SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Huzzah and cheers!
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is back for another season — celebrating its 53rd year.
This year's medieval festivities get underway on Saturday, Aug. 17 and continue for seven weekends before wrapping up on Sunday, Sept. 29.
The festival began in 1971 on a 22-acre field in Jonathan, Minnesota. Officials said more than 25,000 people visited the two-weekend grand opening of the festival, then named "A Celebration of Nature, Art and Life!"
The event has since relocated to Shakopee and has grown to be the largest Renaissance Festival in the United States with an annual attendance of 300,000.