COLLINS PHOTOGRAPHY OF GOLIAD

A day in another time

The pirates invaded one weekend while spirits of Christmas pasts flooded another.

It might sound a bit like a bad paperback book and it could be if someone took the time to write what transpires every weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival.

This yearly event outside of Plantersville has been opening its doors to visitors for the last 32 years. And each year for eight consecutive weekends, it is something new.

Many of the shows remain stagnant through the years although a few change their skits. What keeps the festival alive with a pulse of its own is the people.

Scantily clad fairies, fur bearing barbarians and ornately attired English lords and ladies fill the grounds below the touring cedars.

Bad English accents can be heard from visitors amongst the more refined vernaculars of those hired to perform every year.

For the first time visitor, the sight of the old world attire and building facades coupled with the smell of turkey legs and beer can overwhelm the senses.

It takes a moment or two to adjust to this fantasy world but most can recover and become immersed in the atmosphere embracing its customs.

No forks are needed for the food. Wooden mugs are far better to hold a beverage than plastic cups. Calling a lady a wench likely won’t get you slapped.

It’s all part of atmosphere that surrounds the festival.

So every year we return to fall back into this world that is as familiar to us as the one we will return to when the fireworks of the evening fade into the night.

Return to Index