Bay Area Renaissance Festival
- Dates
- Feb 6 to Mar 21, 2027
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- 12838 Auton Rd, Dade City, FL 33525
- Price
- $19 to $27
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 24, 2026
The experience
What's special
The Bay Area Renaissance Festival - Tampa Bay's ren fest, now in Dade City - builds the 16th-century village of Folkstone across 15 stages of musicians, magicians, jugglers, birds of prey, and full-contact armored jousting three times a day, with more than 100 artisans in the marketplace. Each of its seven late-winter theme weekends has its own flavor, from Wine, Chocolate & Romance and a dog-centric Pups & Pints weekend (the festival is dog friendly all season) to a Viking Invasion and a storybook finale where couples can legally marry in a mass ceremony. An unusually deep discount menu - free entry on your birthday, free season tickets for honor-roll students, and $5 off for military, first responders, and motorcyclists - keeps the gate price flexible.
What people love
Attendees enjoy the vendors, the bird-of-prey shows, the human chess tournament, axe throwing, and the joust, and recent visitors praise the circular layout and fabulous performers - many keep coming back yearly and some buy season passes on the spot. The festival's move from its old Tampa (MOSI) site divides opinion: critics find the newer grounds hot, sandy, and short on shade, spread out enough to dilute the atmosphere, and reached by a rough dirt road that backs up badly (and turns to mud in rain), while food stalls have run short on busy days and most food vendors take cash only. Veterans of the older sites remember stronger show rosters and more costumed street characters.
Last time around
The 48th season ran weekends from February 14 through March 29, 2026 in Dade City, with seven theme weekends closing on the Once Upon a Time storybook finale. Attendee reaction stayed split: recent first-timers and regulars described a blast of a day - many vendors, fabulous performers, a well-liked circular layout - while others found the day hot and dusty with cash-only food lines and a difficult dirt-road approach.
See the grounds
On the lanes & stages
Set in the Renaissance period. Event style: faire.
Lineup
Costumes & what to wear
Do I need a costume?
Costumes are optional and guest costuming is a headline part of the day, costume-watching is one of the festival's most-mentioned draws, and attendees dress as everything from jesters to wizards. A practical local tip: the grounds are hot, sandy, and dusty, so light fabrics beat heavy garb, especially in March
Costume rules
Costumes must be family-friendly and not offensive, obstructive, or violent; footwear is required at all times; bulky or layered clothing may get extra security screening. Guests 13+ may not wear full-face masks
Weapons policy
Only swords and daggers may be worn, fully sheathed and peace-tied with a visible zip tie (available at the gates), never drawn; carriers must be 18+. Firearms and replica firearms are banned with no exceptions; real axes, claymores, maces, antique firearms, pikes, and halberds are not allowed. Bows must be unstrung, arrows tipless and peace-tied. Foam, plastic, cardboard, and toy weapons are allowed unsheathed but may not be wielded
Joining in
Guests can enter creative competitions, join the season-closing mass vow-renewal or legal marriage ceremonies, and take part in interactive games; the full-contact armored joust runs free three times daily at 12:30, 2:30, and 4:30
Getting there
Nearest airport TPA.
How do I get to Bay Area Renaissance Festival?
Taxi & rideshare 1
Rideshare covers the ~40-mile run from TPA up I-75/SR-52 to rural Pasco County in about 45-55 minutes, but plan your exit: the festival's final approach is an unpaved dirt road with weak driver coverage nearby, so pin your pickup carefully, expect a wait at closing time, and know the road gets muddy in heavy rain
Book / info →By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Use the airport transfers or shuttle options above.
By bus
No scheduled intercity bus or public transit route to the venue was found. Use the airport transfers or shuttle options above.
🅿 Parking
On site parking available. Cost Free. Prepay via None, free parking, no prepay system. Parking is free in attendant-directed fields, park only where directed, as unauthorized spots are towed. The final approach is unpaved: attendees advise coming in from the north via River Road to minimize the dirt stretch, and the lot can turn muddy (with cars getting stuck) in heavy rain, so a rain-day visit favors arriving early and parking near the exit
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at TPA
The practical choice for fly-in visitors: the grounds sit in rural Pasco County 40 miles from TPA with no transit, rail, or shuttle service, parking is free, and your own car removes the closing-time rideshare gamble on the dirt road
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
12838 Auton Rd, Dade City, FL 33525
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Bay Area Renaissance Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Budget stays 1
Zephyrhills, about 20 minutes south of the grounds on the US-301 corridor
Book direct →Mid-range hotels 2
US-301/98, one mile south of downtown Dade City, about 15 minutes from the festival grounds
Book direct →Wesley Chapel, about 25 minutes southwest of the grounds off I-75
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Dade City and Zephyrhills carry modest Airbnb inventory, country homes, cottages, and snowbird rentals, and the festival's Feb-Mar run lands in peak Florida snowbird season, when the whole region prices up and monthly renters absorb supply. Book early or widen the search to Wesley Chapel
Search Airbnb →This is RV country, Zephyrhills is one of Florida's snowbird RV capitals, with parks lining US-301, and Hipcamp lists private-land and farm stays through Pasco and Hernando counties. Withlacoochee River Park and nearby state forest land add primitive options 15-20 minutes east of the grounds
Search Hipcamp →Pricing
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