New Renaissance Faire to transport Shelby Farms to Elizabethan Era

This summer, Queen Elizabeth I will be the reigning Delta Queen. In the last two weekends of August, eight acres of Shelby Farms will be transformed into the Mid-South Renaissance Faire. With jousters and jesters and appearances by the Virgin Queen herself, Memphis is gearing up for a large-scale festival.

Aundrea Lowery, co-founder of the fair, expects 1,500 people a day in foot traffic. The closest event is the Tennessee Renaissance Festival in Murfreesboro, Tenn., which has reported upwards of 45,000 total attendants during its spring season. 

“There are major Renaissance fests in many cities. Memphis is a huge hole in that scene,” Lowery said. “Now we’ve made a mass organization of local groups with the same interest.” Lowery and her partner, Beth Kitchen, and their “massive” volunteer crew meet two to three times a week. 

Some of the attractions will include jousting and swordplay demonstrations, pirates of the Midsouth Buccaneers and bellydancers from Memphis Raqs. There will be a couple of Renaissance-style musicians and likely Shakespeare performances, as well as beer and meade tastings. Lowery also anticipates out-of-town vendors and artisans in response to being covered in the national publication Renaissance Magazine. 

The event is targeted towards families with offerings like dunk tanks, bouncy castles, tug-of-war, a tomato-to-face throwing game called “Veggie Revenge” and opportunities to be knighted by the queen. Lowery also said it’s open to history buffs and “people who want to see things they have never seen before.” 

There will be an England realm, a privateer area and a Silk Road area, “which will have an East Asian Indian vibe. That was going on during the renaissance, but it wasn’t necessarily part of the Renaissance,” Lowery said. “It (the Renaissance period) is kind of dark, elegant, bizarre and beautiful.”

The Mid-South Renaissance Faire is seeking local vendors and artisans for festival days August 22, 23, 29 and 30. Applications and further information can be found at their website.

The event is financed by sponsors and a GoFundMe campaign. Tickets will be sold at $13 for adults and $8 for children.