Pirates, fairies and knights, oh my! His majesty the king has summoned the very best entertainment – fire breathers, jugglers, musicians, dancers, and pipers from all across the realm to please the patrons of the Great Plains Renaissance Festival. Sword will ring upon shield as knights do battle for the honor of their lady fair, the royal falconer shall fly birds of prey, see sleight of hand and feats of daring. Come one, come all! Check back often as the scribe shall be adding new names to the list of enchanting entertainers as they respond to the royal decree!
The 2023 Spring Entertainment List & Schedule Is Currently Being Updated!
Lances will shatter and sword will ring upon shield as the brave knights of Joust Evolution do battle at the Great Plains Renaissance Festival being held in Sedgwick County Park. Experience the thrill of medieval combat as knight and steed work to win the day. May the most gallant knight win!
Royal Rogues and Renegades
Mannifred Johnstone Yates III and Renea’ Le Roux are award winning performers with a long standing theatre, television, event and live entertainment background spanning well over a decade. With numerous awards and published articles praising their unique one of a kind over the top 100% handmade costuming and entertainment. They specialize in unique period style leather items, hand made hats of all sorts not to be found anywhere else, head dresses, jewelry and all sorts of fabulous accoutrements for the truly decedent diva and dashing dandy. With their unique flamboyant and truly unforgettable entertainment style this dashing duo cannot be duplicated anywhere.
Imagine if you will the fantasy of Captain Hook brought together with the magnificent technicolor swashbuckling movies of the 40’s and 50’s. Royal Rogues and Renegades are a historical fantasy brought to life through their masterful costuming, vending and live entertainment. Huzzah!
The Great Plains Renaissance Festival is proud to bring you the Master Falconers of Raptors Keep! Falconry was a popular sport and status symbol among the nobles of medieval Europe and the Middle East. Eggs and chicks of birds of prey were quite rare and expensive, and because the process of raising and training a hawk or falcon requires a great deal of time, money, and space, it was largely restricted to the noble classes. Be sure to catch one of Raptors Keep informative and entertaining shows, you’ll simply be amazed! Huzzah!
Come and visit the Fairy Court of King Oberon! Ask for a fairy song, or dance! Learn the Goblin song or the “Shooka Shooka”! Finally complete the Fairy Quest and become a part of the Fairy Court. Only fairies get to sparkle!
Herr (Sir) Karl is a 15th Century German Knight, sworn to truth, honor and the code of chivalry. Join Herr Karl and his company of knights…literally! Kids of all ages can live out their fantasy of being a 13th century knight by dressing in chainmail, gorget, gauntlets and knightly helmets – great for photo ops! Then watch our “Arming the Knight” show where you can actually learn the steps to knighthood, the parts of a knights armor and help Herr Karl be suited in his 15th Century full 16-gauge plate harness. Sir Gregory and Don (Sir) Vilhelm will also be wearing their armor at various times each weekend to provide photo ops. Educational and entertaining- huzzah!
The ScallyWags are a Pirate Comedy Show land locked in central Kansas. They are one of the first and longest running Pirate Acts in the U.S.A. and have been with the Great Plains Renaissance Festival for our entire history. There’ll be loads of laughs, swashbuckling and singing (of sorts) and much, much more. You might even end up as part of their show!
The Dangling Dames of Flow Foundry ICT will be taking to the air all weekend at the Great Plains Renaissance! These high flying ladies will dazzle you with their aerial acrobatic skill. The Dangling Dames are Wichita’s first aerial performance art group and a long time favorite at the Great Plains Renaissance Festival. Come hang with the Dangling Dames and all the other great characters of the Great Plains Renaissance and Scottish Festival
The International Highland Games Federation President Francis Brebner has graciously awarded a IHGF US National Amateur Championship qualifying round to the Wichita Highland Games! What does that mean? The winners will get a chance to compete for the USA National Championships and our USA champs will represent the USA in the 2022 IHGF World Amateur Highland Games Championships! We will also host Highland Games competitions in other classes for both men and women. We are greatly honored to host these world class Olympic level events right here in Wichita. Be part of the action and come out and support local events and these great athletes, some of who will represent the USA in the 2023 IHGF World Amateur Highland Games Championships!
Highland Games events running 10am – 5pm daily
Caber toss, Hammer Throw, Weight over Bar, Sheaf Toss, Stone Throw, Weight for Distance
Saturday
Mens & Womens Open
LW Open M & W
Sunday
Masters
Men & Women 40 – 49
Men & Women 50+
Fairies are creatures of legend and lore and in addition to their folkloric origins, fairies were a common feature of Renaissance literature and Romantic art. The Celtic Revival also saw fairies established as a canonical part of Celtic cultural heritage. We are absolutely thrilled to have our talented hometown fairies, the Flint Hills Fairies, join us! Check the schedule for stage times or visit them at the Flint Hills Faires booth. Huzzah!
He’s no stranger to danger and is always sure to draw a crowd. See fire breathing, juggling, death defying acrobatics and much, much more!
Since the turn of the century, a fearless band of misfit rogues has been terrorizing and delighting the Midwest with a unique blend of hilarity and harmonies. The Musical Blades have spent the last 19 years bringing soaring vocals and vibrant performances to countless renaissance festivals and clubs in 12 states across the country’s midsection.
Offering a range of music styles including mug-banging pub chant-alongs, rowdy folk-rock favorites and tear-jerking sea ballads, this pirate crew plunders the hearts of audiences wherever they go.
Appearing Sunday Only!
These lovely and talented ladies have been with us since our very first year but still find new and exciting ways to delight and thrill the patrons of the Great Plains Renaissance Festival with their middle eastern dance performances! Sharing the joy of dance since 1974
The Vikings
Learn about and play Viking Games! Don’t worry, these are Vikings you’ll like!
Ongoing interactive educational displays of Musketeers arms and armor, duties and responsibilities.
What is a Musketeer?
Musketeer refers to any soldier that carries a musket. Often the image brought to mind is that of the French Musketeer. Created by King Louis XIII of France, the served as Household Guard, Secret Service, and the Special Forces for the King. These men were unmatched by any ordinary soldier
Éiníní is a folk music band that performs traditional music from cultures throughout history. Our name, pronounced “eh-NEE-nee,” means “little birds.”
River City Pipes and Drums
Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling…Join the Flint Hills Pipers, River City Pipes and Drums and Wichita Caledonian Pipes and Drums as they lead our Parade of Scottish Clans through the Great Plains Renaissance and Scottish Festival September 28th and 29th, 2019 at Sedgwick County Park.
This new event is a first step in expanding the Scottish presence and activities at the festival, looking forward to full-fledged piping & drumming competitions by soloists and bands from around the region. Huzzah!
Black Oak Shillelagh
Give a big Great Plains Renaissance Festival welcome to Black Oak Shillelagh! Exciting, energetic and fun! These talented troubadours will have you dancing to their jigs and reels and Celtic tunes. Their repertoire includes traditional Irish and Scottish ballads and songs and covers of the music of modern Irish artists such as Christy Moore. They’ve also been known to throw in a few songs from the sea and from places where the Irish immigrated. We also happen to think that Black Oak Shillelagh is the coolest name for a Celtic band – EVER! Huzzah!
The Jolly Bodgers
Crafters and re-enenactors do live demonstrations of their craft.
Their majesties have decreed that a good shall be had by one and all at the Great Plains Renaissance Festival this weekend! Our King and Queen invite you to stop by the Royal Court for the Chivalry for Children’s knighting of the children (1pm and 3:45pm), the Queen’s Tea(2pm) and the King’s and Queen’s Court (11am, 3:15pm). Long live the King! Long live the Queen! Huzzah!
Chivalry for Children
“Knighthood lies above eternity; it doesn’t live off fame, but rather deeds.”
During their formative years, children are fascinated by the stories of heroes. In these legends and fairy tales, they find not only role models, but also an opportunity to explore for themselves the endless possibilities inherent in their imagination and creativity.
Even today, with the Internet and other incredible forms of mass communication and entertainment, the world of knights, with their tales of courtesy and chivalry still exert a powerful influence on the minds and imaginations of children of all ages.
Chivalry for Children seeks to tap into that fascination, and with stories and activities, to use it as a vehicle to inspire, encourage, and guide children and young adults to seek within themselves the qualities of “chivalry” which they possess but which may lie dormant within them, and to exhibit those virtues in their interactions with others.
Academ’e de Duello
The Acadam’e de Duello is a renaissance fencing club dedicated to the teaching of Renaissance Fencing as used from 1450 to 1750 AD based in Wichita, Kansas. “What is renaissance fencing?” Simply put, the European martial art of rapier fighting. The rapier was an effective, lightweight civilian weapon worn by nobles and scoundrels alike. The fighting style used by Acadam’e de Duello fighting is more effective than the Hollywood versions…”
Francis Brebner
Please welcome Francis Brebner to the Wichita Highland Games & Celtic Festival! He is our Announcer for the Highland Games, and the President of the International Highland Games Federation. He has held many World Championship titles and holds two World Records in the Weight For Distance category in the Highland Games.
- SGA World Highland Games Championship 1997
- IFSA World Games Champion 1996
- World Caber Championship 1991, 93, 96, 98, 99, 2000, 01
- World Record Holder 56ib weight for Distance 48ft 1”
- World Record Holder 28lb weight for Distance 94ft 1”
- British Caber Championship 1992, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000
- Scottish Caber Championship 1992, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 2000
- Scottish 28lb weight for Distance Championship 1997
- Scottish 56lb Weight for Distance Championship 1993, 94, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000
- Scottish 56lb Weight over the Bar Championship 1997, 98
- British 28lb Weight for Distance Championship, 2001, 02
- Scottish Championship 1990
- European Championship 1993
- World Team Challenge 91, 92
- Tokyo Championship 90, 91
- Royal Braemar Games 1998
- Braemar Caber Championship Presented by the Queen 1998, 99
- North East of Scotland’s Strongest Man 1987
- North East of Scotland Arm Wrestling Champion 1987
The Blackheart Renaissance Fencing Club holds practices every Tuesday in Derby, Kansas. We are a non-profit group that studies and practices swordsmanship from the renaissance and post renaissance eras dating from approximately 1100CE to 1800CE.
A Wichita fencing academy with the goal to teach fencing to everyone that wishes to learn. The WFHA teaches the art of the Epee and Longsword. Thrill to the skill of the art of the sword!
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