Virginia Renaissance Faire FAQs 

General Information 

How do I get there? 

Use 5621 Courthouse Road in your GPS. Or Lake Anna Winery, but be sure you’re on Courthouse Road when it’s time to turn in. Using Virginia Renaissance Faire may take you to our exit and you can’t get in that way. 

What are your hours? 

10am-5pm. There’s a gate show at 9:50 that leads to opening. And when you hear the bagpipers accompanying the Queen and the rest of our cast up to the gate at 4:55, that’s your sign to go home so our cast and crew can clean up and get ready for the next day. 

When does the show run? 

We start Mother’s Day weekend each year and run for five weekends. 

Is the site ADA accessible? 

We are a natural site – the site is on a slope, with packed dirt and gravel paths. We do have cast, crew and patrons who use mobility devices, chairs and scooters. There is handicap parking, just ask the parking attendant to direct you there. We have accessible portapotties at each corner of the faire. 

Do you rent wheelchairs or scooters? 

No, I’m afraid not. 

What happens when it rains? 

We all get wet. Seriously, though, the event is rain or shine. We would only cancel in the event of severe flooding (and that would take several days of serious rain in a row) or catastrophic weather. We would issue refunds or ticket transfers to another day. That would be announced on our FB page and website. Please note – on rainy days some of the entertainment is likely to be altered – if the field is slippery the joust may not happen. Some instruments or stunts can’t happen in the rain. To get an idea of the likely weather, use Spotsylvania Courthouse and Mineral, VA as the location. 

Can I leave and come back during the same day? 

Yes, you can – be sure to get your hand stamped as you leave. 

Do you have a lost and found? 

Yes, check in at the office just outside the front gate. If we don’t have what you lost, leave your name and number and if it shows up we’ll call you. 

Do the merchants take credit cards? Many of them do, but some, especially food and drink vendors, such as the taverns, only take cash. We do have ATMs on site, but understand that cell service and bandwidth are spotty on our site, so we can’t guarantee that everything will work. Be safe and bring some cash with you. 

Where can I change my child’s diaper?

Our first aid station by the Joust Field has a changing table. 

Do you have coupons, discounts? 

In 2024, we have discounted tickets for people older than 65 and younger than 17. Check each year for new policies/options. 

Can I get married/renew vows/handfast at the Faire? 

Absolutely! Contact us at comeplay@varf.org for more information. 

I want to celebrate my kid’s birthday, my anniversary, do a proposal at the faire. 

Great! But sadly, we are a small organization and have limited personnel so we can’t accommodate special requests like this. Check back each year – if we can offer more, we will certainly try and it’ll be posted here. 

What can I bring? 

Pets? 

No, sorry, pets are not allowed on site. No emotional support animals, no pups in your purse, no snakes draped over your shoulder. Only legitimate service animals. And we know service animals as some of us train or use them, so please don’t bring a pet that’s just wearing a service vest or has an online “certification.” We can tell. Can I bring a backpack or bag? 

Yes, a small backpack or bag, which we may inspect. 

Can I bring my own food and beverage? 

You can bring in a bottle of water. A plastic bag of Cheerios or baby carrots as a snack for small children is okay, though, because little kids have needs and we want your whole family to enjoy the day. We can also make an exemption for allergies, although the food should be for the person with the medical issue, not a picnic for the whole family. You can get your hand stamped and head back out to your car for a picnic. 

What about alcohol? 

Nope. Seriously, we have beer, wine, cider, mead onsite. Leave yours at home. Don’t be the person that makes us have to ban backpacks/bags, start mandatory searches, etc. 

Can I bring my own bow to the Archery Contest? 

In order to ensure that everyone’s on equal footing, you’ll use bows from our Village Archer for the contest. 

Can I give out souvenirs, trinkets, candy, bubbles, balloon animals, etc.? No, we consider that performing. It’s a sweet idea, but please don’t. Can I bring my hula hoop, musical instrument, etc.? If you’re just carrying it around as part of costume, that’s fine. If you use it, you’ve crossed the line into performing, so please don’t. 

Can I bring a wagon, chair, cooler. or pop-up? 

Small wagons for small children or to accommodate disabilities is okay. Folding chairs are okay only to accommodate the elderly or disabled and must be moved when you move. In other words, you can’t plant your chair someplace and then wander off. No coolers or pop-ups. 

Costume and Attire 

Can I wear a costume? Of course! We’d love to see you in something relevant to our time period, but as long as it’s family friendly (cover all the bits, think more than a bikini), wear what you makes you happy. Just know that we have 

zero tolerance for clothing with foul language or exclusionary (racist, homophobic, sexist, etc) language or images. You will not be admitted. It’s a Renaissance Faire – if you can’t be kind to others for a couple of hours, stay home. Can I wear a costume weapon? Period appropriate weapons are allowed as long as they are peace tied (cannot be removed from a sheath or belt) and sharp edges are covered. We may require you to peace tie even foam weapons. Cut the peace tie or wave your weapon around and you’re going to be asked to leave. Seriously. Do not be the person that makes us enact a weapons ban. 

Do you have costume rental? 

No, we don’t. But we do have a lot of merchants on site that can help you start to build your costume. 

Does my costume have to fit the theme? 

Definitely not. It’s a suggestion for folks who want to do that. But you dress as you’d like. 

Can I give out souvenirs, trinkets, candy, bubbles, balloon animals, etc.? No, we consider that performing. It’s a sweet idea, but please don’t. I know it seems harmless – but many of you are in costume and patrons assume you’re part of cast when you do this. Then they see you drinking a beer or talking on your cell phone and it reflects poorly on cast. Our cast works so hard, please respect their efforts and art. Also, we have complaints every year from parents who don’t like that a stranger gave their child something. Can I bring my hula hoop, musical instrument, etc.? If you’re just carrying it around as part of costume, that’s fine. If you use it, you’ve crossed the line into performing, so please don’t. 

Are there any other costume/attire rules? 

You must wear shoes. We recommend close toed shoes. 

Attire should be family friendly – (cover all the bits, think more than a bikini), no foul language, hate speech or exclusionary language or images. 

You can dress up as a character but you cannot perform – no soliciting other patrons to join you in bits, take pictures, no handing out of trinkets, candy or souvenirs. But if a patron wants to take a picture of you, and you’re in character when someone talks to you, that’s just fine. 

Tickets 

Where do I buy tickets? 

On our website: Varf.org 

Please be aware that the internet is crawling with people who are going to try and scam you with fake tickets. We cannot help you if you purchased one of those tickets. If we are sold out we cannot let you in if it’s not a legitimate ticket. 

Can I buy tickets at the gate? 

No. Nope. Not going to happen. Please don’t make us turn you away after you drove all that way, it makes us and you very sad. 

What’s the most important thing about tickets? 

Print them out at home or at least take a screenshot in light mode (the QR code will be on a white background) while at home. Make sure you whatever you printed or screen shotted has a QR code – that square of black and white smaller squares. Every weekend, hundreds of people show up expecting to be able to pull out up their ticket on their phone. The odds of you being able to do that are 50/50 at best. 

“Virginia Renaissance Faire: where cell service comes to die.” We wish that was funnier. If you cannot pull the ticket up, you’ll need to go to will-call so we can look it up for you. 

I can’t find my ticket confirmation, what should I do? 

Look in your spam folder. Look under “Out of the Woodwork”, our parent organization. You can e-mail us at comeplay@varf.org with the name of the person who purchased them and we can try resending them. Worst case, just come to the will call window and we’ll check you in manually. 

How do season passes work? 

You can attend any day during the season, as many days as you’d like. The first time we check you in, we’ll take a picture of you, then each time we scan, we’ll check your picture again. If you have a facial covering or mask that you’re not comfortable taking off, please e-mail us at comeplay@varf.org so we can make alternative arrangements.

Do you have weekend passes? 

No, you’ll need to buy a ticket for each day you wish to attend. 

I have a paper complimentary ticket that someone gave to me, can I attend any day I want? 

Yes, those tickets work any day. 

I have a radio ticket how do I use that? 

If you received a physical rectangular color printed ticket you can go straight to the gate. If you have a ticket voucher – an e-mail or print out from your e-mail – go to the Will Call window to be checked in. 

Someone left tickets for me, where do I go? 

Go to the will call window. We will check under the name of the person who left them for you, so make sure you have their full name. We’ll also need your full name. 

Accommodations 

Hotels Quality Inn and Tru in Thornburg. Sleep Inn, Comfort Suites, Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn Express in Fredericksburg Southpoint. Hotel Lake Anna (under new management, under renovation, disregard any review that’s older than 2020.) There are additional hotels in the area, please read recent reviews carefully as some have been renovated, some not. There are some B&B’s in Mineral and Louisa, Dunlora Inn and Boxley Place. Camping (and cabins) Fredericksburg KOA, Lake Anna State Park, Christopher Run campground, Small Country campground. 

Can I camp onsite? 

No, sorry, we have limited camping and it’s reserved for our cast, crew, merchants and entertainers. See above for local camping. 

Can I leave my RV parked overnight? 

No, sorry, we just don’t have the room. If you’re coming in a large RV for the day, please e-mail us at comeplay@varf.org to ensure that we can accommodate your vehicle. See above for places that you could stay. There’s also a Wal-Mart in Fredericksburg Southpoint where some folks overnight with their campers. 

After the Faire 

How do I keep up with Faire events? 

Our official Facebook page has up to the minute information from the Faire itself. Search for Virginia Renaissance Faire. Our Fan page is a community for Virginia Renaissance Faire patrons. Search for Virginia Renaissance Faire Fan Group on Facebook. 

How do I get involved? 

Head to our website. Entertainers and vendors can fill out applications there. (Typically, the application are updated in early fall and deadlines will be posted.) 

Auditions for volunteer cast will be posted on the website and Facebook pages in early December. Auditions are typically in mid to late March. Volunteer crew and staff are accepted year-round. We’ll update our needs in early fall, but if you’re interested in getting on the volunteer mailing list or helping out summer or fall work days – winterizing the site, painting or staining things, minor carpentry and yard work/gardening – sign up now. Volunteers earn comp tickets that can be used any day of faire. As well as our undying gratitude.