What To Expect At The 2026 Minnesota Renaissance Festival

The unofficial start of summer begins this weekend with Memorial Day. And already, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival wants us to think about late summer and into fall.

The Ren Fest just announced their seven Theme Weekends for 2026:

ONCE UPON A TIME
August 22-23
Princesses, knights in shining armour and enchantment. The storybook awaits!

HIGHLAND FLING
August 29-30
Bagpipes, tartans and Highland games.

WOOFSTOCK
September 5-7
Dogs and contests and treats for all.

BOLD NORTH ADVENTURE
September 12-13
Vikings, lumberjacks, axe throwing and tall tales.

WINE, CHOCOLATE AND ROMANCE
September 19-20
Delight in the decadence with wine tastings, chocolate and romance.

ART AFFAIR
September 26-27
Artisans, demonstrations and plenty of interaction and live performances.

OKTOBERFEST
October 2-4
Bavarian beer done medieval style.

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is open weekends August 22 through October 4th, including Labor Day Monday, September 7th and Festival Friday, October 2nd.

Tickets are on sale now with discounts available for advance buyers.

Offbeat adventures: Travel to the coolest hidden wonders in every U.S. state

Fuel your offbeat travel dreams. Stacker found the coolest hidden wonders in all 50 U.S. states (plus D.C.) using data from Atlas Obscura.

[WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter private or abandoned property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing.]

Gallery Credit: Sandi Hemmerlein

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