Alabama Renaissance Faire

This year was a "Feast of Turkish Delights," with an authentic traditional Turkish repast.

The 2010 Feast Menu

This year our feast on Oct. 18 was a repast of nautical & New World foods, in honor of our Pirate King, His Majesty King Gregory Bowling.

This year we presented an Italian Renaissance Feast in honor of the Four Seasons:

"Everyone is in agreement that this year was our best ever; the general consensus is that the food was excellent, served hot and right on time. I particularly enjoyed the stewed beef. Great work!" - Lee Freeman, member of the Renaissance Faire Roundtable.

The Gode Cookery crew, shortly after the end of the 2001 feast: tired but happy!
From left to right: Jim, Glenda, & Darell.
Photograph © 2001 Stephen Reilly

The Faire is held in downtown Florence at Wilson Park, on the corner of Tuscaloosa Street and Wood Avenue. Florence, Alabama, is located 120 miles south of Nashville, 145 miles east of Memphis, and 125 miles north of Birmingham.

Begun in 1987, the official Alabama Renaissance Faire has developed into a major tourist event in northwest Alabama. For the past four years it has been named one of the top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourist Society in Atlanta, giving it recognition by more than 800 media outlets throughout the region.

Held in Wilson Park (renamed Fountain-on-the-Green for the two days of the Faire), this unusual event draws 35,000 - 40,000 people each year to its site in downtown Florence, Alabama. It is always held on the fourth Saturday and Sunday in October, taking advantage of the balmy weather and the gorgeous fall foliage in the park.

Among the Medieval/Renaissance-related events held during October are musical programs, public lectures, dramatic performances, art exhibits and dance programs. All of these are of the highest quality, and they set the stage perfectly for the Faire.

One of the major events of the month is an authentic Medieval/Renaissance Feast. It is held on Saturday evening a week before the Faire in a very baronial hall and features food and entertainment of the period. People who attend the Feast are encouraged to follow the customs of the era by bringing their own tablecloth, candelabra and eating utensils. (This was routinely done during Medieval times because the nobility liked to flaunt its wealth by displaying its gold plates and its candlesticks of brass, silver or gold.)

Two free costume-making workshops are held on the first two Saturdays in October at the local Kennedy-Douglass Art Center. People of all ages are invited to bring fabric, and the rest (measuring, cutting, sewing) is done by men and women connected with the Faire. A person literally walks away with a simple costume in hand which he/she can embellish with jewelry, belts, etc. That a large percentage of people attend the Faire in costume is directly attributable to these workshops.

Capitalizing on the fact that the Faire is scheduled during the school year, those in charge of planning have found creative ways to incorporate it into the schools. Art contests for young children, sonnetwriting contests for adolescents, and a poster-design contest for adults are outgrowths of the monthlong celebration. October is a great time to be in Florence, Alabama—especially the fourth weekend!

In October of 1987, the first Renaissance Month was observed in Florence, Alabama. Every fourth weekend in October a Renaissance Faire takes place as a two-day event. Florence is named for Florence, Italy, the founding city of the Renaissance movement in Europe during the 14th century.

The Renaissance Faire covers the period of time from the 12th through the 16th centuries. Authentic costumes, arts and crafts, and food are all a part of the Faire. Visitors can take part in medieval games and hear musicians playing authentic instruments. Artisans and merchants offer coins of the realm, hand-thrown pottery, jewelry, dried flower wreaths, and many other delights. Magicians, mirthmakers and minstrels wander about in period attire.

The Alabama Renaissance Faire is held in downtown Florence at Wilson Park - on the corner of Tuscaloosa Street and Wood Avenue. Florence, Alabama is located 120 miles south of Nashville; 145 miles east of Memphis; and 125 miles north of Birmingham.

The Florence Renaissance Faire became the official state faire in 1988 by Act no.88-43.

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chamber of Commerce of the Shoals
Tourism Division
104 South Pine Street
Florence, Alabama 35630
(205)764-4661