Travel through time at the Brevard Renaissance Fair in Wickham Park

It’s January, time to unleash your inner pirate, Viking, Celt and more at the Brevard Renaissance Fair. The annual festival sets up camp in Wickham Park for five weekends beginning Jan. 6 and ending Feb. 4.

This mashup of history, fantasy, concerts, beer and giant turkey legs attracts thousands eager to trade the January doldrums for an immersion into the possible implausible.

“The Brevard Renaissance Fair brings the pageantry and fantasy of a 16th-Century countryside celebration to Melbourne’s Wickham Park,” said entertainment director Andrew Meade.

“We invite you to travel back in time with us to the golden age of Queen Elizabeth I. Feast on giant turkey legs and drink the finest of ale. Watch noble knights joust on mighty war horses on our tournament field. Be amazed by all manner of sword swallowers, belly dancers, roving troubadours, stilt walkers, and more.”

Each weekend carries a specific theme. For starters, prepare to hoist the Jolly Roger during Pirate Weekend on Jan. 6 and 7, when the fair’s assortment of scallywags and buccaneers concoct seafaring adventures on land. A highlight is the bustier contest, which judges how well a wench fills her corset.

On Jan. 13 to 15, dress to impress for Fantasy Weekend, when anything goes, sartorially speaking.

The Vikings will be here for Viking Weekend Jan. 20 and 21, so expect a weekend of hearty feasts, horned helmets, fur-lined tunics and mead, mead, mead, just as the rugged Norsemen would have enjoyed.

The Celts follow the Vikings Jan. 27 and 28. Consider displaying knees and well-turned calves at the “Bonnie Knees Quilt Contest” held during Celtic Weekend. Fiddles will be fired up, for sure.

The fair concludes Feb. 3 and 4 with Beerfest Weekend. Celebrate the grand finale with local craft brews and perchance participate in the beer chugging competition.

There is certainly plenty to see, hear, buy and taste, with more than 100 stage shows on 12 stages daily, a variety of foods and treats, and artisan merchants with handcrafted wares. Each Saturday evening after the fair closes, the concerts begin, and admission is free with tickets to the fair.

“This year we are proud to host five Saturday Knight Concerts every Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with Syr, Sanctus, Screaming Orphans, Gaelic Storm, and Cassie and Maggie,” Meade said.

Twice a day, in the early and late afternoon, Music the Gathering - four bards fond of low humor and hijinks - serve as the guides for a pub crawl through the public houses of "Wickhamshire." For $35, participants ages 21 and older get three beers and a commemorative drinking vessel.

Another add-on ($60) is the Hawk Walk, an interactive experience that flies hawks from the falconer to participant’s gloved fists.

At 1:45 p.m. daily in the special events tent, adults can join Matthew and Keira of Rover’s Way for a unique beer tasting. Matthew has the experience of a professional brewer, beer judge, and level one Cicerone to draw upon, while Keira will be smiles and sass as she keeps tasting glasses full over this hour of tasty learning and entertainment. Participants will enjoy six beers only available at the tasting event, along with a light snack and a commemorative tasting glass. The cost is $40.

At 2:45 p.m., the 90-minute “Randal’s Grand Adventure” embarks on a randomly generated tabletop role-playing game, with original music and the opportunity to become part of fantastical worlds. This separately ticketed event costs $50.

One-day passes to the Renaissance Fair are $29 for general admission, $17 for children five to 11 and $23 for college students, seniors and military, active or retired. Two-day passes are $59, $31 and $39, respectively. Leashed pets are allowed into the fair, but a $12 pass is required.

For RenFair aficionados, the Royal Family Pass ($225 per adult) provides a season ticket for the pass holder, two one-day passes for guests, private Royal Family tent, private privy, commemorative shirt, one free drink per day, plus more

Gates open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.

A modified version of the fair will be held Monday, Jan. 22, also known as Education Day, when area students and their chaperones are invited to learn about the Renaissance through performances and demonstrations. Admission is $5 per student, with chaperones admitted free.

For more details, visit brevardrenaissancefair.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Journey to a time of knights and magic at the Brevard Renaissance Fair