It’s building season at some of the festivals, and I’ve got thoughts.

I just posted a new vlog walking through the Maryland Renaissance Festival, talking roof lines, visual theater, and why three boxes in a row can look like magic with the right details.

But here’s the thing that’s really on my mind:

“We don’t have enough builders in this industry.”

We’ve all aged out of walking top plates, and the Renaissance Festival world is in a huge state of growth.

If you’re a builder who’s tired of apartment complexes and houses, and you love renaissance fairs- call the festival nearest you. Find out what it takes to get on their builders list.

Everything starts as a sketch. You know how to make water run downhill. You’ve been to festivals. You can do this.

📺Hit play to watch the full video walkthrough👇🏼

(And if you don’t know how to make something look Renaissance, well… I have a guide for that too. Take a look here)

Now go make something beautiful!

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

Today on RhonniTV I am answering this very common question that people ask me about:

🤔“Why would you build on other people’s land?”

I am addressing exactly that and giving you a walkthrough of how the real estate in renfaire works and what happens behind the scenes.

A few pointers covered:

• What exactly impacts pricing
• What are the parameters to build on the land
• What to do when building code changes (with an example from the Georgia festival)
• What to focus on for maintenance of shops

📺 Hit play and let me know in the comments, any thoughts, insights or questions you have about it 👇🏼

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

You’re in for a good one on RhonniTV today.

🎪 Once upon a time (read: a very real time with real stress and real lumber), I built a Tea Room inside a Renaissance Festival.

And today? I’m spilling all the tea.🫖

🛠️ From napkin sketches to building codes, I walk you through how we turned a wild idea into a real-deal, functioning experience space—at treetop level.

📉 I don’t skip the snags. We hit bumps. We got bruised. I break down exactly what went sideways, what we fixed, and how we turned each hiccup into a triumph.

🫖 So go ahead, grab your favorite beverage (bonus points if it’s got caffeine and a backstory), and come ride shotgun with me on this adventure.

📺 Hit play, and if it sparks a thought or a question—or if you’ve got a “Wait, you did what?!” moment—drop it in the comments. I love hearing what part of the chaos speaks to you.👇🏼

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

Let me tell you about something that keeps cropping up in my conversations with both festival management and eager vendors alike:

🎨 “Why are the colors of Renfaire buildings such a big deal?”

I hear it constantly: “Why not let vendors get creative with bright colors to make their shops stand out? Isn’t that good for business?”

📺 Well, today on Rhonni TV, I’m diving deep into this theatre design question – and trust me, after 30+ years in this industry, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when a cohesive village aesthetic falls apart at the seams.

In this episode, I’m unpacking:

🎲 The domino effect of Renfaire aesthetics (or how one neon blue building can undermine years of careful theming)
🧠 Smart strategies to help a building stand out without resorting to historically jarring color schemes (there are dozens of better ways!)
📏The crucial reasons why every Renfaire needs clear aesthetic parameters from day one.

Here’s a truth I’ve learned in my decades of festival building:

🪞Vendors will absolutely reflect back to you YOUR expectations.

If those expectations are low, vague, or “up for interpretation,” that’s precisely what you’ll get – a hodgepodge village that looks like it was assembled by accident rather than built with intention.

🎪 At the Georgia Renaissance Festival, when I was working as Building Coordinator during their site relocation, we had strict guidelines for every structure.

Was it sometimes a battle? You bet your leather tankard it was!

⚜️But the result was a cohesive village that transported visitors the moment they walked through the gates.

At the end of the day, we’re all striving for that magical moment when a guest rounds a corner and gasps at the beauty of what we’ve collectively created. That doesn’t happen by accident – it happens through carefully crafted aesthetics that work together rather than against each other. 😉

📺 Hit play and grab your quill and parchment – these tips are essential for anyone serious about creating or maintaining an authentic Renaissance village experience!

👇🏼 Come join the conversation in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts, insights, or questions about maintaining period aesthetics while still allowing for creative expression.

(And yes, I’ve got solutions for those of you struggling with vendors who insist their turquoise building is “absolutely medieval”! 🫠)

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

I’ve just posted a new behind-the-scenes video from the Texas Renaissance Festival that I think perfectly illustrates something I’m always talking about in the Renfaire Builders Guide to Design:

⚜️📐The importance of understanding Renaissance aesthetic principles for practical business solutions.

📺In the video, I walk you through our solution for the Hunt & Gather façade.

The top section was threatening to fall forward (not ideal for guest safety, as you might imagine!), and we were faced with a decision: rebuild the entire structure or find a creative workaround.

⛲️This is an instance when having a broader understanding of the aesthetic that we’re trying to create in a Renaissance Village allowed us to make an inexpensive alteration that saved us from having to rebuild an entire façade.

⚙️With some strategic removal of the damaged upper section, adding hidden bracing, and planning for decorative vines to soften the new jagged edge, we’ve created a solution that:

Maintains the Renaissance atmosphere
Ensures structural safety
Preserves the full functionality of the shop
Saves thousands in unnecessary reconstruction

👉🏼What many visitors don’t realize is that the façade and kitchen are completely separate structures – the actual kitchen sits about 20 feet behind what you see!

🚨This type of behind-the-scenes knowledge is exactly what can save you from costly mistakes when you’re operating your own Renfaire business.

Oh, and I may have gotten a bit excited and revealed our NEW menu items for the season! (Keep an eye out for our paninis, French dip, vegetarian options, and two styles of delicious Mexican street corn!)

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

🫖Today we are spilling the tea at Rhonni.TV

🤨Being brutally honest – Renfaires might not be for you!

📺In today’s video I am covering a few things to keep in mind as you venture yourself in this rewarding field: from mice being rolled out of rugs to actual snakes comfortably living in a shop, the Renfaires biz is definitely NOT for the faint of heart!

Whichever dream you have for your Renfaire Biz, here I am talking about what to expect on a different angle of behind-the-scenes.

▶️Click play to watch the full video and let me know any thoughts, insights or questions in the comments

👇🏼

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

🔥This is such a hot topic that never gets old!

Today I am adding to a comment in one my videos that I think really needs to get through everyone’s head:

🗝️Persisting is key!

Whichever your vision is for your Renfaire Biz, trying once and giving up at the first sign of a “failure” is not the answer.

📺At Rhonni.TV today I am covering this exact topic!

👉🏼 Why failures are expected within the context of Renfaire applications – for instance.

▶️Click play to watch the full video and let me know any thoughts, insights or questions in the comments!

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

Left and right you keep hearing about “experiential retail” as if it is something ✨brand new✨yet the reality is – this is nothing new at all and most importantly:

🏆Renfaires have been doing it for decades!

Because it is a proven industry and with the constantly expanding convenience of online shopping traditional retail businesses are focusing on experiential retail as a way to lure people back into their stores – malls being a great example of that.

📺 So today at RhonniTV I’m bringing you a video all about that – why experiential retail is so important and how to create an effective one for Renfaire professionals (for vendors, management and admins alike)👇🏼

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

There is a global boycott happening this Friday and many dates coming forward.

🌎 🎯The goal is to *not* buy from big corporations during those days.

On today’s video I am giving a quick recap of how Renfaire Businesses fit in the process

📺 Click play to watch the full video!👇🏼

Yours in Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni

We are on a heated topic today! (as if we needed any more heated topics lately 🫠)

This is something that has been talked about continuously over the years yet the Renfaire online groups brought this back to my attention this past weeks:

🏺The Handicraft Nature of Renfaires that seems to be less prevalent.

📺In today’s video at RhonniTV I am covering the topic with a special focus on what can be done to actually improve the quality of the handicraft in Renfaires.

Hint: Renfaire Show Owners sometimes don’t even know this matters so much!

👇🏼Click play to watch the full video and let me know your thoughts in the comments

In Medieval Merriment,

Rhonni