Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire — Local services in Monroe

Great fun, and camping is a must!

Firet of all, do not let the theme weekends shy you away. Yes, they are the themes for the weekend, but there is nothing wrong with not actively participating in them. Along the same lines, though dressing in garb is a very fun experience, do not feel obligated to do so (though be careful of your garbed friends having you arrested for it).

This place is amazing. A few years ago we went for a day trip. We had such a good time that a year ago we decided to camp for one weekend. Camping there was so much fun we are making it a yearly tradition to camp all three weekends. If you're reading this next year, feel free to come say high at the camp with the AinE banner.

There are so many fun activities to do at Merriwick. You could easily spend an entire day just walking around the stalls and looking at vendors wares. One side of town has a tournament ground where (this year) they hold a noon tournament and a 5pm joust, as well as other events through the day. All through the town of Merriwick there are stages set up where you can sit and enjoy various stage performances. Some other activities include a boffer arena, archery, and axe throwing. There is also an area set up with things for kids to do, though some vendors have their own kids activities as well.

The town also has 3 bars now. We have actually been so busy with everything else that we haven't made it in to one of them yet, but there are some after hours events that take place within the bar areas.

The years we have been, food has been pretty consistent. Turkey legs are of course a staple. However one of our choice discoveries that we go back for every year is the Greek pizza. The pizza place dies have more standard pizzas but we highly recommend the Greek. Other food we recommend are the meat pies and the corn dogs, and be prepared to have options at the corn dogs vendor!

Lastly, if this feels like the kind of place and people you can enjoy yourself with for the weekend, we highly recommend camping. Everyone we have run into at camp has been super nice. Camp is a great place to share food, stories, and drinks. You can meet all sorts of people who have at least one thing on common with you if they are willing to camp for a weekend at a renniasance faire. If you see our flag flying,...

This is by far my favorite Renaissance Faire/Festival ever and that says quite a bit considering the fact that I used to perform at small festivals and have visited larger faires around the country. The folks behind the WMRF are a non-profit organization comprised of an army of dedicated volunteers and I think it shows in the extra touches. There are (free) water stations around the Faire (at information & First Aid) that also have a stockpile of sunscreen ready for anyone in need. Crews of volunteers are constantly transporting new containers of fresh, cold water. Other crews are constantly keeping the garbage cleaned up & new bags put in. Patrols are constantly making rounds checking on the health & safety of the guests. They are on the lookout for people who might be having a difficult time with the heat and they'll actually approach someone laying down in the grass to make sure they're just resting and not having more serious issues. The food vendors are all independent merchants and it shows- the food is actually good! The Seattle Knights put on several exciting jousts throughout the day. The other entertainment is top notch as well- Broon, The Washing Well Wenches, Rebel Times, The Sea Dogs, BOWI, Robin Hood and Maid Marian... the list just goes on and on! The number of artisans grows every year and there's something for everyone. Our 9 year old has a blast every year! He still likes to watch Robin Hood & Maid Marian (interactive for kids & also funny for adults) but now he's also begging to see Broon. The camping is primitive but so fun! The Honey Buckets are refreshed every morning. We've been to some weekend festivals where that isn't the case- yikes! For adults, there's after-Faire-hours entertainment Saturday nights at one of the pubs on site as an added bonus for those camping (tickets to the Saturday night show can also be purchased separately for those just visiting for the day). This little Faire has an amazing amount of heart and as a result it's growing to meet the demands of the adoring public- while still keeping the thoughtful touches of a small town...

Back up to 5 stars, thank you for listening to all the concerns about last year and taking steps to improve! I love the new location, parking was much smoother compared to last year (and even years prior). Couldn't stay as long as I liked on either days I went due to excessive heat one weekend and all the smoke today. I did get to talk with a vendor who mentioned the organizers have much bigger hopes and plans for this location, and I am very excited to see what they're able to accomplish in years to come!

If the organizers are reading this review, if you can ever find a way to make this faire work in early fall or late spring, that would be so magical! I'm sure it's a logistical nightmare getting all the performers and vendors locked in when there are other faires happening across the country on top of organizing Oregons faire, it's just that Washington Augusts are becoming increasingly dangerous due to heat and our smoke seasons are unpredictable. I would personally much rather slop through mud and rain instead of dealing with heat stroke and smoke induced migraines. But even then, the faire is always worth coming back to :)

---------previous edit----------------- Adding a star because it seems like the event organizers really listened to all the feedback they got after last year and have made some changes to address capacity issues. Deciding to change locations is what pushed me to buy tickets again this year, looking forward to seeing how they've grown!

------------original review------------- Original review removed because apparently I'm trying to write a novel here. But originally gave 3 stars after the fiasco that 2022 was, many other reviews from that year cover the same issues...