St. Louis Renaissance Festival
- Dates
- Sep 12 to Oct 25, 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Rotary Park, 2577 West Meyer Road
- Price
- $25
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 24, 2026
The experience
What's special
The St. Louis Renaissance Festival transforms Rotary Park in Wentzville into Petite Lyon, a 1520s village in southern France where King Francois, Queen Claude, and Queen Katherine of Aragon hold court - a French twist on the usual English faire setting. Run by Mid-America Festivals, the season covers seven autumn weekends plus a Monday holiday date, with tournament jousting three times daily, nine stages of comedy, music, and magic, an artisan marketplace with working demonstrations, and games from archery and knife throwing to a longbow competition, all included with admission. Eight theme weekends span Pirate High Seas Adventure through Oktoberfest, Viking Invasion, and Enchanted Halloween - including Pups & Pints at one of the few dog-friendly faires, with its own dog rules and registration program - and extras include Daily Royal Events, the Les Amis season-pass experience, weddings, and free-admission weekends for military members and first responders.
What people love
Fans call it a fun day close to the city: unique handmade goods not seen at other faires, the jousting as the main attraction with plenty of side shows included in admission, impressive birds of prey, a corgi race, mead to sample, and attendees and in-character cast who make costumed visitors feel part of the story. Sentiment is sharply divided, though. Long-time attendees describe a festival that has declined from its earlier era - site upkeep and grounds maintenance draw frequent complaints, the food is widely panned with very long lines and a single turkey-leg stand that sells out, peak days feel overcrowded for the number of open vendors, and admission and extras strike many as poor value. A vocal part of the local community urges skipping the festival altogether, citing concerns about its management and treatment of cast and staff, while other recent visitors report going in spite of the criticism and having a genuinely good time.
Last time around
The 2025 festival ran weekends September 13 through October 26, plus Monday, October 13, at Rotary Park, with local television covering the return. First-time attendee accounts from the season describe a mixed but ultimately enjoyable day - the turkey legs sold out and maps were hard to come by, yet the visit still landed as an amazing time for some.
Themed weekends
Open Saturdays and Sundays, September 12 through October 25, 2026, plus Monday, October 12, fifteen festival days, 10 AM to 6 PM, rain or shine
On the lanes & stages
Set in the Renaissance period. Event style: faire.
Lineup
Costumes & what to wear
Do I need a costume?
Costumes are a normal part of the scene, attendees arrive in costume and the cast stays in character alongside them, but they are optional and earn no admission discount. Costume contests run every weekend, and eight theme weekends (pirates, kilts, Oktoberfest, heroes and villains, Vikings, Halloween, and more) give returning visitors a different look to dress for. Prop weapons are fine within the festival's peace-tie rules, and no costume may include sharp or pointed materials that could accidentally strike another guest
Costume rules
Costumes and attire must be family-friendly and may not be offensive, obstructive, violent, or otherwise objectionable. Footwear is required at all times. Children may wear masks; adults may wear appropriate masks that do not cover the entire face, and the festival may require a mask's removal at its discretion. Guests in bulky or layered clothing may face additional security screening. Wearing a costume does not earn free admission, but costume contests run each weekend
Weapons policy
Firearms are banned on the premises. Swords and daggers may be worn only fully sheathed and secured with a plastic zip tie (peace-tied; zip ties are available at the entrance gate) and may never be drawn. Real axes, claymores, maces, antique firearms, pikes, and halberds are not allowed. Longbows are allowed only unstrung, and tipped arrows only for that day's longbow competitors. Foam, plastic, cardboard, and toy prop weapons are allowed sheathed or peace-bonded. Carriers must be 18 or older; no drawing of any weapon at any time
Joining in
Admission includes all entertainment: tournament jousting three times daily (11:30 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM), stage, street, and musical acts, specialty groups, and theme-weekend events, with weekend costume contests, archery (including a longbow competition), knife throwing, high striker, and other games, plus rides. Daily Royal Events are available at additional cost, and the Les Amis program offers a season-pass experience. Guests may not busk or pose for tips
Getting there
Nearest airport STL.
How do I get to St. Louis Renaissance Festival?
By bus 1
Intercity coaches arrive in downtown St. Louis, about 45 miles east of the festival; from there a rideshare completes the trip (MetroLink and MetroBus cover the city but do not cross into St. Charles County). Practical mainly for travelers already routing through St. Louis without a car
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare 1
Rotary Park is about 35 miles west of STL, a 40-minute run out I-70 to the Wentzville Parkway exit. Rideshare and taxi pickup use the standard STL terminal zones (taxis add a $4 airport fee to the meter). Worth knowing: STL's MetroLink light rail serves both terminals, but the network stops well short of St. Charles County, no train or local bus reaches Wentzville, so road transport covers the whole leg
Book / info →By train
No direct passenger rail 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. Follow the parking attendants' direction at Rotary Park; vehicles left in No Parking areas are towed. Disabled-accessible parking is available. Same-day re-entry is allowed with a hand stamp
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at STL
The practical choice for fly-in visitors: no rail or bus reaches Wentzville, the park has free parking, and a car from STL's on-airport counters covers the 35-mile leg plus hotel runs along the I-70 corridor
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Rotary Park, 2577 West Meyer Road
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near St. Louis Renaissance Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Budget stays 1
Wentzville, MO, right off I-70 with quick on-off interstate access
Book direct →Mid-range hotels 2
130 Crossroads South Drive, Wentzville, MO, off I-70, about 10 min from Rotary Park
Book direct →Wentzville, MO, right off I-70, about 10 min from Rotary Park
≈ $140-160 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Rentals spread across Wentzville, Lake St. Louis, and O'Fallon along the I-70/I-64 corridor. Wentzville-area lodging runs cheaper in the fall than in summer, and the festival's seven-weekend season spreads demand out, normal booking windows are fine
Search Airbnb →Campers have real options within half an hour: Cuivre River State Park's wooded campgrounds lie to the north near Troy, and Hipcamp lists private-land tent and RV stays across the wine-country stretch of the Missouri River valley south and west of Wentzville. The festival itself is a day event with no on-site camping
Search Hipcamp →Pricing
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