Georgia Renaissance Festival
- Dates
- Oct 31 to Dec 5, 2026
- Status
- Announced
- Venue
- 6905 Virlyn B. Smith Road
- Price
- $25 to $33
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 24, 2026
The experience
What's special
The Georgia Renaissance Festival, in its 41st season and billed as the largest in the Southeast, recreates a 16th-century Nottingham village on wooded grounds just south of Atlanta's airport. Its flagship spring season runs Saturdays and Sundays from April into May across roughly 15 stages with more than 160 artisan shoppes, three daily jousts, an archery competition, pub crawls, and free-with-admission activities like Juggling School and the Reptile Farm; an autumn 'Fall Fling' season adds seven days from Halloween through early December. For 2026 the festival cut daily capacity, moved to online-only date-specific tickets with no gate sales, and went largely cashless at its own food courts and bars.
What people love
Regulars describe a faire that rewards the window-shopping, live music, jousting, pub crawls, and people-watching even if you buy little - a dozen-plus stages of shows, kissing wenches, roaming musicians, and craft demonstrations that many call one of the better faires they've been to. The steady gripes are cost and access: food and drink run expensive (a souvenir mead around $30, beers around $10), the site is now largely card-only at festival-run outlets with spotty cell reception and long, high-fee ATM lines for the cash-only independent vendors, the grounds are unpaved and hard on strollers and wheelchairs, and parking is a long walk across a hilly field with heavy arrival and departure traffic.
Last time around
The 2026 spring season ran Saturdays, Sundays, and Memorial Day Monday from April 11 to May 31 across 14 live stages, and was the first year the festival significantly reduced daily attendance and shifted to online-only, date-specific tickets, with popular dates selling out. Attendee accounts describe strong live entertainment and shopping alongside a new largely cashless setup at festival-run food courts and bars.
See it before you go
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 welcomed but not required, attendees say the window-shopping and people-watching are half the fun whether or not you dress up, and the crowd ranges from full garb and armor to plain clothes. Comfortable shoes are stressed since the unpaved grounds have rocks and tree roots
Costume rules
Costumes are welcome; shirts and shoes are still required, and the festival reserves the right to refuse entry for costumes that are offensive
Joining in
Admission includes all scheduled shows and entertainment across the stages, contests, character interactions, and free activities like Juggling School, the Reptile Farm, and the Castle Courtyard Activity Center; a daily archery competition runs on the Royal Highlands. Performers are paid from the King's purse, though some may pass the hat after a show
Getting there
Nearest airport ATL.
How do I get to Georgia Renaissance Festival?
Taxi & rideshare 1
The festival is only about 8 miles south of ATL via I-85 to Exit 61, so a rideshare or taxi is quick and comparatively cheap, one of the shortest airport runs of any US Renaissance festival. The festival has designated rideshare drop-off signage at the gate. Book a return ride before the afternoon rush, as departure traffic from the free parking field is heavy at close
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 general parking; VIP Parking is a paid add-on. Prepay via General parking is free with no prepay; a paid VIP Parking upgrade is sold as an add-on ticket. General parking is free in a large, slightly hilly field with a walk to the gate; parking lots open at 9:00 a.m. ahead of the roughly 10:15-10:30 gate. A closer VIP Parking upgrade is sold separately. Rideshare drop-off has its own signed area
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at ATL
A convenient option given the festival is only 8 miles from ATL, but not essential, the short distance makes rideshare cheap and easy. Rentals are on-airport at ATL's consolidated Rental Car Center (free SkyTrain from the terminal); free general parking makes a car simple if you drive
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
6905 Virlyn B. Smith Road
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Georgia Renaissance Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Budget stays 1
Fairburn, GA, near the grounds off I-85
≈ $95-130 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Mid-range hotels 1
Fairburn, GA, the festival's own town, within a few miles of the grounds off I-85
≈ $110-150 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Airport hotels 1
Camp Creek Parkway area near ATL, roughly 8-10 miles from the festival, with a free airport shuttle
≈ $120-160 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Vacation rentals are available in Fairburn, Union City, Peachtree City, and the wider south-Atlanta suburbs, plus abundant stock across metro Atlanta a short drive north. The spring season runs weekends April into May; rates are typical metro-Atlanta pricing rather than surge-driven
Search Airbnb →South of Atlanta toward Fairburn, Palmetto, and Chattahoochee Hills is greener rural country where Hipcamp lists private-land tent and RV stays, a quieter alternative to the airport hotel strip for a spring or autumn festival weekend
Search Hipcamp →Pricing
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