One Of Minnesota’s Biggest Festivals Could Be In Jeopardy
Minnesota is known for big festivals from the Blues Fest in Duluth, to the Renaissance Festival In Shakopee, to even the Great Minnesota Get Together, which by definition is a festival.
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival has been around since the 1970s. It's one of my favorite yearly thing I do with my parents and it's quite the experience. Over the years the festival has grown and currently has 7 full-themed weekends, 16 stages of entertainment, many free family-friendly activities, and endless shopping at many of the artisan booths, with epic food and drinks. I enjoy the giant turkey legs and the big bread bowls of soup.
The adventure is always rain or shine on weekends and usually runs from late August to early October. This year it will run from August 19th - October 1st, and that includes Labor Day.
However, with an event being as big as it is, some concerns come with it. The biggest one is the congestion of traffic from the festival. Last year was a record-breaking attendance that brought in over 300,000 people to the 22-acre field in Scott County, according to the Star Tribune (paywall).
The traffic prevented some people from leaving their homes and several businesses had to close due to the congested traffic. The tribune went on to say the Scott County Officials are considering revoking the Festival's permits due to all the headaches the traffic has caused.
There will be a public hearing on February 21st, 2023 regarding the Festival's permit. Hopefully, both sides can come to an agreement. If you've never been, here are some pretty cool pics of the Festival:
There have even been some legends that entertained at Minnesota's Ren Fest including Penn & Teller, and more. Check it out below: