Michigan Renaissance Festival returns to Holly, Aug. 22

A winding road through the trees in Holly, Michigan leads to the village of HollyGrove, a portal back into the 16th century. Starting Aug. 22, the Michigan Renaissance Festival returns every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 4.  

Upon heading through the gate entrance, visitors are immediately greeted by the sounds of revelry. Fairies sing along to pirates strumming guitars, and tinkling bells echo across the grove. But perhaps the most unfamiliar sound is the metallic clang of swords clashing.  

Festival offerings

The Valiant Combat Company uses dull blades to simulate medieval fighting. Sir Emeric, or Steven Schwall, as he’s known in the 21st century, has been an actor since the age of nine. Schwall always enjoyed historical reenactments and martial arts.  

“I discovered I can combine my love of swords and my love of acting,” Schwall said about how he got into staged fighting.  

Schwall is also a certified teacher of stage combat with the Society of American Fighting Directors. Under his direction actors learn to block, jab, parry and swipe with all sorts of weapons. The Valiant Combat Company uses longswords, halberds, sabres and hand buckles, as well as some custom-designed pieces. Schwall does the assembly himself and has remounted certain blades to different hilts. The fighting troupe brings history alive with some actual service blades from the late 19th century that were never sharpened and never saw combat. Schwall said his favorite part about the faire is seeing the excitement on people’s faces.  

“It’s mostly about the good times of the patrons,” Schwall said.  

If visitors are looking for entertainment with higher stakes, there are rounds of jousting with real horses. The faire uses drum horses, a combination of Clydesdale, Shire and Gypsy Vanner breeds that produce an agile and strong steed. This breed is perfect for jousting because they can carry their rider and armor that weighs from 80-110 pounds, with the animals themselves ranging from 1,500-1,700 pounds.  

While many safety precautions are taken, injuries can still happen. For a gentler option, festival goers can visit animals at the petting zoo. Soft and sweet, the alpacas Pearl and Sir Richard have fluffy necks perfect for stroking.  

If there is some gold burning a hole in that coin purse, the artisan marketplace has everything from clothing and jewelry to weapons and art. Visitors can get their hair braided, face painted and even their future revealed by palm readers and astrologists.  

All kinds of food await at the festival: Wood-fired pizza, tacos, turkey legs, burgers, deep fried treats, ice cream, kettle corn, pickles and of course, lots of ale.  

Medieval characters to enchant

With so many vibrant colors and intricate costumes around the village, one may assume it’s difficult to stand out, but each character at the festival is intended to offer a rich background and be utterly distinctive. For instance, Cloverleaf the fairy of good luck. A part of the fairy ensemble, the Cloverleaf has been a fairy for nine years. They are decked out in bright green with clovers and treasure adorning their clothes. Cloverleaf enjoys teatime and doing crafts with children. They created their character because they are always happy to shift the balance from bad to good luck and because they wanted to be different from other fairies, they said. 

“I wanted something that felt really unique,” Cloverleaf said.  

Another eccentric character is Princess Jasper of the Royal Court. An official journalist of the realm, Her Highness is always speaking into a magical fairy microphone. While Princess Jasper doesn’t quite know who her audience is, her friends assure her people are listening, she said.  

Even further up the royal totem pole is the Princess Regent. The daughter of the King, the Princess Regent loves gazing upon herself with her plethora of mirrors and assuring her subjects that she has absolutely no plans to overthrow the current monarch, she said.  

The beloved singing pirate is Curtis Bodiker; he has been working at renaissance festivals for five years. This year marks his second season in Michigan. While tent festivals are good, HollyGrove is special because of its infrastructure, he said. He explained that there is something magical about being immersed in a place. Bodiker's favorite things about his character, Sebastian Bain, are that he is talented, charming, funny and good with kids.

“I like that he is the best version of myself,” Bodiker said.  

The village bookworm is Paige Turner-Bookswell. This year marks her sixth season trying to bump up HollyGrove’s literacy rate. While she’s not had much success getting the other townspeople to write, she does enjoy the little kids who mistake her for Princess Belle, she said.  

Festival information

The person behind all the fantasy is Chip Schultz, the general manager of the festival. Schultz has been working at the faire for 34 years, starting as a paramedic and moving through different positions until he became the general manager in 2024. 

Schultz said the renaissance festival is important because it is something different, and it brings in business for the surrounding communities. The location in Holly is perfect because it’s only an hour from major cities like Detroit and Lansing, but far enough away that people can disconnect from the real world, Schultz said.  

“I love seeing everybody coming out and enjoying themselves,” Schultz said.  

For anyone who enjoys the dressing up aspect of the festival, there is a costume contest and a couple's costume contest. All ages are welcome at the festival, with a play structure and a craft station offered for kids. Dogs are permitted as long as they are registered; more information on dog rules can be found on the festival website.  

Staff members advise guests to beat the heat by wearing light, breathable fabrics, long sleeves for sun protection, taking breaks in the shade and drinking lots of water.  

The Michigan Renaissance Festival will run every weekend from Aug. 22-Oct. 4, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., as well as Labor Day, Sept. 7 and Festival Friday, Oct. 2. Tickets are available online at https://www.michrenfest.com/.