of my family and friends to the fair over the years and no one has ever said they didn't like it. Usually it's more "I had no idea how great this was" and then I see them there year after year.

BrooN

So what can you expect. For one thing, all the performers are extremely professional and yet will take all the time in the world to talk to you after the show. No matter how many times you see an act - it's different every time. This is live theater. The stunts are dangerous and the performers do get hurt sometimes. The shows for the most part are very kid friendly. The choices are endless. I have yet to see every act in a given season.

MooNie

 All you need to do is provide $20.00 to get in, throw a buck or two into a hat after each performance if you are so inclined, laugh and clap. Not as easy as sitting on the couch but seriously not that tough. Where else can you watch a performance then decide if you want to pay for it. Just keep in mind, these performers make their living this way. I do and I'm pretty generous about tipping.

Oh - and sometimes, you may be asked to participate in a show. I've been up twice and it was a blast both times. Acts are constantly changing from year to year and this year I am happy to report BrooN and MooNie are back.

MooNie and BrooN

The BrooN show is fast paced monologue with fire eating and extreme juggling thrown in for good measure.

The first time I saw MooNie a few years ago I was astounded that a performer of his caliber was doing a Ren Fest.

MooNie and BrooN team up for the final show of the night and it's a little different. In my opinion not for the young ones but how you raise your kids is your business. Unlike the regular shows, this one is unscripted improv. Unique to my fair experiences and more high energy than any stage show I've seen. I saw both finale shows this weekend and I can tell you they were completely different and hilarious. I'm going again next weekend for more!!

I have a lot more photos on my Flickr site so click over and take a look.

Beer Goddess

Washing Well Wench