Ren Faire PH 2025 Report: The Magic Continues

The first and premier renaissance festival in the country and Southeast Asia, Ren Faire PH, has held its second year of merriment and festivities on March 14-16, 2025. 

From a lush venue at Carantes Ancestral Forest last year, Ren Faire PH has advanced to a robust, castle-like setting at Igorot Stone Kingdom, situated along Long Long Benguet Road–just past Tam-Awan Village. 

From the Forest and into the Kingdom

Igorot Stone Kingdom is a fairly new tourist attraction venue in Baguio City–boasting high stone structures which were further developed since its initial opening to the public. Its expansion and facility improvements have brought a better experience to its attendees who clamor for better photo opportunities, better seating, and spaces for socializing. 

(A/N: And better toilets, by the way! Gone were the portalets of old~ We had proper plumbing and running water this time!)

Despite the searing daytime heat and steep pathways that left many a new attendee gasping to the heavens and back, Ren Faire PH has chosen this venue well enough for the 2025 festivities. The high castle-like structures, roughly hewn stone embellishments, and(perhaps artificial) grass and wooden bridges provided the appropriate ambiance for a Renaissance festival.

The pillory and huge treasure chests have also made a comeback this year to entice attendees for photo opportunities. Huge striking banners that boldly showcase the Ren Faire branding hung in all their glory throughout the venue. 

There were numerous food concessionaires and souvenir shops dotting the Kingdom (aside from the registered Faire merchants); which provided more options and paved the way for a more visible crowd dispersal considering that the venue was also open to normal tourists during the day. At nighttime, the place was well-lit—a huge improvement from last year’s venue where striding through the forest had the hazard of slipping and spraining a few ankles due to dark pathways.

Compared to last year’s dual-stage setup, there was only one main stage area where most of the band performances and crowd-engaging activities were done. There was still a live-action roleplaying (LARP) camp as well as areas for archery (handled by True Edge Historical Martial Arts Guild), creative workshops, horseback riding, tabletop and boardgames, traditional tattoos (mambabatok), and the “Camera Obscura” where one can have their photos taken by an ancient box camera.

There were also the ‘dungeons’ for meet and greets of the Faire’s special invited [cosplay] guests: Knite, Zackt, Roxanne, and Shookoboo. 

The provided map of the venue may seem a bit challenging to look over, especially if it were your first time going to Igorot Stone Kingdom. It looked confusing (and intimidating for those with a slight fear of heights); but walking around and visiting each nook and cranny made the place more familiar. And as it turned out, the activity and booth locations were pretty much straightforward and visible enough to spot.

There’s just—an insane amount of walking to be done, unfortunately. I know the expansive forest venue last year prepared us for a hike, but alas, my calculations were nonexistent and I am very bad at math. 

The Heart of the Faire

What makes the Ren Faire PH above and beyond other similar niche hobby events was its myriad of immersive and engaging activities and a genuinely fun and loving community culture.

Ren Faire PH possesses a one-of-a-kind community that was also bolstered with highly innovative and ingenious Faire program hosts, who spread magic and amusement on a level like no other: Nio Infante, Erwin Mayocdan, and Miyu Tamesa. With them, the stage energy and glee were palpable–the humor refreshing and clever—and they did not need a mandated script to express witty clapbacks and hilarious jokes–which were, of course, still within the realms of the renaissance faire ambience and branding.

From arm wrestling and eating contests to character roleplays, swordfighting demonstrations, and lively concert moshpits, Ren Faire PH has ways of making the celebrations even more fun and interesting each passing year. Following their practice of suggested day themes, attendees have pulled out all the stops in expressing themselves creatively through their costumes and original characters. Day 1 theme featured Pre-colonial Philippines, Day 2 tackled Greek Gods vs. Mortals, and Day 3 was The Wardrobe vs. The Ring (Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Ring franchise). 

Adamanta performing onstage

Renowned local bands and performers have brought their explosive acts to grace the Queen Stage. Here are some of the new and returning performers for this year’s Ren Faire: 

Adamanta, Burlesque PH, Backstreet Bards, Project Materia, Whippy Ia, Canao, Katha Na, Ixni, Maria Song, Lexi Galang, Sugawara Sogo Budo PH, Fire Dancers, Forge Pioneer: Historical Fencing, Ikigai Band, Gothblade, Venti La Deux, Zoe Cruzada, Attori Cretini

Battle of the Bards and the search for the First King of the Faire were some of the highlighted contests during the event; which were both tantalizing and entertaining to watch. Pocket Creatives took home the crown as the First King of the Faire–showcasing his creative performance as royalty and skills in crafting a full ensemble for King George III (Hamilton). 

This year, Battle of the Bards focused on “Epic the Musical” for its roster of songs for its contestants compared to the previous year’s free-themed performances. 

I find that I enjoyed the previous year’s Bard contest more so than this one; since I am not familiar with Epic the Musical. Nonetheless, having such a theme may open doors for others to appreciate Epic the Musical and get into the fandom. After all, the Epic fans were such a lively, joyous bunch and were willing to perform ad lib during the stage breaks—showcasing utter love and passion for the musical. It is because of this love and dedication of the community that further solidifies itself as part of the beating heart of the Faire.

Furthermore, Ren Faire PH 2025 would not be complete without the nightly festivities such as drinking games and burlesque performances (which are only accessible by attendees 21 years old and above). Burlesque PH has returned in full force, exhibiting peak creative prowess and talent on the art of the tease onstage. 

The burlesque acts are definitely something to experience firsthand, because recording the performances was prohibited and were only the official Faire scribes or media partners were allowed to do so. Burlesque PH delivered powerful and mesmerizing performances (which definitely made us blush!). Plus, their acts were on brand with the Ren Faire PH daily themes! Who would expect a Minotaur or even Aragorn performing burlesque onstage? Truly a spectacle to behold! 

Fire dancers and LARP camp bonfires were also included in the nightly activities—as well as beautiful fireworks to cap off the three-day event. 

It is also good to note that the food and merchant concessionaires were open until the night festivities so anyone could easily do some last minute shopping before leaving the venue. Some of the performers like Backstreet Bards, Burlesque PH, and Adamanta had their booths as well so anyone could freely socialize with the members and buy their limited-edition wares. 

Truly, there were a lot of things to do and to experience in this year’s Ren Faire. It might be overwhelming to the uninitiated, but it is still memorable and highly rewarding. 

Overall Experience: Bigger, Better, Bolder

While there was an initial confusion on the side of Ren Faire attendees with the venue [still] being open to the public, there were clear and concise announcements at the entrance for those non-Faire goers who wish to enter the venue. Walk-in tourists have limited venue access compared to Ren Faire ticketholders, as the former were only allowed to go through cordoned pathways to their assigned areas. 

This may be considered a bold move by the organizers since the number of walk-ins cannot be thoroughly predicted and might pose a risk to possible overcrowding in the venue. Take note that the Faire has since only provided limited online ticket sales (which ran out very quickly). However, we are pleased to report that with the helpful venue staff and Faire personnel keeping proper tabs on its constituents, things moved along smoothly during all three days. 

Well, not exactly 100% smoothly—as most Ren Faire PH 2025 goers like myself would bemoan the body aches, tired limbs, and sunburn after indulging in the festivities in full costume and/or armor. My toes took the brunt of my climbs and until now I still feel the phantom pains from my tight boots. 

But was everything worth it? Totally. 

During the last band performance on the final night, the power went out but it did not stop the Faire energy from going on. People sang songs to accompany the band stuck at the Queen’s Stage, spreading the fun and high spirits until the fireworks began.

The body pains and burns were a testament to the memorable experience of this year’s Faire. 

It is not every day that you experience this genuinely fun and loving community spirit: trinket trading with your fellow attendees—expanding one’s own character lore—or even sharing a whole e-Jeep with fellow Faire late-night stragglers because taxis were scarce in the Kingdom during closing hours. 

The event has exceeded expectations and more for this year’s wondrous three-day celebration. It is not enough that one hears or reads about this event secondhand. One must experience this to deeply understand what it means to involve oneself in the joyous camaraderie and wondrous revelry magic that is exclusive only to Ren Faire PH.