Sorry, peasants: Michigan's Renaissance Festival is canceled due to the modern plague that is COVID-19

Huzzah? More like Huzz-nah. Look's like we're going to have to wait a whole year to get our hands on an unreasonably large turkey leg and a pint of brew served by a lovely beer wench.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, organizers of the Michigan Renaissance Festival revealed that this year's festivities hath been canceled for this year, with plans to “conquer the kingdom” in 2021.

“We worked hard the last five months to develop a plan and mitigation measures which we firmly believe would have resulted in a safe and healthy Renaissance Festival,” the post reads. “However, it is clear that the current State directives will not change significantly in time to allow the Festival to open this fall. Although we disagree with the current State directives that prevent a spacious outdoor venue from opening, we recognize the difficulty of the State government’s task. We share their goal of keeping Michigan safe and healthy.”

The Holly-based festival known for its elaborate 16th-century pageantry, rivalry, revelry, and royalty draws upwards of 280,000 visitors during its seven-weekend run. The 17-acre village hosts 17 stages as well as reproductions of Renaissance shops, taverns, and, of course, a castle with a whole lot of jousting.

Organizers say they will continue to produce events within the state's current directives, including a reimagined version of the festival's Feast of Fantasy. According to the post, some of these events could take place this fall, with plans to launch similar festival adjacent events next spring. The 2021 event will mark the festival's 42nd celebration and will take place on weekends starting Aug. 21 through Oct. 3.

All tickets pre-purchased will be valid for 2021.

Read the full post below.



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