The annual Texas Renaissance Festival, which takes place in Todd Mission each fall, is set to open this October with new pandemic policies in place, according to event organizers.
Ticket sales open Saturday for the festival, which begins Oct. 3 with Oktoberfest and ends Nov. 29 with Celtic Christmas. The 46th annual festival, billed as the largest event of its kind in the county, will offer new visitors and longtime fans nine themed weekends to gallivant about the grounds of the 55-acre medieval village located some 45 miles northwest of Houston.
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Tickets are $30 per day for adults and $15 for children ages 5 to 12. Tickets this year are date-specific and must be purchased in advance. Tickets will not be sold at the gate, according to the festival website. Tickets can be purchased at participating H-E-B locations beginning September 1.
When the festival grounds open in October, several pandemic policies will be in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The protocols include nightly cleaning of the village shops and spot cleaning and sanitizing throughout the day as required by state protocols. Additionally, 80 hand sanitizers will be installed at the festival and 50 will be installed throughout the campgrounds, according to even organizers.
Temperature checks will be required of all festival staff, performers, and vendors before each shift, and any employee with a fever will be sent home.
All festival staff, performers and vendors will be required to wear face masks throughout the season. If there is a state face mask mandate, patrons will be required to wear face masks. If there is no state mandate in place, patrons will not be required to wear masks, but will be strongly encouraged to do so, according to event organizers.
In step with the times, the festival will conduct a daily face mask contest for its patrons. The contest will be judged on creativity and coordination with the theme of the weekend.
The Texas Renaissance Festival’s pandemic plan will continue to be revised as new information and input from government and health authorities becomes available, according to event organizers.
In the event the 2020 Texas Renaissance Festival season is canceled, ticket holders can roll their tickets over to the 2021 season or request a refund, according to the Texas Renaissance Festival’s website.