The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire typically takes place during August, September, and October weekends. In 2020, the Faire had a delayed start, with opening day on September 5th.
The Faire is a step back into the Renaissance-era, when Elizabeth is queen. There are jousting tournaments, tons of delicious food, and many shops offering unique and hand-made items.
Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire Location
The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is held on the grounds of the Mt. Hope Estate and Winery. The Estate is along Lebanon Road in Manheim, Pennsylvania. For those traveling the PA turnpike to visit the Faire, it’s only about a half mile from the turnpike exit/entrance. If you need lodging, there is a Hampton Inn located very close to the Faire.
Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire Parking
PA Ren Faire parking is available for free on the grounds of the Mt. Hope Estate and Winery. We arrived about 15 minutes before opening and were able to park fairly close to the gates. It took about two minutes of walking to be in front of the main fountain and see the front gate. Since it was a busy, sold out day, the parking did eventually get fairly full.
Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire Tickets
All tickets must be purchased in advance in 2020. Note that dates will sell out of tickets, so reserve your tickets as early is possible. There are no onsite ticket sales at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in 2020. General Admission is $29.95 and children ages 5 to 11 are $15.95. Children 4 and under are free to attend the PA Ren Faire.
Tickets can be purchased from the PA Ren Faire website, which is located here.
Ticket Discounts
During a typical year, discounts are available by showing ID at the in person sales. However, in 2020, in person sales are not available, so neither are the usual discounts.
Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire Map
At the entrance to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, there are paper maps to guide you around the area. The set up of the Faire is not a simple grid, so you’ll want to get a map to guide you through the twists and turns. The map also includes all of the show times on the back.
Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire Tips
- Officially, the gates open at 11 AM. However, in our experience, the gates were open when we arrived around 10:45 AM. A lot of people were arriving at this time, and it helped the crowd spread out as they were able to enter.
- Be sure to remember where you packed your car. There is a typical parking lot, but then overflow is in a grassy area. We found it difficult to locate our exact parking row.
- Arrive hungry and eat right away. In our experience, lines for food were non-existent during the first hour, but became long throughout the rest of the day.
- Get a map upon arriving and plan your day around the shows you’d like to watch.
- If you see some merchandise you’d like to purchase, mark the location of the shop on your map if you want to purchase later. We waited to make most of our purchases before leaving and had to try to remember which store we saw them in.
Nearby Attractions
Visiting the area for the Renaissance Faire and want to explore a bit more? Here are more area attractions (double check that they are open and if there are any limitations, per the usual in 2020).
