This year marked the 21st Anniversary of the Valhalla Renaissance Faire.  Despite the fact that I have lived in Tahoe for over seven years now, not only had I never attended but, I also have never been to a Renaissance Fair.  

I had previously scoffed at the idea of wandering around Camp Richardson amongst people dressed as pirates, scoundrels and knights but when I won tickets via the Valhalla Renaissance Faire facebook page, how could I say no?  We gathered a big group together to experience the event and I have to admit that I may be a convert: it was full of revelry, merriment and dare I say, fun.

Every year, over 8,000 visitors gather at the Valhalla Renaissance Fair and now I know why.  With the Queen of England, juggling jesters, pirates, lords and ladies and jousting presentations by the Imperial Knights, you don’t have to be a kid to find the entertainment value, though it is certainly a family friendly event.  There are 100s of crafts booths on site to shop from, games for kids to play and presentations of dance, song, plays, puppet shows and more.

And who can forget the best part: the turkey legs!!

While we were walking around the faire, we happened upon the Queen of England presenting the chosen “Mayors” of the Renaissance Faire.  Imagine my surprise to discover it was none other than my friend and Tahoe South Entertainer extraordinaire Alex Ramon of Illusion Fusion.   He, upon being asked the very serious question, “How do you keep a woman happy?” replied, “Magic!” and was named Mayor of the Even Days Only.  If you missed my interview with Alex before, you can read it on the Tahoe South Blog via this link.  He is an absolutely wonderful, fun and genuine person and his magic show is as entertaining as the Ren Faire!  I’m sure he’ll make an excellent Mayor of Even Days.  Ha!

Montage

Mark your calendar for next year: the Valhalla Renaissance Faire usually occurs the first two weekends of June every year.  It’s a perfect time to visit Tahoe South with your family: you can camp nearby in the Camp Richardson or Fallen Leaf Lake camp grounds, visit the beach, bike and play, and go to the Renaissance Fair all on the same weekend!

2013 COST: Adult $18, $13 for seniors, military, ages 13-17, $8 for children 6-12 Under 6 no charge.

You can check out all my photos from the event via this link.