Renaissance Festival at Indian Ladder Farms
NEW SCOTLAND — This summer, residents can travel back in time to an era of jousting and juggling for the first New York Capital District Renaissance Festival. The festival will be held on parcels owned by Peter Ten Eyck, making Indian Ladder Farms home to this event, which will be held on June 14 and 15.
The festival is its own entity, but will be directed by Kendall Hudson, owner of Kendall Hudson events. Hudson has been in the event business for 12 years, and the idea for bringing a Renaissance festival to the Capital District came from a conversation she had with Gia Pace, who was the entertainment director at a festival held in New York City.
The two decided there was a lack of medieval festivals in the Capital District.
“We wanted to bring one to that area,” Hudson said, who also said that Renaissance festivals “just kind of found [her]” during her career path. Hudson has been the performance director for the Medieval Festival in Fort Tryon Park in New York City since 2009.
Pace will be joining the Capital District festival as the performance director this time, taking charge of contracts with performers and scheduling events.
There will be three stages as well as a jousting area, with on-stage events every 30 minutes, Hudson said. Performances will include magicians, stilt-walkers, jugglers, traditional swordplay, and Shakespearean acts. The jousting event will occur twice on both festival days.
Additionally, the festival will offer food, beverages, and souvenir vendors with festival staples such as face painting and hair wreaths, and also traditional Renaissance arts such as leatherworking, pottery, and chainmail.
“There’s something for everyone,” Hudson said.
June 14 is celebrated as World Juggling Day this year, which is a pleasant coincidence for the festival, and June 15 is Father’s Day. The festival will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with adult tickets $12, and $5 for children.
Hudson chuckled when asked why Renaissance festivals are so popular, and said, “I think it’s the adult excuse to dress up and have fun.”