Scarborough Faire ~ Waxahachie, Texas

Scarborough Faire is one of the premier Medieval/Renaissance/Fantasy Faires in the United States. Spanning 35 acres in Waxahachie, Texas, this is one of the biggest events of the year. Waxahachie is approx. 30 minutes south of Dallas on I-35, and is very well marked by signs. You can't miss it, and you should not miss it!

The parking lot is huge and is actually part of a field, which is typical of Faires everywhere. Bring an SUV or truck if you have one, smaller cars may get torn up a bit, and if it rains hard you will get stuck in the muddy field. Again, this is with any Faire.

The entry is a long row of booths made to look like a castle entry. This Faire does as much business as any Amusement Park, and as such has as many booths to pay at. The price for this one is about $17.00, and worth every penny. You can buy a Gold Pass for $36, which gets you in every day they are open. If you live in the area, buy the pass! This is a huge Faire, and you will want to return numerous times. It runs 8 weeks from the middle of April to the beginning of June.

This faire allows weaponry as long as it is Peace-tied: they must be secured in the scabbard with a tie of some kind. This is to make it harder to draw a weapon in case you get drunk and decide to have an impromptu duel… if you have not prepared for this, they do have twine and yarn available for you at the gate.

My daughter had her wedding here on Memorial Day one season. The cost was $2500, and worth the price. This included entry for the wedding party, parents, and an additional 20 guests; a medieval band, an out of the way area with stage surrounded by rose bushes, a horse-drawn carriage, and the feast for all in the King's Tent. Call me biased, but it was a beautiful wedding! *sob* You can get a photographer for an additional fee, but we had one lined up already. They will also supply the person to perform the wedding if you need one.

This faire has more vendors than you can get thru in one day. Most prices are typical of Faires everywhere… meaning extremely high ($100 for a bodice that you can buy on eBay for around $20). The leather bodices aren't too over-priced, running about $150... but you can find them for $100 elsewhere if you shop around on the web. I did get a drinking horn for only $20, which was an excellent price! I've seen these go for $50 elsewhere. If price is no object, you can everything you need or want here... chemise, cloaks, tunics, boots, weaponry, hats...gads, so much stuff! There are toys, juggling sticks, drinking tankards...even a leather strap to secure your tankard to your belt so ye don't have to bother carrying it! There is far too much stuff to list here. Suffice it to say you will not be disappointed at all in the shopping.

Food is abundant at this Faire...and actually reasonably priced. You can get anything from medieval food such as turkey legs or stew inside peasant bread to pizza. I adore the fried mushrooms on a stick and paid about $3 for them. Yummy! Drinks were a tad pricey at about $2 each, but not too bad. You can buy a plastic souvenir cup for a few bucks and they will refill with ice/water for you free at any food location. Honey Meade is abundant as well but I do not know how much as Nick was making the Meade runs... grin. If you've never tried Honey Meade, please do! I am one of those folks who just never liked the taste of alcohol, and wine is the worst! But surprise, surprise, I love the Honey Meade! Maybe it's the setting that makes the difference. Who knows?

There were sooooo many shows here there was no way to see them all, not even close. The best of the best perform at this Faire, and include The Royal Falconer, Don Juan & Miguel, The Rogues (Highland musical group complete with bagpipes!), Theatre In the Ground, Human Chess Match, Turtle Races, Fool Hearty, Sheep Herding, King Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn, The Corsairs (Musical group that is tooo funny! They involve the audience in their antics), Queen Anne's Lace, Highland Games, Stewart and Arnold, The Bard O'Neill, Throw-up, Lord of Misrule, Cantiga, Donal Hinely and his Glass Harmonium, Fowl Tales, ParaCelt, Jim Hancock, Daniel Duke of Danger, Magical Mystical Micheal, Stitch in Time, Iris and Rose, Martin & Victoria Singer, Raven/ Jeremiah Wiggins, Russell the Village Idiot, Sholo the Nubian, Ralph the Ragpicker, and Christophe the Insulter.

My niece'sfavorite was Hey Nunnie Nunnie, a couple of wenches with very bawdy stories. She still hasn't stopped talking about them. I think I enjoyed The Cut, Thrust and Run Show the most. But it's a hard choice. These guys play with swords and such, and will have you rolling off your hay bale. In fact, just about every show at your typical Faire is humorous and gets the audience involved. This is what makes them so enjoyable.

What have I missed? There is so much here to enjoy! OH yes! The games! Try your luck at archery and axe throwing, or have your spouse arrested and put in the stocks to be heckled by the crowd!

Jousting here was the real deal. These are men who train their own horses and compete throughout the season at various major faires. This is good stuff! It is dangerous, and occasionally part of a broken lance will fly into the audience, so watch at your own delightful risk. Personally, I wouldn't miss it!

This Faire has an awesome parade where the entire 'cast' romp thru this 16th Century village that is the Faire. They of course kidnap standers-by on their way. Scarborough hires numerous locals each season to participate in the fun, so if you live in the area do apply! This has got to be the most fun temporary job in the world.

The privies are varied... some are true to times, or as true as they can be, and others are brick with real running water. *laugh* So do not avoid going just because you are thin skinned.

My recommendation is that if you plan to travel to any Faire next season, make it this one! Do plan to go more than one day, as this Faire is soooo enormous and filled with wonders everywhere you look. One day is not near enough to take it all in. If you are looking into a medieval themed wedding, look no further! They did an excellent job with the planning and execution of my daughter's wedding. I cannot praise this particular Faire high enough.

(Unfortunately, I cannot locate the disc full of pictures from this faire. Once i do find it, I will add some.)