Being the first renaissance faire of the new 2003 Texas Festival Season, naturally all the Rennies and Playtrons of Austin and Houston turned out to celebrate at Excalibur. Alas, but I bypassed ERF's Opening Weekend in favor of attending Gulf Wars XII, instead. However, the three weekends which followed MORE than made up for any of the festivities I might have missed on Opening Weekend! Excalibur had a considerable lot to offer me in 2003: besides meeting and greeting all my old Rennish friends and acquaintances again; hanging out with my friends J --just "J"! -- and Regina, both at camp and at faire; buying Christmas gifts and birthday presents for my friends from the good merchants of Excalibur; and attending two handfastings and a wedding, I still managed to photograph the jousts (Photo, Left: waiting to enter the Lists, one of the knights of Noble Cause Productions is shown here, silhouetted against a darkly-ominous and lowering sky), the entertainers, various costumed Rennies and Playtrons, some of the street theater and a goodly part of the tangled intrigues surrounding King Arthur's Court this year. Among my favorites was a new children's event -- "Slay the Dragon" -- where patron children took turns bashing a dragon pinata with a wooden sword (Photo, below: this lovely maiden screamed when she first spied the fell beast, but she used her sword on him with gusto, soon after!). Of course, once the dragon was beaten into submission, there was a mad scramble for the candy inside, but the Master-of-Ceremonies for the event made sure even the youngest came away with a prize!
N ow Excalibur and TRF are the only renaissance festivals in the entire state of Texas which offer weekend camping to their patrons. This is a big draw, believe it or not! For one thing, there's no l-o-n-g, tiring commute at the beginning/end of the day. You're already home when you camp Excalibur! Even better: the campground is conveniently located just up the hill from the festival site, making it easy to shuttle back and forth all day between faire and camp as often as you want. Forget something back in camp or want to catch a quick catnap mid-day? No problem! Just hop in your car and five minutes later, you're "home"! Unlike TRF, however -- where camping is included in the price of admission -- Excalibur does charge a small fee to set up tent. Unfortunately, camping space is severely limited. The Excalibur campground covers an acre of wooded ground at most, which makes for a MOST "intimate" camping experience (Photo, below). And it IS "primitive" camping! A shower is available down at the clubhouse, but hot water is most certainly at a premium. Unless you're one of the first three folk to use the shower in the morning, expect ICE COLD water -- or so it was reported to me! Otherwise, the usual Portapotties are the only other "facilities" provided. Bottom line: arrive early to select the best site and be prepared to rough it!
Weatherwise, Excalibur falls directly on the cusp between Winter and Spring here in Texas, so faire weather -- not just on season weekends but from Saturday to Sunday! -- can be "changeable", to say the least! For example, the weekend my young friend Regina came out to play her Faerie character, Aviana, Saturday started out overcast and cold, with a strong wind blowing out of the north (Photo, Right: J and Regina posing for their portraits at Excalibur on Third Weekend, both wrapped snugly in thick, warm cloaks). It was definitely NOT Faerie weather that Saturday, needless to say! But overnight a warm front came through, pushing the clouds away and sending temperatures soaring on Sunday. Which allowed Aviana to put in a highly-appreciated appearance (Photo, Below: Aviana with Ryleh at the Excalibur Fantasy Faire). My advice: if you're going to Excalibur, wear layered garb and bring a warm cloak. If the weather's cold and blustery, you'll praise the Godz for your own foresight and thoughtfulness; and if the weather turns hot and sunny, you can ALWAYS shed enough layers to stay comfortable! Also bring plenty of good sunscreen. Even if the sky is completely overcast, by mid-March the Texas sun is still strong enough to burn! Which I (re)learned, much to my chagrin: even with a broad hat, I STILL sunburned badly, as the photo (below), shows!!!
SLAYING THE DRAGON -- Five views of an impromtu children's event at ERF2003.
AVIANA AND SHAKIYA -- Nine views of two lovely faeries playing together at Excalibur!
THE PICKLE JOUST -- Eight views of a hilarious parody of knightly tournaments and Medieval jousting as played in the lanes at ERF2003.
ROMANCE IN THE AIR -- 19 views of a wedding and two handfastings held on the grounds of the Excalibur Renaissance Festival in 2003!
KAT! -- 14 views of the pretty Kat faerie who stayed and played at Excalibur in 2003.
"BOWLING FOR GOBLINS" -- Five views of a hilarious street gig played out between two members of the Excalibur cast, Mordred and Lady Annowre.
Standard Disclaimer: This webpage is strictly an *Unofficial* look at the Excalibur Renaissance Festival held near Bastrop, TX. The author of these pages is in no way, shape, manner or form connected with the Excalibur Renaissance Festival (OFFICE ADDRESS: 1007 Main St., Suite E, Bastrop, TX 78602) and/or any of the sponsors associated with this event. All opinions expressed are strictly this author's own. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are copyright ©2000-2004 by George Laking.