Carolina Renaissance Festival

The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a 25-acre Renaissance-themed amusement park set in the fictional village of Fairhaven. The open-air village and artisan marketplace contain cottages and bungalows based on 16th-century European architecture. Sixteen outdoor stages are used for comedy theater, dance, and circus-like entertainments. Featured live-action shows include knights on horseback (who joust three times daily), presentations of the art of falconry, and live swimming mermaids. The festival is held annually on Saturdays and Sundays in October and November. An average of 230,000 visitors a year attend the festival during its Fall season.