By Matthew Young, RealWV
LEWISBURG, W.Va. – In little more than three weeks, the hills and hollers west of Lewisburg will be transformed into an Arthurian-fairytale – complete with knights, fairies, and dragons – as the West Virginia Renaissance Festival once again opens its gates to the Greenbrier Valley.
Beginning on June 3, and continuing every Saturday and Sunday throughout the month, the Renaissance Festival promises to deliver family-friendly fun for children of all ages. From music and shows, to costumes and games, to demonstrations and food (so much food), the Renaissance Festival offers something for everyone.
Now in its fifth season, the festival will feature many new acts and attractions in 2023, as well as some old familiar favorites.
“We try to have new stuff every year,” Taso Stavrakis, co-owner and operator of the W.Va. Renaissance Festival, told RealWV. “We have a bunch of new acts. If any from last year aren’t back, they will be again in the future. A lot of the acts rotate in and out.”
Among the new performers appearing this year is Cast in Bronze, a musical act specializing in the playing of the carillon – an instrument consisting of 35 individual bells which weigh four tons each. According to their website, “Cast in Bronze is the only musical act of its kind in the world, and features the only two carillons in history supported by listeners.”
Since their founding in 1991, Cast in Bronze has performed all across the United States, including a five-year engagement at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida, and the Mass of Pope John Paul II in New York’s Central Park. Cast in Bronze has also appeared with Alice Cooper as part of his “Christmas Pudding” benefit concert in 2004.
Additional musical acts will include Loch Moor, Kathleen Finnegan, Coal Black Rose, Boom Boom Shake, Bad Beth and Beyond, Patrick O’Flaherty, and more.
The West Virginia Renaissance Festival is located on Route 60, 9 miles west of Lewisburg, and will be open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June. Tickets are $18 for adults, and $8 for children ages six through 12. Kids under six-years-old are admitted free with parent or guardian.
For more information about the West Virginia Renaissance Festival, including a complete schedule of events and performance times, visit https://www.wvrenfest.com/.
