Nation’s largest Renaissance festival closes out its 50th anniversary jubilee with holiday reverie
TODD MISSION, Texas (Nov. 26, 2024) – The 50th Annual Texas Renaissance Festival (TRF) closes out its fantastic 50th season with its annual Celtic Christmas Weekend, Nov. 29-Dec.1. This festive, enchanting conclusion to the season blends Renaissance charm with timeless holiday cheer complete with beautiful seasonal decorations, vibrant lights, and the sounds of caroling echoing throughout the grounds.
The three-day weekend kicks off on Friday, November 29, the day after Thanksgiving. Long a Houston-area tradition, families and friends come to explore the festival and walk off all the turkey and pumpkin pie from the day before. With over 400 unique and eclectic shops to choose from, it’s also a great place to kickstart everyone’s holiday shopping for the season.
“Celtic Christmas weekend is the culmination of several months of hard work and dedication by the TRF team to give our patrons the best experience possible,” TRF marketing director Miranda Ramirez said. “The spirit of the season abounds around the festival and we are incredibly honored to be part of a holiday tradition for so many.”
Last weekend’s Highland Fling saw eye-popping attendance numbers with 78,226 patrons visiting TRF across two days, beating out the popular Barbarian Invasion by over 5,000 attendees.
Holiday events for Celtic Christmas Weekend include a special appearance by a Renaissance-themed Father Christmas, who will be at TRF all three days across from the festival’s New Market Village’s gazebo. In addition, TRF has partnered with Cirque du Soleil to promote the legendary troupe’s upcoming ECHO show coming to Houston in 2025. The Cirque team will be on hand Saturday morning offering patrons a chance to win a four-pack of tickets and score free Cirque du Soleil swag. If you haven’t had your fill of grandma’s signature dessert, there’s a pumpkin cake eating contest at 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the New Market Village’s gazebo.
Tickets and additional information are available at texrenfest.com.
ABOUT TEXAS RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
The Texas Renaissance Festival is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed Renaissance-themed event. Established in 1974, the event attracts more than half a million visitors annually to its 70-acre recreation of a 16th-century European village one hour north of Houston. The festival is a celebration of food, fun and artisan markets ensconced in immersive Renaissance-era magic. The 50th anniversary season takes place over eight themed weekends from Oct. 12 through Dec. 1, 2024, including Thanksgiving Friday. For more information, visit texrenfest.com.