Heavy traffic expected for Maryland Renaissance Festival

A performance at the Maryland Renaissance Festival is seen. (Courtesy Shawn Cook)

Grab your goblets and your costumes and … be prepared for heavy traffic during the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival coming to Anne Arundel County.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration is warning drivers that there will be more traffic than usual on state roads for the next several weekends around the complex on Crownsville Road that hosts the festival.

Roads expected to be affected include Interstate 97, Md. Route 178 (Generals Highway) and Md. Route 450 (Defense Highway), as well as local roads nearby.

The family-friendly Renaissance Festival events run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 24. They include stage performances, colorful costumes and, of course, jousts and archery demonstrations.

MDOT SHA will post signage for drivers.



The Renaissance Festival village itself is at 1821 Crownsville Rd., Annapolis.

If you plan to attend, beware: Costumes are welcomed (keep it family-friendly folks), but weapons, real or fake, are not permitted. You’ll need to leave your pet at home unless they’re a trained service animal. As for beverages, that’s a nope except for personal-sized water bottles. Food is OK but no coolers. And there are designated areas for smoking.

A map of the village is online.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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