ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Despite being months away, the peak season for the Maryland Renaissance Festival is already starting to sell out. When there’s this much demand for an event, ticket scalpers are to be expected. Scalpers buy tickets with the intention of reselling them at a profit. This practice can lead to venues and events preparing for attendees who aren’t coming, or visitors overpaying for tickets — and that’s assuming the tickets are legitimate and will let the bearer get past the front gate.
The Maryland Renaissance Festival was founded in 1977 by Julius Smith. Today, the festival is headed by Jules Smith, Julius’ son and president of the family business. Smith said he has been involved full time since 1981 and works with the second and third generations of his family to put on the festival. Together, the Smiths have taken measures to protect customers and counter scalpers.
“We have limits on the quantities in our online carts, limitations on when the person can purchase again, and the waiting room is able to recognize bots and filter accordingly,” Smith said. “Once an individual has a ticket the onus falls on them to follow the law. We have noted that most tickets not sold by us tend to be fraudulent and caution our customers that that is the case.”
Despite this, some third-party websites offer tickets to the festival. While some of these sites can guarantee a refund if a customer is dissatisfied, they can’t necessarily guarantee that the purchased ticket will grant entry to the Renaissance Festival. Even if these third-party tickets are legitimate, they can be three to five times more expensive than those offered on the festival’s website, rennfest.com. A single peak season adult ticket, which would allow entry to the festival on one of the weekend dates between Sept. 13 and Oct. 19, costs $32 including tax on rennfest.com. Some of those dates have already sold out, but tickets are still being sold on other sites for $110 to $150, not including tax.
The main constraints on legitimate ticket availability are zoning regulations and the size of the festival’s venue, Revel Grove. Smith said the festival grounds are comprised of about 24 acres of village space and 63 acres of fields that are used for free parking. The festival hosts 140 shops for vendors, merchants and independent attractions, as well as 42 food and drink emporiums. Two hundred fifty entertainers will perform around Revel Grove’s streets, its 10 stages, and its 3,000-seat jousting arena. All told, this year’s event will employ 1,300 people, about 600 of whom work directly for the festival, Smith said.
Smith and his family had considered moving to a larger venue in the past, but have reached the conclusion that Revel Grove will be the festival’s home for the foreseeable future.
“The current zoning limits the size and duration of the event,” Smith said. “Currently the operation is suited to the size and limits, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon as the infrastructure is significant. We found larger property serviced by a four-lane highway in 2013 and undertook a relocation effort, and the zoning board determined we were best suited for where we are situated.”
Capacity for the Maryland Renaissance Festival has been at or near maximum for years. Smith said that since the record attendance of 363,000 in 2017 and the pandemic in 2020, he and his family have had to carefully balance demand against available accommodations.
“Since 2011 we have offered online tickets and even then started having individual dates sell out,” Smith said. “After the pandemic we made it online only since there was a capacity, to save people the trouble of traveling to the event only to find out it was full.” Selling tickets well in advance also helps guests plan their own schedules, reduces traffic around Revel Grove and allows customers to get a ticket without staking out the festival hours before opening, Smith said.
“Now they know they have a ticket and may arrive anytime that works for them and their group,” he said, “and know a parking space will be available and their ticket honored.”
Smith said he and his family are hard at work to make sure this year’s festival is affordable and comfortable for all.
“We value our customers and appreciate that so many consider it a time-honored family tradition,” he said. “The Maryland Renaissance Festival was selected by the readers of USA Today as the best renaissance festival in the country for 2025. Of the major festivals we are lower priced than most and we do not allow hat passing, which other festivals do. We feel it offers a more relaxed atmosphere for customers and pay our performers fair wages so they don’t have to busk.”
You can check ticket availability and find more information about the Maryland Renaissance Festival at rennfest.com.
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This is one of the best Faires I’ve ever been to. Used to live in the area and went every year. I don’t know about now but one of the big super markets used to sell discount tickets at their customer service desks. Never had a problem.