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Pirates, Fire, and Hidden Treasure at the Florida Renaissance Festival

People love pirates. Is it because of the Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, or was that just a reflection of society’s longstanding love affair with pirates? Either way, one thing is certain—Pirate Weekend at the Florida Renaissance Festival was PACKED!

That said, I have to admit... I barely photographed anything pirate-related.

One Piece, Two Shows, and an Unexpected Adventure

For Pirate Weekend, I took a different approach and went in an anime direction, reviving one of the few cosplays I own—Tony Tony Chopper from One Piece. My plan? Meet up with my friend and muse, Nora Mars, and set sail to capture pirate-themed photos. What actually happened? I ended up finding hidden treasure of my own.

I’m a social butterfly, so when I go to events, I usually prefer to hop around and soak up the energy rather than commit to any one thing—especially shows. Nora, however, is a Ren Faire veteran, and she LOVES catching performances. And honestly? That worked out in my favor because I saw two of the best shows I’ve ever experienced at a Ren Faire.

Fire, Danger, and Comedy at Its Best

The first show we caught was Tuey the Fire Juggler, a Ren Faire performer since 1981. I’ve photographed a lot of fire performers, but this guy? Easily one of the most impressive I’ve seen. We got a bit lost trying to find the stage (which, in hindsight, was easier to find than we made it), so we only caught the grand finale—but what a finale it was!

Picture this:
🔥 A flaming tightrope
🔥 A flaming ladder
🔥 Juggling three flaming torches

It was absolutely WILD. Plus, I somehow landed the perfect vantage point, capturing both Tuey’s performance and the crowd’s reactions.

The second show we saw was The Loud Mime, and I went in with low expectations because, let’s be honest, Ren Faire comedy acts can be hit or miss. Sometimes, "bad humor" is just bad jokes in disguise. But this? This was HYSTERICAL.

Not only was The Loud Mime genuinely funny, but their act was easily the most queer performance I’ve ever seen at a Ren Faire. It was refreshing to see that kind of representation in this setting, and beyond that, the show itself was packed with energy, including knife juggling and some mild contortion.

Both of these shows were in their final weekend at the Ren Faire, so I’m glad I caught them before they were gone.

Meeting Joules & Catching Up with Friends

One of the coolest surprises of the day was meeting Joules, a Ren Faire rennie working at the Henna booth. He actually messaged me last week as a fan of my work, and when we finally met up, I instantly loved his look—so of course, I made sure to snap a few shots.

As we talked, I found out he’s also a fellow Burner! We’re already planning to shoot more together, but this week, I was dealing with some mild back pain that kept me from going all-out.

Of course, I still managed to take some killer photos with Nora Mars and a few other familiar faces, including:

I also met up with Pain Puppy, but by the time we crossed paths, I think I had already put my cameras away—which is a rare move for me!

What’s Next?

This weekend, I’m going camping with a bunch of friends, including muses Rin Cloud and Evie Stevens, so I’m expecting plenty of new photos to share. I’ll also be coming back early to keep my Ren Faire streak alive—because let’s be real, I can’t miss a weekend!