Sherwood Forest Faire
- Dates
- Mar 6 to Apr 25, 2027
- Status
- Announced
- Venue
- Sherwood Forest Faire grounds, 1883 Old Hwy 20 (Lost Pines, 35 miles east of Austin)
- Price
- Not announced
- Camping
- Available
- Last checked
- Aug 24, 2026
The experience
What's special
Sherwood Forest Faire is a locally owned medieval village in the Lost Pines forest east of Austin, built around the tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Band: over 100 permanent buildings on 25 wooded acres, including pubs, merchant shoppes, wedding venues, and a complete castle where Robin Hood and Lady Marian preside over full-contact jousting, falconry, a castle siege, and more than 150 shows a day from over 40 stage acts during the spring season. Over 170 artisans sell largely handcrafted wares with working demonstrations, hands-on extras run from a Hawk Walk to an escape room, and an ASL Deafblind Weekend brings volunteer interpreters to open the faire to more visitors. The campground is a destination in itself - a separate world after the closing cannon, with quiet and rowdy zones and even castle bedrooms for rent - and the community runs year-round through free Gatherings, summer camps, a Celtic Yuletide Festival, and a LARP week on the grounds.
What people love
Attendees consistently describe Sherwood as the warmer, more organic alternative to the giant Texas Renaissance Festival: smaller, cleaner, friendlier, less theme-park, with many preferring it outright. Jousting and falconry are the headline draws, the escape artist and bird shows earn repeat mentions, the mead and kettle corn have fans, and the smaller scale makes it a home-away-from-home for regulars who attend every weekend and know each other. Costumed 'Forest Fae' and fellow attendees are part of the show, and families praise the kid-friendly programming. The gripes are growth-related: peak spring Saturdays bring parking queues of up to two hours on the one-lane entrance road and long lines inside, some feel prices have climbed sharply, food quality varies stall to stall (with a few beloved exceptions), the campground fills fast, and dry years can mean dust.
Last time around
The 2026 season ran eight weekends from the end of February through the April 18-19 farewell weekend, adding a Friday on Spring Break week and hosting the ASL Deafblind Weekend in late March. Attendees called the season a blast, with jousting and falconry the highlights and a great vibe across the village, though the Spring Break Saturday drew crowds heavy enough for long waits at the drink stalls.
See the grounds
On the lanes & stages
Set in the Medieval period. Event style: faire.
Lineup
Costumes & what to wear
Do I need a costume?
Garb is optional and plenty of visitors come in regular clothes, regulars note fewer attendees dress up here than at the Texas Renaissance Festival, but dressing up is warmly encouraged, costume rentals are available, and many first-timers leave wishing they had. Flower crowns and costume pieces are easy to buy in the village if the mood strikes mid-day
Joining in
Robin Hood and Lady Marian host the village, with full-contact jousting, falconry, a castle siege, swordplay, archery, knife throwing, and 10+ live bands among more than 150 shows a day across some 20 performance areas. Hands-on extras include the Hawk Walk falconry experience (separately ticketed), the Forest Quest, a Petrified Dragon escape room, archery ranges, drum circles open to anyone with a drum, and artisan demonstrations, glass blowing, blacksmithing, pottery, weaving, where many booths offer hands-on activities. Off-season, the faire hosts free community Gatherings with volunteer work mornings, summer camps for kids and adults, and a third-party LARP week
Getting there
Nearest airport AUS.
How do I get to Sherwood Forest Faire?
Taxi & rideshare 1
From AUS the faire is roughly a 40-mile, 45-50 minute drive east toward McDade in the Lost Pines. Rideshare and taxi pickup at AUS is at the Consolidated Rental Car Facility (behind the Red Garage), not curbside. There is no transit, rail, or intercity coach to the rural site, so a rideshare covers the whole trip, but book a confirmed return ride before you leave the city, as drivers are sparse out in McDade and cell coverage at the site is unreliable
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, parking is free, no prepay system. Parking is free on site, but the single-lane entrance road backs up badly on peak spring Saturdays, attendees report 90-minute to two-hour waits at the busiest times. Arriving by 9-10 AM, choosing a quieter weekend, or camping on site are the standard ways to avoid the queue
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at AUS
The primary option for fly-in attendees: the faire is a rural Lost Pines site 35+ miles east of Austin with no public transit, rail, or intercity bus, parking is free, and many visitors camp on site, a rental car covers the whole AUS-to-gate trip and lets campers haul gear. Rentals are on-airport at AUS
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Sherwood Forest Faire grounds, 1883 Old Hwy 20 (Lost Pines, 35 miles east of Austin)
Camping & Accommodation
Is there camping at Sherwood Forest Faire?
Yes, on site camping is available.
Facilities
Camping site types 3
Tent and car camping is primitive, in the General (Rowdy) area or the Quiet/Clan zones. Camping requires a camping fee plus faire admission (children under 6 camp free); Friends of Faire members camp free with membership and may leave setups up all season. Current fees are on the faire's Etix ticketing portal
Van/vehicle camping fits within the same primitive General (Rowdy) or Quiet/Clan zones as tents and RVs; no hookups. Same camping fee plus admission applies
The entire campground is primitive (no hookups, gravel/field sites); the record's camping.types are 'primitive' and 'quiet-zone'. Quiet zones bar loud music/generators after 10 PM (medical exceptions); Clan camping keeps music down by midnight, off by 2 AM
Not camping? Where to stay
Mid-range hotels 2
Bastrop, TX, Lost Pines area, roughly 13-18 miles / ~25 min south of the faire
≈ $140-190 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →258 Hwy 290 E, Elgin, TX, about 15 miles / ~20 min west of the faire toward Austin
≈ $110-150 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Pricing
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