It may have been a while since you last thought of your transcript as a “report card,” but if you’re craving a reward more exciting than a single letter after a semester of hard work, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival has you covered.
On Sept. 7, students with an A/B average were granted free admission — and for those intrigued after reading this, mark your calendar for Sept. 26, when discounted student tickets will be available.
Though I’m a Twin Cities native, this was my first time attending the festival, and it did not disappoint. My roommate and I spent over five hours roaming the sprawling 400-acre grounds, stumbling upon everything from a Nordic meatball-eating contest to English Morris dancing (which, to our surprise, turned out to be a fertility rite we joined before anyone bothered to explain).
The people were as memorable as the events. We met a delightfully eclectic mix of staff and visitors, including someone from the state legislature who nonchalantly retied the bells on a dancer’s calf mid-jig. The energy was infectious; everyone seemed genuinely thrilled to be there, perhaps aided by a little blackberry mead and the residual glory of smashing a tomato into a jester’s face.
If you’ve never been, this is your sign to go. Between the food, the music, the costumes and the sheer joy of it all, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is an experience worth having at least once — so gather your friends, don your best medieval spirit and raise a hearty “huzzah!”
