The Louisiana Renaissance Festival takes place every November and December in Hammond, Louisiana, about an hour drive from New Orleans. For six weekends, visitors can enjoy Renaissance art, music, and theatre in the fictional 16th-century English village of Albright. The fair attracts about 25,000 people annually.
The festival features seven stages with interactive entertainment, more than 600 shops, and booths selling arts and crafts like ceramic horns, jewelry, Renaissance apparel, perfumes, and other goods. Dozens of stalls, taverns, and pubs offer traditional food like soups in bread bowls, turkey legs, and pies, along with refreshing drinks.
Program highlights
The atmosphere of Albright is romantic, adventurous, and magical. Hundreds of performers present over 50 shows and many demonstrations every day. Sword swallowers, jugglers, and magicians entertain the public right on the streets. The festival features six themed weekends: Romance & Masquerade, Myths & Magic, Viking, Pirate, and Celtic.
Joust Arena hosts combat competitions between noble knights. The exciting horseback jousting with lances takes place twice daily. Ordo Procinctus is another full-contact, medieval fighting show. Acadian Circus shows off Renaissance-era acrobatics, aerial arts, fire flow, and more. Daily Falconry Shows presents hawks, falcons, and owls, flying freely during the demonstration.
Marketplace
The vibrant Albright Marketplace is full of artisans and merchants, offering wares for any taste: moccasins, boots, leather goods, handcrafted clothes and accessories, armor, and kilts. Food choices include Mexican, Caribbean, Cajun, Thai, and Renaissance-themed cuisines.
Fun activities at the Marketplace include quest games, an escape room. game of endurance, archery lessons, war horse rides, swinging barrel rides, foam sword battle game, festival-wide role-playing game, axe, spear, star, & knife throwing, and test of strength. Kids can also enjoy pony rides, camel rides, a Sea Dragon Swing, a Mystery Maze, and much more.
Festival hours
The Louisiana Renaissance Festival runs from 9:45 am to 5 pm, rain or shine. The event took place for the first time in 2000, drawing Renaissance enthusiasts from all over the state. The fair operates on weekends and Friday after Thanksgiving. It closes with a spectacular fireworks display over the lake.
