This past weekend I paid a visit to annual Florida Renaissance Festival, which is celebrating its 32nd year. It’s attracts over 100,000 annual attendees and features over 100 artisans selling their wares and over 100 performers (from around the globe) entertaining attendees of all ages. It’s an assemblage of sword fighters, musicians, minstrels, magicians, wenches, and just about whatever else was in fashion during the 16th century.
This year’s festival kicked off on February 3rd and runs through March 24th; Saturdays & Sundays only from 10:00am to sunset. Every weekend features a new theme. This past weekend’s theme was: “Scoundrels of the High Seas – The Pirates Be Coming”. And yes, there were pirates.
The Florida Renaissance Festival is produced by the nationally acclaimed and multiple award-winning Bobby Rodriguez Productions. Bobby Rodriguez, like myself, is a native New Yorker, born & raised in Harlem. His parents were immigrants, arriving in this country from Puerto Rico in 1930. You can read more about how this whole thing started in last year’s post.
For a photographer, there aren’t many events I enjoy taking my camera to (in this case, the Sony A7RV with the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 and FE 35mm F1.4 GM lenses) than the Florida Renaissance Festival. Why? It’s filled with wonderfully wacky people who have no reservations about posing for a picture. It’s also got great music, food, and entertainment (not to mention wenches, warlocks and a swashbuckler or two).
It’s not to be missed so get over there this weekend or next…and avoid feeling like a mammering, knotty-pated fopdoodle. Enjoy the photographs…
Aye, Italy’s “Heavy Medieval” steampunk outfit Rota Temporis are pretty much worth the price of admission alone. As such, they deserve THEIR OWN GALLERY
Admission to the Florida Renaissance Festival is $32 for adults (12 and over) and $14 for children (ages 6-11).