Hear ye, hear ye! By decree of his majesty's royal court, the village of Hollygrove has declared its gates open to all who celebrate its annual festivities.
That's right; this year, the Michigan Renaissance Festival returned to Holly, Michigan, for its 46th season.
Since 1979, festival organizers and cast members have recreated a 16-century village named Hollygrove. Across the village's 312 acres, knights, peasants, witches and fairies alike gather in the fictional town bedecked in apparel reminiscent of the European renaissance, as well as various fantasy media inspired by the era. Visitors can indulge in a swath of medieval activities, from purchasing metal weaponry at the local blacksmith shop to donning fine 14th-century leatherwear and observing a jousting match between royal knights.
"A lot more people in the past couple of years have gotten into cosplay and stuff like that," Pendragon Costumes vendor Christopher Williams said during a recent festival weekend. "Liking nerdy stuff has become more mainstream, and a lot more people are willing to have fun."
The festival features more than 175 artisans, period entertainment, and interactive experiences.
Festival Marketing Manager Allison Johnson said in a written announcement on the 2025 event that festival attendance has grown 9% in three years, from 249,000 in 2022 to 269,000 in 2024, drawing visitors from five surrounding states and Canada.
The 2025 festival, which opened in August and will continue through the end of September, offers several new features. For example, at the new Wicked Wand Workshop, guests can customize their own magic wand. Another new feature is the Viking Invasion themed weekend, when guests are encouraged to dress as Scandanavian seafarers. A Ninja Warrior inspired obstacle course and petting zoo are also making their first appearances at the festival this year.
The standard features of Hollygrove include many long-running staples, such as the pub crawl, royal jousts and the hawk walk.
Organizers said the key theme of the festival is authenticity. Guests will find no shortage of handmade art and accessories from local vendors, ranging from the finely crafted metals of Archangel Steel and Sabersmith to quality apparel from Authentic Wardrobe and Pendragon Costumes.
Other vendors include A Cup of Cloud Tapestry, which provides handmade crafts, and the Royal Glassblowers, who blow their glassware in front of a live audience.
Guests can witness one of three authentic jousting matches held each day at the festival. Jugglers, dancers, musicians and even horseback combat artists all perform live and up-close. Juggler Chuck Clark explained that sometimes, those performances can be a bit risky for the performers.
Clark, whose Hollygrove alias is Rufus the Dufus, performs a comedic juggling act at the festival.
"Two years ago, I cut my face doing a trick and was bleeding quite a bit," Clark said. "The worst injury I ever had... I burned my leg working on a fire trick and got second and third-degree burns. But it was totally worth it."
While the festival theme is predominantly Renaissance, there is no strict adherence to the time period, organizers said. Guests can expect to see a mix of authentic historical attire and more modern fantasy-based cosplay.
Carolyn Tantanella, an artist and the vendor for A Cup of Cloud Tapestry, said the blend of old and new is what makes the festival unique.
"The old timers will tell you a lot has changed in the past few years. They say, 'What's all this anime stuff?'" Tantanella said, explaining that it is fun to see newer characters among the knights and princesses.
Indeed, alongside the court jesters and kings and queens, guests are just as likely to see Zeldas, Gokus and even the occasional Deadpool. The live bands have also been covering non-renaissance music, such as Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall." Moreover, the royal jousters have been seen waving the flag of Super Earth from the video game Helldivers 2.
The Michigan Renaissance Festival will continue to run throughout the month of September with unique themes for each weekend.
- Sept. 13-14 is Shamrocks and Shenanigans.
- Sept. 20-21 is Harvest Huzzah.
- Sept. 26 is Festival Friday.
- Sept. 27-28 wraps up the 2025 season with Sweet Endings.
A comprehensive list of event times can be found on the Michigan Renaissance Festival website.
Event tickets are available at the gate and on the festival's website. Admission is $27.95 for adults and $18.95 for children ages 5-12. Children age 4 and under attend for free. The festival also has a senior ticket price of $25.95.
The festival grounds are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Parking at the venue is $15.
