Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire

The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire (WMRF) is the Pacific Northwest's largest Renaissance faire, an immersive summer event set in the 16th-century Elizabethan village of Merriwick and produced by the nonprofit Wandering In Time Productions. It runs five themed weekends (Viking, Feast of Fools, Dark Fantasy, Pirate, and Fae & Fables) each July and August at Sky Meadows on the Skykomish River in Snohomish, after relocating from its longtime Bonney Lake home. Highlights include full-contact jousting, mounted battle archery, birds of prey, fire shows, roaming cast and guilds, separately ticketed Knight Club evening after-parties, and extensive onsite tent and RV camping. Tickets are sold online only through AXS, and parking is free.

Fans praise WMRF as beautifully organized, inclusive and non-judgmental, with spectacular performers, a strong camping and evening-event scene, and a large, polished production; its Google rating sits around 4.5 across more than a thousand reviews. Sentiment is genuinely divided, though: vocal critics on local forums complain about high ticket and camping costs relative to what is included, long food lines and expensive food, intense midsummer sun with little shade, and (for some) an atmosphere that felt off or short on free kids' activities. Many of the harshest logistics complaints trace to a difficult final year at the old Bonney Lake site; attendees report the move to Sky Meadows improved parking and entry speed.

The 2026 season ran five weekends (July 18-August 16) at Sky Meadows with admission reported as sold out. Attendees generally praised the organization, performers and immersive camping/evening events, while recurring gripes centered on expensive food with long lines and the hot, largely shadeless grounds; the newer site drew credit for free, plentiful parking and fast entry.