New Jersey Renaissance Faire

        Sunday, May 19, 2024: I have been to renaissance fairs in Pennsylvania and New York, but this was my first time visiting the New Jersey Renaissance Faire, 1990 Jacksonville-Jobstown Road, Columbus (Burlington County) (888-864-8222). I’m glad that I arrived early because I did get to park closer to the main gate. Nevertheless, I still had to walk a bit to get to that gate. (Wear your most comfortable shoes.) Along the way, a few musicians sang. Nevertheless, it wasn’t so good when they sang too close to the ticket office, and I had trouble hearing what the ticket seller was saying to me! By the way, if you wanted a receipt for you ticket and you didn’t have a smart phone, you had to give your email to the ticket seller and he or she would send the receipt by way to your computer. (You mean they can’t write up a receipt?) Once I entered the gate, I learned that they didn’t sell maps of the grounds, let alone give maps. (I’m sure they could afford to print some and even sell them for a reasonable charge. If you don’t have a smart phone, try to print a copy or two from their website) Instead, certain areas of the fair displayed marquee signs of the fair grounds and the entertainment schedule. In addition, almost everything was in the sun, except for a few eating and performing pavilions. (Bring an umbrella or wear some sunblock lotion.) Despite these short comings, I did enjoy what I saw: several vendors selling food & drinks, clothing, games, and gifts. The fair provided six stages and different kinds of outside entertainment in the form of music, comedy, and circus acts, as well as jousting, a human chess game, and archery. I also noticed axe throwing and animal displays: a steer pretending to be a cow and a horse with a unicorn horn on it as well as falcons and hawks. Other activities included a few craft people showing how they made their artworks, children’s games, and wearing costumes. Meanwhile, the staff wore a chainmail butterfly pin so that the public could tell them from the others wearing costumes. A few of those costumes looked like clothing worn in the 1500s, but many people wore fantasy costumes, especially a lot of people dressed as fairies. In the afternoon, the fair had a costume contest. Overall, I did enjoy my time here browsing at the vendors’ tents and seeing some of the entertainment, but I thought there were more things to see and do at the PA and NY ren fairs. On the other hand, it was worth visiting--once. (Be warned: You will hear plenty of fake British accents.)