HOUSTON (December 4, 2017) — The Texas Renaissance Festival has concluded its 43rd season of food, fun and 16th-century magic, setting the second highest attendance record for the nation’s largest and most acclaimed Renaissance theme park.
This fall, the Festival introduced a much-anticipated new theme, Heroes and Villains. For nine exciting themed weekends, from September 30 through November 26, more than 644,000 patrons passed through the magical gates of the Texas Renaissance Festival, nestled in the small town of Todd Mission, Texas. This year’s themes included: Oktoberfest, 1001 Dreams, All Hallows’ Eve, Pirate Adventure, Roman Bacchanal, Heroes and Villains, Barbarian Invasion, Highland Fling and Celtic Christmas.
In March of this year, the Festival announced the first-ever Royal Chef Showdown and received hundreds of applications from chefs from across the land. The contest was the gastronomic experience of the century that put nine chefs’ expertise to the test as they dueled to become the King’s Beard Award Winner. This year, Robin Mueller, a chef from Round Rock, Texas, was announced as the winner, which included a cash prize of $10,000 as well as her creation, King’s Bierocks, to be added to the Festival’s world-renowned food offerings.
“This year has been a year of firsts – it was the first year we hosted the Royal Chef Showdown and introduced an entire new weekend for our patrons,” says General Manager Terre Albert. “Something magical happens when patrons enter the Royal Gates at the Festival and we are continually looking for new ways to enhance the experience for our guests; we cannot wait for our next Season.”
2017 TRF by the Numbers
9 – Weekends in the 2017 Texas Renaissance Festival season
20 – Total days of operation for the Festival
644,917 – Total attendance for the 2017 season (2nd highest attended season)
23,000 – Total campground attendance (up 14% over 2017)
60,458 – School Days attendance
63 – Weddings (New record)
5 – Marriage proposals
97,480 –Turkey legs consumed
12,520 – Award-winning Honey Glazed turkey legs consumed
10,000 –Approximate number of steps it takes to walk the entire village
25,000 –Average number of steps walked by a guest during a Festival day
1.5 Million – Fireworks set off in Royal Fireworks each evening
Next year’s Texas Renaissance Festival will kick off from September 30 – November 26 and Thanksgiving Friday 2017. For more information on the Festival, visit www.texrenfest.com.
About Texas Renaissance Festival
The Texas Renaissance Festival is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed Renaissance themed event. Established in 1974, the event attracts over half a million visitors each year to its 60-acre New Market Village and Fields of New Market Campgrounds in Todd Mission, Texas. This immersive experience features world-renowned live entertainment, works by master artists and craftspeople, award-winning food and drink, hand-powered rides and games, and over 100 interactive characters during its nine themed weekends from September 30 through November 26, 2017. For more information, please visit www.texrenfest.com.