The Texas Renaissance Festival
Announces Updates for the 39th Festival Season
Festival plans Expansions and Additions for 2013
Todd Mission, Texas (February 25, 2013) The Texas Renaissance Festival, the nation's largest and most acclaimed festival of its kind, announces the completion of multiple festival improvements in preparation for the upcoming festival season, which will run every weekend from October 12 - December 1, 2013.
The lords and ladies at the Texas Renaissance Festival have been hard at work during the off-season to ensure that when the Festival gates open on October 12 for the 39th season, this year will be the best one yet. From simple updates to entirely new venues, enthusiasts will enjoy all of the improvements set to be made, making the experience fresh and exciting for even the most avid festival fans.
Noteworthy changes include a new stage for the 2013 festival. The Falconer Heath will create an opportunity for unseen performances and original entertainment. There will be a brand new Fairy Princess Venue, where the Festival's Fairy Princess will and make wishes come true with her magic wand. Moreover, a facelift is also being planned for the arena dais, the place where the Royal Court observes the jousting events, to enhance the look and feel of one of the favored locations in the King's realm.
The Texas Renaissance Festival will also celebrate the beginning of a new season with several additions and improvements to one of the fans' favorite location on the grounds, the Fields of New Market campsite. 2013 will host an array of additions to the camp grounds, including shower facilities, possible RV pads and expanded premium camping, which allows true Renaissance buffs to camp closer to the front gates, assuring that they have the best access to the festival during daylight hours.
Other improvements include a new water loop around the festival and road improvements. Among evening out the roads, the Texas Renaissance Festival plans to expand traffic lanes exiting the festival to cut back on traffic and congestion during high-attendance weekends. The festival also plans to add to additional premium parking, which will be reserved for guests who wish to park their "carriage" within the first several rows of parking, closest to the entrance gates. These improvements are sure to enhance the festival experience and make the visit more comfortable and enjoyable.
All improvements and additions are set to be completed before the opening of this year's festival, October 12, 2013. For more information about the Texas Renaissance Festival, please visit www.texrenfest.com (http://www.texrenfest.com) or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Texas Renaissance Festival:
The Texas Renaissance Festival is the Nation's largest and most acclaimed Renaissance theme park where the sights, sounds, tastes and beauty of the 16th Century come alive for eight magically-themed weekends. The Texas Renaissance Festival welcomes nearly half a million guests annually and features nearly 500 costumed performers on 17 stages; 400 shoppes including international food purveyors, unique artisans, merchants and craft vendors; human-powered rides; an abundance of strolling performers and the Royal Finale at dusk.
The Festival received the 2010 and 2011 Merchant Circle "Circle of Excellence" award and was recognized by H Texas Magazine as the "Best Alternative Wedding Location" in the 2012 Best of H Texas issue.
The Festival is held Saturdays, Sundays and Thanksgiving Friday. The Texas Renaissance Festival is located 50 miles northwest of Houston on more than 50 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds on FM 1774, between Magnolia and Plantersville, Texas. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.texrenfest.com (http://www.texrenfest.com) or follow us on Facebook/Twitter.
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Questions?
Quote from: Terre Albert on February 25, 2013, 10:39:44 AM
...and expanded premium camping...
So this can be interpreted in multiple ways. Perhaps Terre, you wouldn't mind expanding on this topic which is sure to bring the temps up on a couple of patrons (o:
There are some nice pictures of the new premium camping on the FB page. It looks really nice.
Premium means closer. Same price $20 just closer to the gate. List any specific questions and I can answer them.
That answered my question - Thanks Terre (o:
Quote from: Terre Albert on February 25, 2013, 10:39:44 AM
...and expanded premium camping...
...The festival also plans to add to additional premium parking...
I know this issue may have been like beating a dead horse a few months ago, however we may need a synonym.
Premium camping is a slight expansion to allow closer camping to the gates, no additional cost?
However,
premium parking covers rows close to the gate, for a fee?
Is this where i should start getting my hackles up or should i wait a few months for eveyone else to catch up? :o
I think it should be explained why so many peoples' hackles get up whenever things like this are discussed, as it will help everyone from Terre to the average viewer understand the various sides that are taken and the reason friction exists. TRF is going to try to squeeze every last penny they can out of whatever sources they can find. It's a business, businesses exist to make a profit. The problem that has cropped up in the past with TRF- and is nearing epidemic levels with many major businesses out there these days- is that they will take actions that they believe will increase profits without looking at the long term ramifications. The fact that, over the very short term, these actions actually DO generate some additional income just reinforces this behaviour. Over the long term, however, many of these actions will drive customers away, especially if competitors exist. TRF has long existed without any direct competition, thus the various general managers over the past few decades- especially George- became complacent in the expectation that the people would show up no matter what they did, and any vocal anger was to be ignored as it was just a bunch of people with sour grapes who would buy tickets anyway (just to clarify, it wasn't Terre that said this, I overheard this snippet before he came on the scene).
The problem with this view is that there ARE competitors now and TRF actually HAS lost significant numbers of patrons over the years as a result of this seemingly-condescending attitude. Sure, they still bring in huge crowds, but those crowds would be significantly larger had the reputation of TRF not suffered. I hear many people say they would rather go to X festival than "that medieval flea market", as it is often referred to. On this forum alone are many folks who will tell you outright that they left TRF in disgust long ago and have no intention to return, and those same people spend thousands at other festivals that could be going into the coffers of TRF and it's vendors.
Terre, you are in a unique position. Unlike any other GM before you, you actually get on here and elsewhere and talk to us. I can speak from personal experience that you have a lot of damage control that winds up being dropped in your lap because of the behaviour and actions of other members of the TRF team- the incident of trolling on these forums by a member of your own staff being a good example- and I know you catch flack for their actions. To your credit, you have not crucified them publicly to take the heat off of your own head. I think we should all try to remember this and not drop the hammer on you for something someone else did, either here or on the TRF Facebook page. So, it is important that we deal with you based on the actions that you take as the general manager rather than the actions of others, which will help keep the focus on improving this festival. I mention this first because a lot of the heat you catch has been created by other people, and it is important that you- and the viewing public- realize that a lot of the antagonism that is directed at you in these discussions is actually generated by other sources. We all need to remember this and try and pare it down to the issues that you- as GM- have direct control or influence over.
To that end, when dealing with the public here and elsewhere you have to remember that you are making decisions and taking actions in an attempt to increase TRF's profitability that will anger some patrons. Sometimes it is the action itself- the cutting back of cast, removal of certain acts, allowing immersion-breaking things into faire for profit without considering the impact it has, etc.- and other times it is how the action is presented. This is where things get dicey. Some of the decisions made could be presented to the public in such a way that will not irritate them, or the complete opposite can happen if it is mishandled. The introduction of premium parking last year is a prime example. The problem wasn't the idea of premium parking, it was the fact that it suddenly cropped up without warning mid-season. Thus, an action that was taken to help keep TRF from going into the red was handled very poorly from a PR perspective, and unnecessarily angered a lot of people. If- as happens at other faires with premium parking- it had been announced and on the website in a prominent spot (as opposed to hidden in some obscure corner), there would have been little to no outcry. It is important that this sort of thing be avoided to keep unnecessary blow-ups from happening, and I am glad to see you coming out with these changes early on. You're not going to make everyone happy, but handling it in this way helps keep things from going nuclear.
Now, for the patrons- we all love our ren faires, but it is important to remember that they will evolve, and that they are- first and foremost- businesses. They exist to make profit by entertaining folks. Our passion for our faires can be invaluable in helping them shape the future of where those faires go. This is the whole reason why I started the improvements thread, so people could talk to Terre directly and say "Hey, this would be cool" versus the previous gripe-fest rants we all engaged in. Voicing a concern or complaint can also be mishandled, and turn into a blow-up as well. Finding the balance between what we all want and what the drive for profit (and the oft-erratic dictates of George) demand is not easy. There will be headbutting moments, and there will be actions taken by TRF that will be fiscally foolish and/or serious PR flubs. Likewise, there will be tirades that blow up into flamewar rantings by angry patrons/playtrons, some legit, some completely bunk. The end sum is what is important- does Terre listen to the valid complaints and suggestions that are viable and improve the faire, and do we stop ranting and try to help him make that happen? If we can both do this, TRF will recover from the reputation as a themed Taiwanese-junk-peddling mall with no soul it has in many circles and come back to what hooked us all in the first place.
Errrr... yeah, what he said. ;D
I have to give Terre props for actually listening to all of our suggestions and gripes. We, as a whole, can be a nagging tiresome lot.... and some of us enjoy it! ;) :D
Breandan, I love hearing the voice of reason. Thanks for that.
Agree with most of Breandan's points, it's important to remember it's a business. I'm not sure they are really loosing "significant numbers of patrons" though. Yes, any business is going to loose customers, they get mad, bored, priced out, aged out, change hobbies, move away, etc.. there are limits to what any business can do to fix all those issues.
But if you look at attendance numbers, I submit these losses are offset by growth- in the last few years TRF has added about 50,000 patrons per season, and actually 100,000 from 2011 to 2012.
Not saying the number of patrons they have lost is going to kill their business, as I said, they still continue to grow, it would just be an even larger growth had some of those folks not been alienated. It's not just us playtrons that I have heard from who walked away, a lot of the "beer-n-boobies" and "Medieval Disneyland" patron crowd have been put off to the point of no return as well. The majority of non-playtrons who have expressed negative opinions of TRF when I mention it were largely put off by the sudden jacking-up of ticket prices a few years back, when they jumped several dollars per ticket with very little notice. This was, again, before Terre's time, and not something he takes the blame for. Considering that a lot of that additional revenue from raised ticket prices was not put back into faire, but instead into "other avenues of investment" as it was explained to me, it wound up hurting faire twice over.
When it comes to playtrons, I personally know over a dozen people who walked away from TRF over the past ten years to other faires, angered by everything from mismanagement to cast cutbacks to poor vendor jurying to- most recently- the "strip-club restaurant" (the Brazilian place). These people represent a sum total of several thousand dollars that TRF has lost in annual revenue- in ADDITION to the growth they still have- because of issues that could easily have been avoided. I know that some folks will consider that to be a pathetic amount of money for a multi-million dollar business, but consider this- as tight as we are being told TRF's budget has been of late, would it not make more sense to try and win those customers back rather than dismiss them as expendable patrons because they don't bring in massive money individually? Businesses can still bleed out from small sales losses as well. The income they could have gained from the folks here and elsewhere who no longer go to TRF could have hired new acts, paid considerably towards site improvements, built a new gazebo stage, etc. Every little bit counts, and this is why I try to get people to work with Terre first rather than walk away in disgust. Hell, he's kept me from doing so by responding to our concerns, so I think we can make this work.
The improvements sound wonderful, so thank you!
I just have one point of concern... Has security been taken into account during the design of the patron showers? Lots of drinking and unknown chemicals + known location containing naked women might not make for the safest combination. Just a thought.
Quote from: amandowar on March 01, 2013, 07:02:51 PM
The improvements sound wonderful, so thank you!
I just have one point of concern... Has security been taken into account during the design of the patron showers? Lots of drinking and unknown chemicals + known location containing naked women might not make for the safest combination. Just a thought.
Most of the women out there know this and therefore we travel in packs. ;D ;)
Quote from: LadyJessica on March 01, 2013, 08:02:55 PM
Most of the women out there know this and therefore we travel in packs. ;D ;)
Ha! Makes sense. I guess I will have to find some females, or station one of the men in my group outside the restroom, if I feel the need to shower. Hopefully he won't be mistaken for a lech. :) I trust the faire participants well enough, but the patrons scare me sometimes. A few years ago we had a guy doped up on something wander into our car, take a seat, and light up. o__O Apparently he thought it was his friends car or something.
Quote from: amandowar on March 01, 2013, 08:11:11 PM
Quote from: LadyJessica on March 01, 2013, 08:02:55 PM
Most of the women out there know this and therefore we travel in packs. ;D ;)
Ha! Makes sense. I guess I will have to find some females, or station one of the men in my group outside the restroom, if I feel the need to shower. Hopefully he won't be mistaken for a lech. :) I trust the faire participants well enough, but the patrons scare me sometimes. A few years ago we had a guy doped up on something wander into our car, take a seat, and light up. o__O Apparently he thought it was his friends car or something.
If you ever make it/do make it to Sherwood Forest Faire, the showers are right off the "main" road, by the back gate. It's also right across from a clan full of Crusaders and Knights! So it's pretty safe, lol. Sometimes though, if it's busy/just want some company or my husband and I are having a conversation and I would like to continue it, I will just have him come with me and stand outside the door facing out and slightly towards the faire, so that he doesn't look like he's just standing and staring.
No one has said anything, and by the time they come out of the stall people are semi covered. I can imagine TRF is going to be a -whole- new beast however, so do whatever makes -you- feel safe.
As one of those "scary patrons" i should give you a >:( but i'm a forgiving sort... Meggers thought i was scary until she actually met me... :D
Quote from: Laird Fraser of Lovatt on March 05, 2013, 11:49:14 AM
As one of those "scary patrons" i should give you a >:( but i'm a forgiving sort... Meggers thought i was scary until she actually met me... :D
.......... ::) :-X
Quote from: Laird Fraser of Lovatt on March 05, 2013, 11:49:14 AM
As one of those "scary patrons" i should give you a >:( but i'm a forgiving sort... Meggers thought i was scary until she actually met me... :D
I didn't say
all of the patrons scare me. I've just heard enough tales of crazy running around the faire that I probably wouldn't be comfortable using the showers. You can't have half a million patrons and not have a few crazies. I imagine you aren't the type to camp out in a women's bathroom stall...
*this is meant as a joke* I dunno he might...
Quote from: Riot on March 06, 2013, 02:23:47 PM
*this is meant as a joke* I dunno he might...
Depends on who may be visiting... ;D
Expanded roads? Excellent.
I'd like to see more seating benches. I've overheard many of my customers wishing for more benches to sit on.
Showers will have a male and female attendant just like the bathrooms and will have set hours of operation. We recognize the safety issues of showers and wouldn't put anyone in danger.
Quote from: Terre Albert on March 15, 2013, 04:19:26 PM
Showers will have a male and female attendant just like the bathrooms and will have set hours of operation. We recognize the safety issues of showers and wouldn't put anyone in danger.
Wonderful! Thank you.
Terre, not sure if the falls under your umbrella but what about comments/suggestions for existing food vendors? Is that something we can put in a Suggestion Box?
I woul dbe more than happy to forward anything to our Vendor Coordinator for food suggestions.
Quote from: Terre Albert on March 19, 2013, 02:03:46 PM
I woul dbe more than happy to forward anything to our Vendor Coordinator for food suggestions.
It's not really a suggestion for new items as it is a hope for improvement for one item. The Prime Rib Trencher at The POW has always been my 'go to' item while at faire. The last few seasons it has let me down in flavor and presentation. In the past the prime rib was cut as we are all accustom when we order it at a restaurant, at least 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick; the temp of the meat was usually around med-rare, juicy and absolutely delish. These last few years it has changed to be more in line with jerky :( ....thinly sliced, overcooked (sear/grill marks across the meat) and dry. If they would change back to the old way of serving this dish I would be so happy. :) Thanks!
Received and will research. Thanks
GREAT... it's one of my favorites too... don't care about the price, as long as its good! ;)
Quote from: Terre Albert on May 13, 2013, 03:14:10 PM
Received and will research. Thanks
YAY!! Thanks Terre!
Saw the post on FB about some camp showers being ready for this season. I think there will be lots of 'happy campers' about that! *giggle, snort at stupid pun* ;D
They broke ground today and the concrete starts next week. Should be a nice clean facility.
Sounds great!
That's great news, Terre!
Quote from: Laird Fraser of Lovatt on March 05, 2013, 11:49:14 AM
As one of those "scary patrons" i should give you a >:( but i'm a forgiving sort... Meggers thought i was scary until she actually met me... :D
I still find you off-putting, brother...but I don't hold it against you
I know for the clan I'm in (Pirates of Tortuga), we actually have our own security pack when it comes to things like either having watchful eyes around camp or when the Wenches want to go off to shower! I am excited for the showers being there and it'll be interesting to see how they have it set up.
Quote from: Mouse on May 17, 2013, 03:56:16 PM
Quote from: Laird Fraser of Lovatt on March 05, 2013, 11:49:14 AM
As one of those "scary patrons" i should give you a >:( but i'm a forgiving sort... Meggers thought i was scary until she actually met me... :D
I still find you off-putting, brother...but I don't hold it against you
Roast mouse
(http://ciarraide.org/pics_n_such/Roasted_Tim.jpg)
His memory is short, methinks ;D
I see many happy comments about the addition of showers. Let me add we are building a nice facility, that will be clean like our bathrooms, have an attendant for safety and make the camping experience better. We have kept the fee at $20 for the weekend and will charge a fee to shower. We have seen many camping areas use this system and it works well. With up to 5,000 campers every weekend safety and cleanliness is our primary concern and we believe this solves both. All praise to the King for this new addition!
Now if only there were electrical outlets in there I could use my hair dryer and flat iron. I know, I know! So demanding!
Great, now I have no excuse to smell like I've been out in the woods for 3 days straight.
>:(
Thanks for all your work Terre!!
Hi Terre!
Has it been determined what the shower fee will be yet? Will it be charged by use or will we be able to buy a weekend pass so we don't have to bring cash each time?
Excellent questions. Terre must be on vacation.
Vacation? What's that? Sorry I haven't check here in a while. It's not set in stone but I believe we are setting it at $5 unlimited time. It will have an attendant at all times and HOT water. Hope this answers your questions. Camping is still $20 for the car load, for the weekend.
Quote from: Laird Fraser of Lovatt on May 13, 2013, 03:23:11 PM
GREAT... it's one of my favorites too... don't care about the price, as long as its good! ;)
Sounds like a great item. Where is this available? How much is it?
Thanks.
Don
Worth EVERY penny! I don't know about the unlimited time though. I might end up using all that hot water after hours of setting up camp! ;)
I saw that on an FB post that Terre was responding to that the Brazilian ladies will not be back this season. Sorry guys.... Be sure the beer catches those tears. ;)
Terre did say there would be another dance troupe at that locale. Interested to see what they came up with.
Wonder just how many complaints they ended up with by the end of last season -- Hmmm
Why would they get complaints?
Might be from certain body parts falling out of the costumes... ;D
*Not that i minded... they ARE pretty women but some others might...* ;)
Costume Malfunctions ehhh?
I'd better check my cod-piece. It's a miniature...
They may tape themselves but their dance IS a bit on the energenic side... ;D
I thought I read somewhere that the Shuntaya (sp?) Belly Dance troupe would be there instead? I could be mistaken, though.
I think I read that somewhere too.
Yup. :) The director of Shunyata is my dance teacher - she mentioned a few weeks ago that's where they moved to :) (unless something has changed the past few weeks!)
Huzzah!!! Such a great change!!!
Quote from: Tink on October 05, 2013, 09:23:11 AM
I thought I read somewhere that the Shuntaya (sp?) Belly Dance troupe would be there instead? I could be mistaken, though.
It was posted Sept 27 on the TRF FB page that they would be at Hacienda San Jorge which is the Brazilian place. I assume they are replacing the other dancers.
Just got back from camp... I am pleased. Knocking back the fence & brush 50 - 100 feet, made a big difference. All kinds of trees $ shaded camping in the Negs. (Aka... -0 thru -4). Good job Terre!
The showers look fantastic! Kudos to Terre and all involved in that project! The additional camping areas near the front are going to be a hit with a lot of people. Very well done! HUZZAH!! ;D
Here is a video of the showers. :) It's on the FB TRF Camp page.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=380431512087932&set=vb.191408330990252&type=2&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=380431512087932&set=vb.191408330990252&type=2&theater)
Looks great. Now, if they can do the same magic in Participants.....
All i can say is OUTSTANDING. The place has been spruced up... the dust swept from the corners... things made bright & clean. The Falconeers Stage has been redone, as has the Magic Garden and various shops all over Faire. I'll have a better feel for it after AHE. ;)
I was walking around the back in Germany in Polonia and was just saying WOW so nice!!!!
Went and toured the garden yesterday. Love the throne!
Love love love the pirate stage. and the new showers. :)
Our group tested out the new showers as well. Seems that there were some communication issues between what we were told and what the attendant was telling folk. Shouldn't take long to get that all worked out. They were well worth the five bucks.
They could use some hooks though to hang stuffs up.
We are working on the Hooks.