Utah Renaissance Faire returns for its 12th year, promises royal fun at new venue

MONA, Utah ( ABC4 ) — Knights, fairies, royalty, get ready — the Utah Renaissance Faire is returning for its 12th run this August.

Executive director Richard Thurman said that the festival has grown exponentially. Often held at Thanksgiving Point, attendance quickly went from a few thousand to over 10,000.

Because of this, the fair was looking for a new venue, leading them to the Young Living Mona Lavender Farm where the two-day event will be held for the first time this year.

The fair will be on Aug. 23 – 24 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets can be bought online , with general admission, youth passes, family passes, senior passes, and active military passes available.

In 2023, the fair was put on hold while organizers were working on a transition to a new location, but there was still plenty of fun to be had at a reenactment event held in its place.

“We were unable to find a good fit for the full event last year, but I didn’t want to wait a full year without any event, so we sponsored a special event called ‘1520 Knights of the Golden Clothe’, which had many commemorated the 500th year anniversary of the meeting of Henry VIII and Francis I in Normandy. It was a lot of fun and we had a great time putting it on at the Bastian Equestrian Center,” Thurman said.

This year, as the fair makes its return, Thurman is looking forward to hosting it at the Young Living Lavender Farm, which he said has its own jousting arena.

Thurman said an exciting lineup of activities is in store, such as one of their biggest draws, The Knights of Mayhem . The team of brave knights is run by founder Charlie Andrews, a 14-time World Champion and current reigning World Champion in Heavy Armor Full Contact Jousting.

There will also be the Harp Twins , known for performing well-loved songs across a variety of genres and video games live. Attendees will also be able to see the Vikings of Utah , The House of Tudor Royalty, and much more.

There will also be a range of food and merchant vendors to visit. Thurman said there’s plenty to do at the fair from the moment you arrive through the end of the day.

“We try to make a good balance between being entertaining, educational and having lots of good things to buy and eat,” he said.

Thurman said he loves to see how much of a community there is around the fair, remarking that it’s a time to step away from the mundane and awaken the royalty within.

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