Scottish Renaissance Festival

"Knighted for a Day!"

Ever since I was a kid I’ve wanted to attend a Renaissance Festival. I finally got my wish in Watsonville, CA. at The Scottish Renaissance Festival that I attended with my son (age 2 years 10 months.) The fair offers an entertaining day full of music, arts, crafts, activities, games, magicians, fairies, food, and beverages! For as long as I live I’ll never forget the smile on my son’s face when he suited up in chainmail and was allowed to hold a knight’s helmet...but couldn’t pick it up because it was too heavy! The parking was free, the people were jolly, and the fair is not only kid friendly but educational to boot!

The Scottish Renaissance Festival of Santa Cruz welcomes you to bring your family and kids to don your period costumes! While we had no kilts to wear, we surely marveled at all the costumes around us. Our day started on chairs fashioned from bales of hay at the Myth and Magic show at the Royal Theater. Soon after the show started my son was lured away by Kingsford, The Tubby Dragon. For my son it was love at first sight. After prying my son away from Tubby we were told by the people of The Fey (also known as the Wee People or Fairies) we were just in time for the Fairy Show. At the Scottish Games and Festivals this skit is presented as a fun opportunity for the children to be exposed to this aspect of Celtic Culture. At the fairy show my son met a pretty little girl in costume who kindly shared her cheese with him. Her brother, also in costume, taught my son a game of tossing objects into a nearby basket (similar to a bean bag toss.)

Next we were on to the market place – or should I say wooden swords!! The market place has something for everyone from face painting to hair braiding to tarrot card reading to costumes. We spent 30 minutes at the Age of Chilvary booth where my son drooled over the wide variety of wooden swords for kids. Soon I was roped into fencing with the smooth wooden weapons. I can only compare his reaction to this booth to the way I would have reacted had it been a booth lined with fancy high heels. I literally had to lure my son away with the promise of sweets from the food booths.

The Golden Apple, a delectable food booth, served up raw apple slices drizzled in caramel and whipped topping. Nom Nom Nom Nom! In addition to enjoying the apple treats, we also learned something: the golden apple is an element that appears in various national and ethnic folk legends or fairy tales. Recurring themes depict a hero retrieving the golden apples hidden or stolen by a monstrous antagonist. Alternatively, they are depicted as divine food and the source of immortality in Norse mythology. Our stop at the Golden Apple was a sweet ending to a courtly day!

For more information visit www.santacruzcounty.travel and http://scottishrenaissancefestival.org/

Disclosure:  The Scottish Renaissance Festival provided my family with complimentary tickets for this review. The Scottish Renaissance Festival did not request that I express any particular point of view and my reviews always reflect my honest opinions.