Kansas City Renaissance Festival 2026

Kansas City Renaissance Festival 2026 will run on Saturdays and Sundays from September 5 through October 18, with additional opening days on Labor Day, September 7, and Monday, October 12, at its permanent festival grounds in Bonner Springs, Kansas. The 50th season brings together tournament jousting, themed weekends, live stage entertainment, contests, hundreds of artisans, children’s activities, food, taverns and separately ticketed Royal Events in the village of Canterbury.

The festival began in 1977 and has grown into one of the largest Renaissance festivals in the United States, attracting approximately 200,000 visitors annually.

Visitors planning additional events during the opening month can also explore Renaissance faires and medieval festivals in September 2026.

⚔️ Tournament Jousting and the Village of Canterbury

The Kansas City Renaissance Festival recreates a large Renaissance-inspired village known as Canterbury, where guests can spend the day moving between performance stages, artisan shops, food areas, contests and the tournament field.

Tournament jousting is included with general admission and remains one of the main attractions. Armored riders compete in mounted displays several times during the festival day, while additional entertainment appears across the village.

General admission includes:

• Tournament jousting
• Stage shows
• Themed weekend entertainment
• Daily contests
• Children’s programming
• Roaming performers
• Artisan marketplace access
• Festival entertainment throughout Canterbury
• Free parking

The festival is also part of the wider Renaissance Faire calendar on Medieval Agenda.

🎭 Theme Weekends

The 2026 season is divided into seven themed weekends, each adding different contests, costumes and special activities.

• September 5–7 — Buccaneers & Ballgowns
• September 12–13 — Viking Invasion
• September 19–20 — Celtic Celebration with Highland Games
• September 26–27 — “World” Wind Celebration
• October 3–4 — Once Upon a Time
• October 10–12 — Barktoberfest
• October 17–18 — Haunted Huzzah

🏴‍☠️ Buccaneers & Ballgowns

The opening weekend combines pirate adventure with the formality of royal court life.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive as pirates, captains, merfolk, nobles or other seafaring and courtly characters. The theme mixes hidden treasure, high-seas imagery and ballroom-inspired costumes across the festival grounds.

📅 Dates: September 5–7

Special discounts offered during this weekend include selected promotions for college students, motorcycle riders, local residents, military personnel, first responders and Renaissance Scholars.

🛡 Viking Invasion

The second weekend focuses on Norse culture and Viking-inspired entertainment.

Visitors can expect a Viking encampment, combat demonstrations, storytelling, historical skills and themed contests.

📅 Dates: September 12–13

Viking Invasion Schedule

11:00 AM: Viking Storytelling — Viking Encampment
11:30 AM: Mad Maudlyn and The Bedlam Boys — Viking Encampment
12:00 PM: Tanning Demonstration — Viking Encampment
12:30 PM: Viking Combat — Viking Encampment
1:00 PM: Trapping Demonstration — Viking Encampment
1:30 PM: Mad Maudlyn and The Bedlam Boys — Viking Encampment
2:00 PM: Pole Push — Shadowgate Downs
2:00 PM: Viking Combat — Viking Encampment
2:15 PM: Beard Competition — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:30 PM: Mad Maudlyn and The Bedlam Boys — Viking Encampment
3:00 PM: Blacksmith Demonstration — Viking Encampment
3:30 PM: Viking Combat — Viking Encampment
4:00 PM: Yodeling Competition — Merry Mayhem Stage
4:00 PM: Mad Maudlyn and The Bedlam Boys — Viking Encampment
4:30 PM: Oath of Loyalty — Viking Encampment

Children’s Realm craft: Paper Plate Viking Shields

🏴 Celtic Celebration with Highland Games

Scottish and broader Celtic traditions take over Canterbury for the third weekend.

Bagpipes, clans and Highland-style competitions are joined by strength challenges inspired by traditional Scottish games.

📅 Dates: September 19–20

Celtic Celebration Activities

All day: Celtic Badges Craft — Children’s Realm
1:30 PM: Stone Throw — Shadowgate Downs
1:30 PM: Caber Toss — Shadowgate Downs
2:15 PM: Sheep Toss — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:30 PM: Scotch Egg Relay — Shadowgate Downs
4:00 PM: Keg Toss — Shadowgate Downs

The combination of Highland Games and Scottish traditions also connects this weekend with the wider Celtic festival tradition.

💍 “World” Wind Celebration

The fourth weekend focuses on romance, wedding traditions and cultural influences from around the world.

A major feature is the Wedding of the Century, held on the joust field, alongside dance, contests and romantic activities.

📅 Dates: September 26–27

“World” Wind Celebration Activities

12:30 PM: Belly Dancing Competition — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:00 PM: Wedding Traditions Relay — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:00 PM: KC Raqs Performance — Crown & Rose
2:30 PM: Couple’s Water Balloon Toss — Merry Mayhem Stage
4:00 PM: KC Raqs Performance — Crown & Rose
4:15 PM: Mr. Renaissance Romance — Washing Well Stage

Children’s Realm craft: Friendship Bands

🧚 Once Upon a Time

Fantasy and traditional storytelling become the focus during the fifth weekend.

Fairies, heroes, villains, magical characters and costumed guests fill Canterbury, with activities centered on fairy tales and fantasy adventures.

📅 Dates: October 3–4

Once Upon a Time Activities

12:30 PM: Feed the Kraken — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:00 PM: Gnome Dome Challenge — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:30 PM: Fantasy Mask Contest — Merry Mayhem Stage

Additional activities include:

• Wicked Wand Workshop
• Character Bingo
• Fantasy character encounters
• Magic Bean Shakers in the Children’s Realm
• Costume and cosplay participation

🐕 Barktoberfest

Dogs become part of the festival for a weekend combining Renaissance entertainment with Oktoberfest traditions.

📅 Dates: October 10–12

Activities include dog contests, canine competitions and German-inspired entertainment.

Barktoberfest Schedule

11:15 AM: Scruffy the Puppy — Seafarer’s Beergarden
11:30 AM: The Fortress Dwellers — Dragon’s Breath
12:30 PM: Peanut Butter Licking Contest — Merry Mayhem Stage
12:30 PM: The Fortress Dwellers — Dragon’s Breath
2:00 PM: Corgi Races — Shadowgate Downs
2:00 PM: Dog Costume Contest — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:00 PM: The Fortress Dwellers — Dragon’s Breath
2:30 PM: Stein Hoisting — Merry Mayhem Stage
3:45 PM: Scruffy the Puppy — Seafarer’s Beergarden
4:00 PM: Dog Obstacle Course — Shadowgate Downs
4:00 PM: The Fortress Dwellers — Dragon’s Breath

Saturday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM: Cigar Rolling Demonstration at the Cigar Cart

Dogs must comply with the festival’s registration and vaccination requirements.

🎃 Haunted Huzzah

The final weekend combines Renaissance entertainment with Halloween.

Visitors can expect ghosts, goblins, costumes, trick-or-treating and seasonal competitions throughout Canterbury.

📅 Dates: October 17–18

Haunted Huzzah Activities

12:30 PM: Pumpkin Rolling — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:00 PM: Witch Hat Ring Contest — Merry Mayhem Stage
2:30 PM: Pumpkin Smashing — Merry Mayhem Stage
4:00 PM: Quidditch — Shadowgate Downs

Additional activities include:

• Halloween decoration competition
• Trick-or-treating
• Costume participation
• Children’s treat-bag decorating
• Scavenger-hunt activities

👑 Daily Royal Events

Several separately ticketed Royal Events operate during the festival season.

These experiences are not included with standard admission unless specifically stated.

Pub Crawl

11:00 AM: First departure
1:00 PM: Second departure

The 90-minute experience visits three pubs around Canterbury.

Price: $45 per person
Minimum age: 21
Includes: Three beers and commemorative pottery
Festival admission: Not included

Fairy Time Treats

11:30 AM: Daily at the Enchanted Forest

Children meet the fairies for stories, treats and a small gift.

Recommended age: 6–12
Price: $10 per person
Festival admission: Not included

Chocolate & Mead

12:00 PM: Daily

Four meads are paired with chocolates.

Price: $35 per person
Minimum age: 21
Festival admission: Not included

Royal Romance Experience

Daily reservation times:

11:00 AM
12:30 PM
2:00 PM
3:30 PM
5:00 PM

The one-hour experience for two includes champagne, a charcuterie and cheese board, dessert, a private server and keepsake flutes.

Price including festival admission for two: $90 per couple
Price without festival admission: $60 per couple
Minimum age: 21

Uncorked

1:30 PM: Daily

Wine selections are paired with food.

Price: $35 per person
Minimum age: 21
Festival admission: Not included

Queen’s Tea

2:00 PM: Daily at the Queen’s Tea Deck

The experience includes tea, treats and entertainment.

Price: $15 per person
Festival admission: Not included

Barrel & Leaf

3:00 PM: Daily

Whiskey selections are paired with snacks and followed by a cigar.

Price: $35 per person
Minimum age: 21
Festival admission: Not included

Henry’s Happy Hour

4:30 PM: Daily

The package includes two beers, snacks and a cigar.

Price: $35 per person
Minimum age: 21
Festival admission: Not included

🛍 Artisan Marketplace

Hundreds of artisans participate across Canterbury, making shopping one of the major components of the festival.

Handmade goods include:

• Jewelry
• Pottery
• Woodwork
• Leatherwork
• Paintings
• Hand-blown glass
• Metalwork
• Costume accessories
• Historical-inspired goods
• Decorative crafts

Many shops operate from permanent Renaissance-style buildings rather than temporary market tents, helping create the appearance of a large established village.

🍗 Food, Taverns and Drinks

Food stands and taverns are spread throughout the festival grounds.

Visitors can expect a wide selection of meals, snacks and drinks, including the types of substantial food associated with large Renaissance festivals.

Several bars operate within Canterbury, and alcoholic beverages are available to visitors aged 21 and older with valid identification.

Outside food and beverages are generally prohibited, although guests with food allergies, special dietary requirements or very young children may qualify for exceptions.

🕒 Opening Hours

Saturdays and Sundays, September 5–October 18: 10:00 AM–7:00 PM
Labor Day, Monday, September 7: 10:00 AM–7:00 PM
Monday, October 12: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM

The festival operates rain or shine.

🎟 Admission Prices

Gate Admission

Adult: $27.95
Child ages 5–12: $18.95
Senior ages 65+: $25.25
Children age 4 and under: Free

Taxes and fees are additional.

Online Adult Two-Pack

Two adult tickets: $36

Taxes and fees are additional.

Season Pass

Adult: $106.95
Child ages 5–12: $65.95

The standard season pass includes admission for all 16 festival days and additional benefits.

Royal Season Pass

Adult: $180

Royal Collection Season Pass

Adult: $255

🎟 Buy Kansas City Renaissance Festival tickets online

🅿️ Parking

Parking: Free

The festival shares large parking areas with the neighboring Azura Amphitheater.

There are two principal entrances:

King’s Gate: 633 N. 130th Street
Queen’s Gate: 126th Street and State Avenue

Accessible parking is available.

The grounds are natural and include hills and uneven terrain, which can become muddy during wet weather.

♿ Accessibility

The Kansas City Renaissance Festival takes place across a large outdoor property rather than a fully paved site.

Accessibility provisions include:

• Accessible parking
• Accessible portable restrooms
• Sign-language interpretation by advance arrangement
• First Aid Station
• Private breastfeeding area in the Children’s Realm

Wheelchair users should expect hills, natural surfaces and potentially muddy conditions after rain.

👗 Costumes and Weapons

Costumes are encouraged but not required.

Guests should keep costumes family-friendly and avoid masks or other elements that significantly restrict vision.

Footwear is required throughout the grounds.

The weapons policy is strict:

• Plastic replica weapons are permitted if they have no sharp edges.
• Cardboard replica weapons are permitted.
• Wooden replica weapons are permitted if safe.
• Firearms are prohibited.
• Bows are prohibited except when transported unstrung by competitors to official festival events.
• Weapons purchased from merchants are normally transferred to the front gate for collection when leaving.

🐕 Dogs

The festival permits dogs under its registration rules.

Dog owners must provide the required vaccination documentation and purchase the appropriate pet admission.

Barktoberfest places additional emphasis on canine activities and competitions.

🏰 The Kansas City Renaissance Festival Grounds

The Kansas City Renaissance Festival uses a permanent purpose-built site rather than a temporary municipal park.

The property is organized as the fictional village of Canterbury, with themed structures, stages, taverns, merchant shops, children’s areas and a tournament field.

This permanent setting allows the event to create a more developed environment than a weekend-only faire assembled from tents and temporary stages.

The festival grounds are located beside the Azura Amphitheater and approximately 15 miles west of central Kansas City.

📍 Bonner Springs, Kansas

Bonner Springs is a city on the western side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, near the Kansas River. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population at approximately 7,962 residents in 2025.

The area’s documented European-American commercial history reaches back to 1812, when the Chouteau family established an early trading post known as Four Houses.

The community later became known as Tiblow, honoring Henry Tiblow, a Delaware man who operated a ferry across the Kansas River.

Railroads and steamboat commerce contributed to growth during the nineteenth century. In the 1880s, developer Philo Clark platted the community and promoted the name Bonner Springs. “Bonner” honored newspaper editor Robert Bonner, while “Springs” referred to natural springs in the area.

Bonner Springs was incorporated in 1898, with Clark serving as its first mayor.

Today the city is closely connected with the Kansas City metropolitan area and is known for major entertainment attractions including the Renaissance Festival and Azura Amphitheater.

🚗 How to Get to Bonner Springs

By Road

Driving is the easiest way to reach the festival.

Bonner Springs has direct access to several major roads, including:

• Interstate 70
• Kansas Highway 7
• U.S. Routes 24 and 40
• Kansas Highway 32

From central Kansas City, visitors can travel west toward Bonner Springs and approach the festival from K-7 or State Avenue.

The King’s Gate entrance is located at:

633 N. 130th Street
Bonner Springs, KS 66012

The entrance lies on 130th Street between State Avenue and K-7.

By Train

Bonner Springs does not have an intercity passenger rail station.

The nearest major Amtrak station is Kansas City Union Station in Missouri.

Amtrak services from Kansas City include the Missouri River Runner and Southwest Chief, providing connections with cities such as:

• St. Louis
• Chicago
• Albuquerque
• Flagstaff
• Los Angeles

Visitors arriving by train must continue to Bonner Springs by rental car, taxi, rideshare or another road connection.

By Bus

Bonner Springs operates Tiblow Transit, an on-demand public transportation service.

Regular local service operates Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, so it is not a practical option for most Saturday and Sunday festival visits.

Regional bus and transit connections are much more extensive in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. Visitors arriving by intercity coach can continue to the festival by taxi, rideshare or rental car.

Because the festival site lies outside the central Kansas City transit network and most festival dates fall on weekends, driving remains the most practical transportation option.

📏 Approximate Road Distances from Major Kansas Cities

Kansas City, Kansas: 15 mi
Olathe: 25 mi
Lawrence: 30 mi
Topeka: 50 mi
Wichita: 190 mi
Manhattan: 110 mi

📏 Approximate Road Distances from Major U.S. Cities

Kansas City, Missouri: 20 mi
St. Louis: 260 mi
Dallas: 500 mi
Chicago: 510 mi
Denver: 600 mi
Los Angeles: 1,600 mi

Distances are approximate driving distances and may vary depending on traffic and route.

📌 Practical Information

• Parking is included with admission.
• Tournament jousting and standard stage entertainment are included with admission.
• The festival operates rain or shine.
• Re-entry is permitted on the same day after obtaining a hand stamp.
• ATMs are available inside the grounds.
• Most vendors accept cards, but some locations operate with cash only.
• The site has a professionally staffed First Aid Station.
• There is no overnight camping on the festival grounds.
• Comfortable footwear is recommended because of hills and uneven terrain.
• The festival attracts approximately 200,000 visitors during a typical season.

🎉 50 Seasons of Festival History

The Kansas City Renaissance Festival began in September 1977 as a benefit for the Kansas City Art Institute.

Over the following decades, it developed into one of the country’s largest seasonal Renaissance events, with permanent grounds, extensive entertainment and annual attendance of around 200,000.

The modern festival is operated by Mid-America Festivals, a company that produces several large Renaissance festivals and other themed events across the United States.

The 2026 edition marks 50 seasons of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival.