It's 25 years and counting for Renaissance Faire

It's been 1574 at the Bristol Renaissance Faire for 25 years, but that doesn't mean things don't change at the annual tribute to history and fantasy. This year's anniversary event will be the biggest faire ever, bringing in a mix of new performers and returning favorites.

“We're really embracing the celebration part of the show this year,” said Bristol entertainment director Kristen Mansour. “People know that Bristol is celebrating its 25th and they want to come back.”

There are plenty of new stage acts this year. Your can learn about Elizabethan swordplay at the Arts of Mars, listen to the vocalist trio Sirena, and catch a mix of comedy and juggling from London Broil.

Returning hits including Shakespeare performances from The Wit of Will and the Doktor Kaboom! interactive science show, which tours around the world. Many of these shows only run select weekends, providing a strong incentive to visit a few times throughout the season.

This year ups the number of wandering performers from 300 to 500. The cast includes everything from priests and soldiers to jesters and rat catchers. Guests wandering the faire can find themselves the center of a spontaneous dance circle formed by flower-wearing revelers, chat with a jester or encounter a curious fairy.

History buffs can head to the military encampment and nobles area to learn about period weaponry, armor, music, dance and etiquette.

“There's something for everyone around every single turn,” Mansour said. “I'm very proud of what we've developed here.”

The faire also has added 15 new merchants to the marketplace with an emphasis on vendors that provide demonstrations along with selling goods. Visitors will be able to see bows, arrows and Viking drinking horns crafted on-site. Also on hand, will be potters, glass blowers and jewelers.

Most of the show is family friendly, but children also have their own space in Kids Kingdom. Storybook characters are this year's theme and kids can interact with some of their favorites and hear the stories they come from told by Mother Goose.

The Kids Kingdom stage has entertainment every half-hour, and children can be knighted in a daily 5 p.m. ceremony.

Wandering the 30-acre site, visitors will surely work up an appetite and a thirst. There is food and drinks of all sorts from traditional turkey legs and Cornish pasties to more modern fair like snow cones and chocolate-dipped cheesecake. This year brings vegan food to the faire at Shehadeh, a Mediterranean food vendor serving falafel, hummus and baba ganoush.

There also are plenty of bars serving beer, alcoholic or virgin frozen cocktails, wine and mead. Visitors can tour five of the drinking establishments through the pub crawls at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Be warned, the tours always sell out as groups wander the faire having a drink and playing games at each spot.

The faire also hosts several special days throughout the season. Celtic Weekend runs through Sunday, July 15, while on Saturday and Sunday, July 21-22, there will be Steampunk Invasion, a tribute to the sort of bizarre ahead-of-their time inventions that would have made Renaissance man Leonardo DaVinci proud.

Performing both onstage and in scenes scattered throughout the faire is Schaumburg resident Greg Larson, who has played Robin Hood for the last 10 years. His crew has performed a new script every year, involving the outlaw from English folklore's efforts to protect Bristol from all manner of threats.

This year, to tie into the celebratory theme, the entire crew collaborated on a story where Robin Hood will get married to his longtime sweetheart and partner in crime Maid Marian.

Larson also serves as the group's fight coordinator, spending five hours choreographing each of the act's 17 one-minute battles, including a climactic swordfight involving nearly a dozen combatants.

Making sure the violence is safe but still looks real is a challenge, but Larson said he is especially excited to show off his work during the 25th anniversary.

“This year is such an exciting year,” he said. “Everyone has so much energy, and that energy is infectious. I love this place and this year is exactly why I love it.”

Bristol Renaissance Faire

<b>Location: </b>12550 120th Ave., Kenosha, Wis., (847) 395-7773, <a href="http://www.renfair.com" target="_blank">renfair.com</a>

<b>Hours:</b> 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day through Sept. 3

<b>Tickets: </b>$19.95; $9.50 for kids ages 5-12; free for kids younger than 5