Northern California Renaissance Faire has games and activities for the whole family

HOLLISTER, Calif. (KGO) -- If you're thinking about what to do with the family, the Northern California Renaissance Faire is the answer. Enjoy themed weekends in Hollister until Oct. 20.

The faire is filled with games and activities for kids of all ages, "We have star throwing, we have knife throwing, we have axes and javelins, we have swings, we have arts and crafts, we have crossbows, we have all sorts of things," said Justin, who operates the star throwing booth and other activities at the faire.

The entertainment doesn't stop there. There are many artisan shows and crafts to see. You can even shop and take a piece of the faire home with you with beautiful glass art designed by Stewart Ableman, "I like to make my show more about love and life and dreams than just about glass blowing. It's more important for me at the end of my demo for someone to walk away thinking that they should be following their dreams," he said.

After shopping, faire-goers can stop by at the most anticipated performance of the day; The Queen's Royal Joust, "Our jousting is very unique as we have fully armored knights, stride horses and they charge at each other as fast as they can and they attempt to strike their opponents shields. If they strike the shield and impale it on their lance, they can actually hoist it in the air and steal it from their opponent which makes it quite exciting indeed. This is a sport and you pick a team and cheer for them as loudly as you can," said jouster Rosalyn.

Guests can catch up with Her Majesty during another event called Tea with the Queen, but of course you have to follow proper royal protocol, as taught by the captain of the Queen's bodyguard, Sir John, "When you meet the queen it's customary to do what is called a reverence. This is a set of movements where the person who is meeting a person of higher station, her majesty being the highest, would step back on one foot, bend the back knee, if you're wearing a hat you remove it, you would greet Her Majesty and her part is to raise you up. You're not bowing, you are showing respect and she is showing respect by putting you back to your station," he said.

When speaking to the Queen of the faire, she said, "It is all day entertainment that you're not going to find anywhere else. There is something for everyone and for the amount of coin it takes to come here, you get a lot for your money."

For more information on the 2024 Northern California Renaissance Faire, visit this page.