Once we receive your application, we will confirm its receipt and ask that you be patient. Your confirmation email will be the only correspondence you receive from us, unless a licensing opportunity presents itself. The staff reviews applications annually, and your submission will be maintained in our files for one festival year. If a licensing opportunity was not available, you would need to apply again to be reviewed for the next festival year.
The process is very competitive. Each year, many applications are considered for a limited number of licensing opportunities. The Minnesota Renaissance Festival does not maintain a waiting list. As food independent licensing opportunities become available, appropriate license applications will be selected and contacted.
The Festival is a recreation of a 16th Century European marketplace and faire. The Renaissance was an era of renewed interest in art as well as science, literature, and other cultural pursuits. Artistic development proceeded at a previously unknown rate and at an increasingly high level of quality. Festival participants strive to capture the spirit and pageantry of that time in dress, actions and display of the wares they personally handcraft.
In addition to food, the Festival offers entertainment, crafts and games. The total ambiance created by this event attracts an average of 300,000 patrons to our Festival a year. Visitors are able to indulge in unique foods, observe artisans at work demonstrating their skills, and artisans as merchants selling their goods. Visitors are entertained with music, drama on outdoor stages, nomadic street entertainment and intriguing games of skill.
