Huzzah! Scarborough Renaissance Festival® Opens its 44th Season April 5th & 6th!
Scarborough Renaissance Festival® (Scarborough Faire®) opens its 44th season on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6, 2025, with Kids Free Weekend presented by Whataburger! Up to (3) Kids 12 & under get in free with each paid adult – no child ticket is required. Kids 4 & under are always free. Plus, the first 1,000 kids get a free crown compliments of Whataburger. Seniors (65+) can also receive a $10 discount the weekend of April 5 & 6 when they purchase their tickets at the gate with a valid ID.
The 2025 season is bringing exciting new additions and lots of returning favorites! Scarborough is thrilled to welcome a sensational new joust troupe to the Festival – Hanlon-Lees Action Theater. Since 1979, Hanlon-Lees has provided their 14th Century style show with colorful costumed steeds and noble knights in shining armour brandishing authentic weapons to keep the spectacle ablaze on horseback and on foot with action & romance. It’s definitely a must see!
TikTok phenomenon, Jacques Ze Whipper (TikTok: @jacqueszewhipper) returns for a two-week limited engagement April 5 – 13 only and one of Scarborough’s most iconic performers, Don Juan, is making 2025 his farewell season after 41 years at the Festival. Make sure to catch Don Juan & Esmeralda’s final shows before they’re gone! Plus, there will be a dozen other new shows and over thirty new artisans/shoppes, a Viking Artisan Village, an RPG Quest, a new pub, and great new food!
Also new for 2025, single day tickets are date specific. Choose your date to visit the 44th Annual Scarborough Renaissance Festival® (Scarborough Faire®). On Sundays April 13, April 20, and April 27, the Festival will offer new special discounts at the gate for Waxahachie Residents, College Students, and Community Heroes (police, firefighters, EMT, & educators). Qualifying visitors just need to show their applicable IDs to receive these discounts. Additionally, Scarborough is unveiling upgrades to the parking system and parking lot along with many other enhancements throughout the Festival site.
Scarborough Renaissance Festival® (Scarborough Faire®) is interactive fun for everyone, 16th Century style! This North Texas tradition invites you to step back in time for the time of your life and immerse yourself into their 25-acre re-creation of an English village (the “Village of Scarborough”) celebrating the visit of King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine Parr (number 6 for those who are counting), their royal court, and guests with a festival of entertainment, artisans, food, magic, and merriment!
The Festival runs Saturdays, Sundays, and Memorial Day Monday, April 5 through May 26, 2025 and each weekend has a different theme and a variety of special events. These include the Artisan’s Showcase (4/12 & 4/13), Celtic / Easter Weekend (4/19 & 4/20), Viking & Barbarian Weekend (4/26 & 4/27), Live the Fantasy Weekend (5/3 & 5/4), and others! Costumes designed for a family friendly environment are welcome at Scarborough but are not required.
Visitors will enjoy jousting (all-new for 2025), birds of prey exhibitions, a Mermaid Lagoon, and 20+ stages of non-stop Renaissance entertainment. Discover treasures in the 200 shoppes of the Artisan’s Marketplace, dozens of artisan demonstrations, Knighting Ceremonies, Living Chess Matches, the Grande Parade, and so much more.
Feast on food fit for Royalty with the famous giant smoked Turkey Legs and the largest food-on-a-stick selection in Texas along with delectable fresh from scratch favorites from the Village Bakery, Pasta Palace, and more! There is also a full-service restaurant and (17) pubs & taverns. For the more discerning palates of those 21+, there are daily wine and beer tasting events as well (additional fee required).
“Are you ready for an adventure? Then come travel back to the 16th century with us at Scarborough Renaissance Festival®! Here you’ll enjoy extraordinary one-of-a-kind entertainment, exceptional artisans, fun for kids, and a totally interactive experience!” says Helaine Thompson, Director of Marketing & Communications. “There are lots of new & exciting things in store for our 44th season and we hope that everyone will come discover the most amazing Festival in North Texas and escape to another time!”
Scarborough welcomes back favorite entertainers such as Adam Crack (Fire Whip Show), Cirque du Sewer, Celtic Legacy, Sir Real the Puppet Man, The Harmless Danger Juggling Show, Zilch the Tory Steller, The Wings of Isis/Star Dancers Belly Dancers, and many others.
The Festival is also proud to introduce these exciting new entertainers and fun (and often educational) new shows and return engagements of long-time favorites.
New 2025 Shows
· The Washing Well Wenches
· Evan Danforth the Hammer Dulcimer Player (TikTok: evan.plays.dulcimer)
· The Foxy Bard (4/19 – 4/27 only)
· Paolo Garbanzo the Juggling Jester (4/26-27 only)
· Sir Marcus – Professor of Wooing
· Sir Real’s Garden Variety Show
· The Toasted Clover Show (4/19 – 4/27 only)
· Scarborough Academy of Performing Arts Shows:
· Banned to the PUNgeon
· Life of a Sailor
· Madrigals
· Sea Shanty Sing-Along
· Tales of African Traditions
· William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Return Engagements of Festival Favorites
· Hey Nunnie Nunnie (4/5 – 4/13 only)
· Lady Prudence (4/5-13, 4/26-27, & 5/3-4 only)
· The Rogues (4/5 – 4/27 only)
· Syndicate Academy of Sword & Skill (5/3 – 5/26 only)
· Troubadork! Tobias the Adequate (5/3 – 5/26 only)
Visitors can interact with the performers of Scarborough by joining in the Maypole Ceremony, learning a Renaissance Dance, meeting a Mermaid, getting a lesson in Chivalry, or becoming a part of dozens of audience participation shows!
Scarborough has so much to offer kids too! The Children’s Knighting Ceremony, costume contests (on select weekends), a Faery Tea Party, shows designed just for kids, The Mermaid Lagoon, face painting, fairies, Renaissance rides, weekly themed contests, games of skill, and the Royal Menagerie petting zoo just to name a few (some attractions and games & rides require an additional fee).
The majority of Scarborough Renaissance Festival’s (Scarborough Faire®) entertainment is rated PG and is acceptable for any age. However, there are some shows that are geared more toward children. Others are more appropriate for a mature audience and are rated PG-16 (not suitable for young children). The PG-16 shows are primarily located in the pub areas and are clearly indicated in the souvenir program, on the website, and on the stage signage.
Explore the Artisan Marketplace! There are hundreds of incredible artisans showcasing their exquisite, handmade creations in one of the country’s largest outdoor juried craft shows. There is something for everyone, at every price point. Plus, dozens of artisans demonstrate their age-old techniques throughout each Festival day.
At Scarborough Renaissance Festival® 2025 you will discover over thirty new artisans featuring sculpted fantasy creatures, Viking themed jewelry, clay sculpted jewelry, acid etched belly dancing belts, acid etched armour, Viking accessories, wooden chairs, fantasy soft fiber sculptures, anime caricature artist, masks, Viking clothing, swords, antler & bone sculptures, wire wrapped jewelry & wands and much, much more. There are also a number of guest artisans that will only be at the Festival for a limited time.
2025’s New & Guest Artisans
· Adorable Arsenal – April 5 – April 20
· A Faire Journey – April 26 – May 26
· The Alchemy Valkyrie – Full season
· Baba Yaga’s Workshop – Full season
· Dancing Glass Beadworks – May 3 – May 11
· The Dancing Hatter – April 5 – April 27
· Delicious Doom Chocolates – Full season
· Dice Knights Adventures – Full season
· Enchanted Blossom Designs – May 17 – May 26
· Endangered Arts – May 3 – May 26
· Fairy Tale Face Painting – Full season
· Gitane’s Treasures – May 17 – May 26
· Hardened Metal – Full season
· Little Wing Studio – April 26 – May 11
· Log Hollow Studio – April 11 – April 27
· Kattegat Traders – Full season
· Mask Parade by Vincent Ur – Full season
· Medieval Mapmaker – Full season
· Midnight Orchid Designs – Full season
· Morbid Hookers – May 3 – May 26
· Sabersmith – Full season
· Saga of Antler & Bone – Full season
· Seneca Creek Ceramic Arts – April 5 – April 13
· Spellbound Creations – April 5 – May 11
· Saorsa Studios – May 17 – May 26
· Valkyrie’s Armourer – Full season
· Wooden Warfare – Full season
Don’t miss the food & drink fit for Royalty! Giant roasted turkey legs, the largest food-on-a-stick selection in Texas, Scotch Eggs, handmade pastas, fresh from scratch pastries, German specialties, Stir Fry, Gyros, Shepard’s Pie, Muffalettas, and many other delectable treats. New this year at Scarborough Renaissance Festival® (Scarborough Faire®) are peach cobbler, s’mores on-a-stick, pickle pops, Italian Icebergs, salad in-a-cup, jumbo corn dogs, Mexican street tacos, smash burgers, jalapeno cheddar sausage on-a-stick, wonton cheese sticks and frozen drinks (Dr Pepper, Big Red, & Hawaiian Punch).
Visitors 21 & older can get a taste of the custom blended mead from North Texas’ Breaking Brew Meadery along with other adult beverages at the (17) pubs and taverns including the All-New Gems & Stems pub. Scarborough’s Certified Cicerone® will also be choosing a special collection of beer to be featured in select pubs & taverns during the 2025 season. Each selection will be exclusive to that particular pub or tavern. Look for the “Seamus’ Choice” beers on the menus at the Scarborough pubs & taverns.
Those with discerning pallets can partake in a beer or wine tasting event. These events take place two times each Festival day and each weekend has a different theme. What’s even more impressive is that the wine tastings are conducted by a Certified Sommelier and the beer tastings are conducted by a Certified Cicerone®. It’s a wonderful addition to your faire day!
The seating at the tasting events is limited and they regularly sell out, so visitors are encouraged to purchase their tasting tickets in advance (and at a discount) at www.SRFestival.com. Tasting tickets are $40 each at the events in addition to Festival admission.
2025 Daily Wine Tasting Themes
April 5 & 6 – Wines of Spain
April 12 & 13 – Wines of Italy
April 19 & 20 – Wines of France
April 26 & 27 – Wines of Germany
May 3 & 4 – Wines of the New World
May 10 & 11 – Rare Breeds
May 17 & 18 – Wines Down Under
May 24, 25 & 26 – Flynn’s Favorites
2005 Daily Beer Tasting Themes
April 5 & 6 – Beers of Texas
April 12 & 13 – Beers of Belgium
April 19 & 20 – Beer Styles of the Celtic Isles
April 26 & 27 – Beers of Germany
May 3 & 4 – Beers of the New World
May 10 & 11 – Pucker Up!
May 17 & 18 – “Goldilocks” Beer
May 24, 25 & 26 – Seamus Suggests
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Come Step Back in Time for the Time of your Life at Scarborough Renaissance Festival® (Scarborough Faire®) Saturdays, Sundays, and Memorial Day Monday, April 5 – May 26, 2025. Credit cards are now accepted at most food & drink locations as well as the ticket office, souvenir shoppes, and most of the artisans shoppes. Games and rides are cash only and ATMs are conveniently located throughout the Festival.
Single day tickets for the 2025 season are $38 at the gate for Adults (13+) and $18 for Kids (5-12). Kids 4 & under are always Free. Advance date specific discount tickets are available at www.SRFestival.com and beginning March 29, 2025, single day discount tickets will also be available at North Texas Tom Thumb & Albertsons stores.
Located in Waxahachie, Texas, Scarborough Renaissance Festival® (Scarborough Faire®) is just 30 minutes south of downtown Dallas, just off I-35E and one hour north of Waco. Scarborough Renaissance Festival® (Scarborough Faire®) is sponsored by Dr Pepper, Tom Thumb & Albertsons, and Whataburger.
For more information visit www.SRFestival.com or follow us on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, & Twitter (SRFestival) or on Instagram (theSRFestival).
