Georgia Renaissance Festival — Celtic Gathering Weekend

The Georgia Renaissance Festival’s Celtic Gathering: Crowns & Clans weekend is running Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, at the festival grounds in Fairburn. (garenfest.com) The official themed-weekends lineup says Celtic clans, tartans, kilts, warriors, druids and bards are the focus this weekend, with a “Clans vs. Crown” theme built around Henry VIII’s court. (garenfest.com) Festival organizers say the John Mohr Mackintosh Pipe & Drum Band is parading through the village and that guests can also watch a caber toss, the Scottish strength event built around lifting and throwing a large tapered pole. (garenfest.com) The broader festival is in its 41st season and runs every Saturday and Sunday from April 11 through May 31, plus Memorial Day, at 6905 Virlyn B. Smith Road in Fairburn. (garenfest.com) Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., parking opens at 9 a.m., and the site says tickets are sold online only and can sell out on popular dates. (garenfest.com 1) (garenfest.com 2) The festival says visitors can expect full-armored jousting, 14 live stages, 160-plus artisan shoppes and vendors, and more than 300 food and drink options across the grounds. (garenfest.com 1) (garenfest.com 2) The entertainment roster includes Celtic and early music from Lady Victoria, alongside magicians, acrobats, jugglers and stage shows spread across the village through the day. (garenfest.com) 11Alive listed the Celtic Gathering as one of metro Atlanta’s notable events for the weekend of April 25-26, placing the Fairburn festival alongside the Atlanta Film Festival and the Inman Park Festival. (11alive.com) For visitors, the setup is a full-day outing rather than a single show: the festival’s first-timer guide says most guests spend four to six hours on site. (garenfest.com) The Celtic weekend ends Sunday evening, but the Georgia Renaissance Festival stays open on subsequent themed weekends through May 31 and Memorial Day. (garenfest.com)