TODD MISSION, Texas (KRHD) — The Texas Renaissance Festival is moving forward with its 51st season despite uncertainty following the death of founder "King" George Coulam earlier this year.
Watch the full story here:
Organizers expect half a million visitors to attend the eight-weekend autumn festival, which begins Saturday, Oct. 11 and runs on the weekends through Nov. 30.
"We are good going forward. Our mission is always going to be to have a magical experience for our patrons," said Lauren Croft, assistant general manager.
The festival promises new attractions alongside returning favorites.
"Oh, we have an exciting 8 weekend autumn festival planned for everybody. This year's Renaissance festival is gonna be as big and better as it's ever been, and we're very excited. We have new acts, new music, new food, new libations, new, new, new for everybody, and of course we also have their old favorites, so we hope people will come out and see what we have to offer this year," said The King.
Many performers return year after year, creating a sense of continuity and community at the festival.
"I have been a volunteer at the Texas Renaissance Festival for over 10 years. First I was walking parade. Now I work the fire show, and now I am selling my books out here," said April Henley, a performer.
Henley expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming season.
"I'm looking forward to all the opportunities for our vendors and our artisans and our performers. Everyone's gonna bring their best this season, as they always do, and it's gonna be a wonderful season," Henley said.
The festival currently operates under Coulam's estate, with leadership working to ensure continuity.
"We are under the estate of George Coulam, and, uh, for now that is how it will be. There's a lot of balls in the air, but we're moving forward either way," Croft said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
