Renaissance, Texas Podcast Addresses Problematic Aspects of Ren Fest

The Texas Renaissance Festival is in the spotlight this summer thanks to an HBO documentary series (our Jeff Balke talked about it here) and a new season of Crime wave nicknamed “Renaissance, Texas.” The latter is a dark look at the fantasy land that critics say has become a place where sexual assault and violence are possible.

Two reporters visited Todd Mission for the 2023 Ren Fest Christmas weekend and spoke to more than a dozen employees, rennies and guests. The producers were supposed to be there for a seven-day information-gathering trip but left after two days due to what they said were security concerns, according to an email from marketing manager Brittanie Heller by No Smiling Studio.

Ren Fest has presented itself as a safe place for immersive fantasy for years. I started going to high school as part of an annual theater class trip. It was supposed to be a setting for Let’s Pretend and high-octane cosplay.

But even in the 90s, rumors were circulating. Do not go to campgrounds, especially after dark. “Renaissance, TX” tells a long and painful story of shootings, stabbings, sexual assaults and robberies that have continued to increase in the community around Ren Fest. In 2023, it was widely reported that a 22-year-old woman was drugged and sexually assaulted at Ren Fest.

I’ve written before about how Ren Fest always seemed desperately excited. The podcast makes it clear that the public festival portion of the annual event is primarily there to fund what happens after dark. Although it’s aimed at families, the vibe of Ren Fest gets a little more Frat Boy every year, the creeps get bolder, and it seems like a kinky scene for people who find the rules of other kinky scenes too restrictive .

In this, it reflects its founder, “King” George Coulam, the notorious patriarch of the boundary-averse Ren Fest, which led to lawsuits and an atmosphere of sexually predatory behavior. As the podcast says, “Are people here to live out their fantasies, or Coulam’s?” » It really feels like Ren Fest is trying less and less to be a theme park.

Before any readers accuse me of simply being a prude, I want to remind you that the articles on this website are the reason I am the number one search result on Google when you type “Doctor Who sex toys.” I’ve spent my life in problematic communities where weirdos feel at home. I’ve done it Rocky Horror for a decade. I’ve lost count of the number of disgusting guys wielding sexual power over fans and friends in the music and wrestling worlds. There is this tendency among men (and it is almost always men) to exploit the passion of their followers to carve out a little fiefdom where their desires can be freely expressed.

This is why “Renaissance, TX” is so heartbreaking to listen to. Ren Fest is the only place where many people feel accepted, and TRF is particularly easygoing when it comes to what counts as “rebirth.” You can tell that people like being there. I remember feeling comfortable there precisely because it was a place that disrupted the rules of normal society and often made me unhappy.

But when we demolish the walls, we also demolish the protections. The podcast clearly shows that the different “clans” of Ren Fest do not self-manage sufficiently. The abundance of alcohol and drugs, an inadequate security presence, few gun rules and a county police force that owes most of its funding to the fair do not make for a safe place.

“Renaissance, TX” says it clearly. As magical as a trip to Ren Fest can be, the podcast also presents it as a place where the system seems much more dedicated to providing sex for guys than anything else. Podcast Conclusions: The Fair’s problems have only gotten worse over the past decade.