Fare thee well, Midsummer Renaissance Faire; annual festival moves to Snohomish

By Ray Miller-Still • April 5, 2023 1:30 am

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

For more than a decade, the Washington State Midsummer Renaissance Faire graced the Plateau with the Towne of Merriwick, home to sword fights and jousts, pirates and bards, aerial arts and beatte downes, and so much more.

But all good things come to an end, and the Ren Faire has moved from Bonney Lake’s Kelley Farm to Sky Meadows Lane in Snohomish.

“The decision was made due to the limited camping and parking space available at the previous location, and the desire to bring attendees the best possible experience,” a March 15 press release reads. “[The Faire wishes] to thank the Kelley Farm, The City of Bonney Lake and Pierce County, as their support, dedication, and hospitality have been integral to the success of the faire.”

Attendance at the Faire has clearly grown over the years — in 2014, Merriwick hosted about 35,000 visitors; last year, the crowd had grown to about 55,000, putting the three-weekend event about on par with King County Fair attendance at the Enumclaw Expo Center.

While high attendance has likely spelled financial success for the Washington Renaissance Arts & Education Society, the nonprofit that runs the Faire, it also came with a few issues, not least of which were extremely long lines and equally congested parking lot traffic.

Numerous comments on Facebook during last year’s Faire complained about either waiting in line (with little to no shade) for multiple hours before entering (even those who prepaid online) or waiting multiple hours in their cars to leave the event, as there’s only one road in and out the Faire.

“We are very sorry to all the people who had negative and/or terrible experiences while visiting the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire this past weekend. We understand and take full responsibility for everything that occurred,” the Faire posted in response. “We cannot apologize enough for the suffering we caused this weekend and hope you will give us the chance to fix it and make it better.”

With the new, larger venue, the Faire hopes to be able to expand, bringing in more vendors, performers, and attractions.

“We are thrilled about the potential of the new venue and are looking forward to making the most of this opportunity to enhance the event for all,” Tracy Nietupski, president of the Society, said in an email interview.