Hey-Nonny-Nonny, check this out. It’s a guy juggling fire:

Fire juggling by Circus Stella.

More on the fire-juggling in a second, but now that we have your attention, on to our main theme: Ren Faire Merch! In particular, promotional products that abounded at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, which opened its 2018 season on Saturday, Aug. 4.

Hosted in a fantastical “shire” setting at Mount Hope Estate & Winery in Manheim, PA, the faire runs each weekend from August through the end of October. Huge crowds, including many folks in costumes, flock to the faire for medieval fantasy-themed entertainment, from armored knights jousting on horseback and warriors swinging swords and axes in melees, to live performances of Celtic and courtly music, ribald comedy, theater, circus performers and much more.

A young King Henry VIII rallies his English subjects before battle at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Clearly, the Mount Hope proprietors – and vendors and performers who participate in the faire – know the value of promotional products, as swag was plentiful in the shire during our opening weekend visit. The pictures below attest to that. After checking them out, consider finding a Renaissance Faire in your neck of the woods. They occur across the country, at different times of the year, and could make excellent recurring clients for promotional products distributors. Without further ado, here’s a sampling of swag from the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Haha. Chuckletastic #merch at the Pennsylvania Ren Faire. #promotionalproducts ⁦@asicentral⁩ pic.twitter.com/RgHCoFbWTP

— Chris Ruvo (@ChrisR_ASI) August 4, 2018

There were genuine “lol’s” upon seeing this T-Shirt.

What would a Renaissance Faire be without references to J.R.R. Tolkien? Not much methinks. For non-nerds: “Not all (those) who wander are lost” is a line from a poem that appears in the late English author Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Indeed, branded T-Shirts were popular. Here was another we spotted.

Of course, faire merch wasn’t all about tees. There were totes, too.

The totes came in multiple colors.

The quaffing of ale and mead is certainly facilitated – and made all the more awesome – with this logoed Pa. Ren Faire mug.

Here’s another practical drinkware memento from the faire, bearing the likeness of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, presumably before things went awry. British history buffs get the joke.

There were faire-logoed Styrofoam cups, too.

Cover of the faire’s program.

Remember the fire juggler from above? That’s Dextre Tripp. He’s co-proprietor and a performer for Circus Stella, an act that includes rope walking, trapeze, performing rescue dogs and more. At the end of a performance at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, Tripp displayed Circus Stella swag on stage, like this drawstring bag, and encouraged folks to make a purchase. The bag, he noted, would be great for carrying the various shirts Circus Stella was also offering.

Dextre Tripp of Circus Stella shows a Circus Stella shirt to the audience at the conclusion of a performance at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Circus Stella wasn’t the only act at the faire selling merch. The Mud Squad, a comedic troupe, was also offering fans logoed swag, including hats and shirts.

Tees for The Mud Squad.

Swashbuckler Brewing Co. is located at Mount Hope Estate & Winery, where the faire is held. This hat was just one branded item on sale promoting the craft beer brand.

The magical creatures at this year’s faire included mermaids.

Revelry at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Minstrels perform soft melodies in the shire as the opening day of the faire winds down.