Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals in Southern California

The short answer: when are the faires?

If you want a Renaissance faire or medieval festival in Southern California, the busiest stretch is spring. The largest faire in the region fills April and May weekends, a second big festival follows in late May and June, and San Diego County has its own smaller faires in spring, early summer and fall. December belongs to medieval holiday events.

Dates move every year, and several events take a year off or change venues, so treat this as a seasonal map and confirm with each event’s official site before you plan a trip. Where an organizer has already published dates, they are listed below.

• Spring (April to May): the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale; the spring Escondido Renaissance Faire.
• Early summer (late May to June): Koroneburg in Corona; Summer Knights in Santee.
• Fall (late October to early November): the fall Escondido Renaissance Faire.
• Winter (December): medieval Christmas events in San Diego County.

Spring: the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire, Irwindale

This is the faire that started the American tradition. Teacher Phyllis Patterson and her husband Ron organized the first Renaissance Pleasure Faire in May 1963 as a weekend fundraiser for Pacifica radio station KPFK, at a summer camp in North Hollywood. According to History.com, it drew more than 3,000 people a day and leaned hard into Elizabethan life, with costumed performers, crafts and period music. Fairs modeled on it later spread across the country.

Today the faire runs on spring weekends at Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale, in the San Gabriel Valley. Its official site lists shows such as jousting and a bird of prey show, along with vendors, food, games and rides. The organizer has already announced its 2027 season: Saturdays and Sundays from April 10 to May 23, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check the official site for tickets and any changes.

Spring and fall: the Escondido Renaissance Faire

San Diego County’s Renaissance faire is held at Felicita County Park in Escondido, in North County. It has traditionally run twice a year, once in spring and again in fall, and the fall edition usually lands around Halloween and the first weekend of November.

Event listings describe a 16th-century Elizabethan theme with costumed guilds, a jousting tournament, a battle reenactment, music and family entertainment. The faire is produced by Olde Tyme Productions. Its website does not currently post a schedule, so confirm the season’s dates through the organizer or the faire’s social media pages before you go.

Early summer: Koroneburg, Corona

Koroneburg is a Renaissance festival in Corona in Riverside County, styled as a German village of the 1500s rather than an English one, which gives it a different flavor from most California faires. It traditionally runs on weekends from late May through June.

The festival did not appear on the 2026 calendar, but its official site announces that Koroneburg is back for 2027, with dates of May 29 to 31 and the weekends of June 5 and 6, June 12 and 13, June 19 and 20, and June 26 and 27. Check the site for hours, tickets and the exact venue.

Early summer: Summer Knights, Santee

One of the newest events on the calendar, Summer Knights debuted in Santee in East County San Diego on June 5 to 7, 2026. The City of Santee’s event listing describes horseback jousting, a battlefield reenactment, archery, two stages of medieval shows, a village market and an evening feast and ball, organized by the Kiwanis Club of Santee as a community fundraiser.

Because it is new, there is no track record of when it will return. If it repeats, expect early summer, and check the organizers’ site for 2027 plans.

Winter: medieval holiday festivals

Most Renaissance faires shut down for the winter, which is why December medieval events feel different. Instead of a spring market or a harvest fair, they lean into Christmas: feasts, carols, Father Christmas and older European winter customs.

In San Diego County, the Yuletide Medieval Festival at El Monte County Park in Lakeside is one example. It is set in England in 1420, near the end of Henry V’s reign, and runs on two December weekends: December 5 and 6 and December 12 and 13, 2026, with jousting knights, guild encampments, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas and Krampus. Other California holiday events lean Victorian rather than medieval, so check the period before you book.

Year-round: dinner and a tournament

If the faire calendar is in an off month, there is one year-round option for jousting fans in Southern California. Medieval Times runs a dinner-and-tournament show at its castle in Buena Park in Orange County, where guests eat a meal while knights compete on horseback, jousting included, to decide a single champion. Shows run on a scheduled calendar, so book ahead.

It is a very different experience from an outdoor faire. You get a single, polished arena show from a fixed seat, rather than a day of wandering a village, browsing artisan stalls and talking with costumed performers. The two fit different moods, and there is no reason not to try both.

Tips for planning a faire year

A few habits make the Southern California faire calendar easier to follow.

• Bookmark official sites, not aggregator listings. Third-party calendars often repeat last year’s dates.
• Watch for the next year’s dates to post early. The Irwindale and Corona festivals both announced 2027 dates by fall 2026.
• Expect weekends only. Nearly every faire here runs Saturday and Sunday, sometimes with a holiday Monday or a Friday evening event.
• Dress for the season. Spring and early-summer faires mean hours in the sun, so bring a hat and water; December events call for warm layers after dark.
• Bring some cash as a backup. Card readers at outdoor sites depend on a signal, and some parks have little or none.

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