Larkspur Renaissance Festival Opens June 13, Sending I-25 Traffic Into Overdrive

What happens to your commute when Larkspur turns into a medieval village?

You sit in traffic on I-25. You watch the exit sign blur past. Then you join the line.

The 49th Colorado Renaissance Festival opens June 13 in Larkspur. It sells out. It always sells out. Last year’s pirate invasion weekend hit capacity for the first time in the event’s history. That is not a minor milestone. It is a traffic warning.

Locals know the drill. Drive the stretch of I-25 past the Larkspur exit on a summer weekend and you will see the proof. The line wraps around the block. It backs up onto the highway. It is popular. It is growing. It is unavoidable.

The festival is not a niche hobby anymore. Ren Fairs started in the ’60s as a refuge for blacklisted actors during the Cold War-era Red Scare. They have evolved into serious entertainment engines. The HBO documentary “Ren Faire” shows just how hard the work gets. This is not a casual stroll. It is a production.

The venue is 650 Perry Park Ave. The ticket price is $32. You get weekends from June 13 through Aug. 2. You get fire breathers. You get sword swallowers. You get internet celebrity Jaques Ze Whipper. You get packs of vikings mingling with Celtic bagpipers. You get fairy princesses gnashing on giant turkey legs.

It is a place of messy timelines and impeccable costume designs. It is oddball splendor. It is the only place in the state where you find all of that under one roof. Or rather, under one sprawling field.

But you have to stand the lines. That is the cost of admission. The short version: if you want to see the show, you must endure the queue.

While Larkspur chokes on fans, Fort Collins picks up the torch. The Fort Collins Fringe runs June 11-14. It hosts four days and more than 50 performances. Dance. Circus. Theater. Poetry. Music. Genre-defying acts. Various locations. Various prices. It is a different kind of crowd. A quieter kind of chaos.

Denver takes the wheel for the Red Bull Soapbox Race on June 13. Empower Field, 1701 Bryant St. The rules are simple: no motors. Working brakes. Outrageous design. The fastest team across the finish line is “looked upon favorably.” But judges also score on design and showmanship. It is free. It is loud. It is Denver.

Then there is the cinema. Denver Film’s Bleak Week runs June 12-17. It presents heartbreak, horror, and history. It does not shy away from the shadowy side of humanity. If you’ve ever called a movie “devastating” as a compliment, this is your week. Various prices.

Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave., hosts The Cookout on Sunday. It closes out Black Pride week. Free food. Music. Games. It happens in the parking lot. It is the opposite of bleak. It is a colorful counterpoint.

The Renaissance Festival remains the dominant story. It draws the biggest crowds. It creates the biggest headaches. It is a perfect annual fantasy for anyone who can stand the long lines. And folks around here can stand them. They just need to leave early.

The traffic on I-25 will get worse before it gets better. That is not a prediction. It is a fact. The festival is here. The lines are forming. The turkey legs are being gnashed.

Make no mistake. This is the weekend.