Saturday, August 27, 2016

Review & Photo Feature: ChiIL Mama's Adventures At Bristol Renaissance Faire 2016

ChiIL Mama's Chi, IL Picks List:
Family Friendly Fun a Short Road Trip North of Chicago


Welcome to the 
Bristol Renaissance Faire
WHERE YOU CAN PARTY LIKE IT’S 1599!


We've been avid fans of Bristol Renaissance Faire for decades and it's been fun to watch the faire evolve and grow over the years. I've probably been there upwards of 50 times. My teens have grown up with "Ren Faire" and eagerly anticipate our annual treks up to the border of Wisconsin and back in time. We have a blast dressing up, shopping, exploring the people powered rides and catching the shows. Highly recommended! And we're not the only ones who adore it. Bristol is THE #1 Renaissance Faire in the United States five years running!


All Photos of Mooney by Sage (13)

It's been our great pleasure to partner up with Bristol Renaissance Faire for years. I have been compensated with review tickets. As always, all opinions are my own.





The kids and I caught Bristol Renaissance faire on opening weekend with an artist neighbor of ours who loved the faire back in the day, but hadn't been since the early early days when it was dubbed King Richard's Faire (1972-1988). She was thrilled to be back. We plan to return for one more visit this summer on closing day, Labor day Monday. Don't miss this!





Check Out ChiIL Mama's Full Photo Feature Here:
More favorites are embedded below.




Our Top Picks and Hot Tips:

We've been drooling in anticipation of a "Mile High Chocolate Crepe" all year!


Pickle on a stick, butterfly potato chips, and jerky roses at the joust are old favorites and top picks. The beer selection has expanded for 2016 too. Check out the map for best beer selections (not all bars are equally stocked) and loads of faire foodie fun.

Ye Olde Flush Toilets are now plentiful just to the left of the front gate when you enter and also straight back from the action stage.

You can buy a day pass to the Friends of the Faire garden and stock up on unlimited refills of water and sports drink or enjoy the seating and shade. They also have a couple private porta potties that are a luxury when the lines are long. 

Pick up a Bristol Ren Faire Newspaper. They're chalk full of useful information and double as a stylin' hat!





ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar:

It's sword fighting, whip cracking, fire juggling, jousting and circus arts season. Huzzah! We love to revisit old favs like Adam Crack, The Swordsmen, Barely Balanced and Mooney the Magnificent, and to discover new acts too. 







Chi, IL represents: 
Numerous Bristol Ren Faire entertainers, shop owners, and employees share sweet home Chicago with us. Ya didn't think they lived in the renaissance period 24/7, didja?! Here are a couple of our favorites Chi, IL natives. 

David Wooley, AKA Guido Crescendo of The Swordsmen. He's a Jeff Award winning fight master who's had a hand in over 400 productions since 1982. When he's not back in the 1500's entertaining peasants, he teaches and choreographs at Columbia College, home of the only stage combat minor in the US!




Tina Haglund Spitza, runs Gemini Glass at Bristol Ren Faire. In true Gemini fashion, she has twin interests as shopkeep and Chicago based actress/writer with ARFTCO (A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company). She's a real renaissance woman... artisan, actress, wordsmith and store manager. Gemini Glass features handmade stained glass by Carol Kurtz and Steve Mudd who have been crafting gorgeous pieces for 25+ years.




Merging Old With New:
One never knows what they might find at the faire! Rare Pokemon are as likely to pop up as dragons and mythical creatures, Dr. Who, or the historic Queen of England.

Bristol contains 12 pokestops and 3 gyms! Walk the tranquil shores of lillypad strewn, frog filled Lake Elizabeth, and you might just find this little guy! Didja know, unlike most Pokemon whose names have been translated from Japanese, Pikachu kept his original name. “Pikachu” comes from the Japanese words pikapika (“sparkly”) and chu (onomatopoeia for the sound a mouse makes). In other words, Pikachu’s name literally means “sparkle-squeak” in Japanese. (Jill Bishop, Chicago's Multilingual Connections).


Via Bristol Renaissance Faire: Well met, Pokemon trainers! Becoming the very best trainer takes dedication, but it also takes kindness. Please do not walk through seated audience members during performances, on to stages, or attempt to enter employee-only areas. Show the same respect and care to the cast and guests of Bristol that you would to your own Pokemon!


More of ChiIL Mama's Ren Faire 2016 Photo Favs:































Once again, it's been our great pleasure to partner up with Bristol Renaissance Faire for years. I have been compensated with review tickets. As always, all opinions are my own.

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