Everything you need to know about the 2026 Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire

Get your lances and chain mail ready — it’s time, once again, for the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Spanning 35 acres of the Mount Hope Estate and Winery in Manheim, the faire draws around 200,000 guests annually and features dozens of costumed cast members, loads of era-specific food and drink, and enough drama to fill a scroll or two.

The faire is open Saturdays and Sundays from through Oct. 25, with tickets on sale now.

This year’s storyline centers on Queen Elizabeth, whose journey to Mount Hope has made waves in that it’s expected to conclude with a decision: Who will the queen take as a spouse?

As the faire’s website teases, “candidates are put forward, choices are made, sides are taken, [and] conflicts, resolutions, and hijinks ensue.”

Here’s everything you need to know before making the trek to Lancaster County:

The faire is held Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 25, rain or shine. Gates open at 11 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. — though merchants close at 7 p.m.

“Daily Writs” — or individual weekend schedules — are available on the festival website.

A series of special events — including a pub crawl, a “Bard’s Breakfast,” and a pair of escape rooms — are also scheduled, though additional tickets are required.

Tickets are available through the Renaissance Faire’s online ticket sale website, parenfaire.com. Prices vary by age and date.

Discounted tickets are available for those in the military, law enforcement, fire and EMS, medical workers, government employees, and educators. Discounted “sunset tickets” — with admission after 4 p.m. — are also available.

“Royal Hound” tickets, which admit dogs pending the approval of registration, are $8 per animal.

Tickets can only be purchased through the event’s website.

Each weekend features a different theme, a schedule is found here, with a activities ranging from costume contests to scavenger hunts to trick-or-treating.