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The Sterling Renaissance Festival: 7 Special Weekend Events

Sterling, NY, May 2009 - The 33rd Annual Sterling Renaissance Festival’s 2009 season will feature seven sensational themed weekends. Each of the Festival’s seven sensational weekends offers fun-filled entertainment, special events and activities and many unexpected surprises. The following are highlights of this year's exciting weekend events and activities. The Festival opens July 4th and 5th with a Children’s Celebration where children 12 and under receive free admission! The Festival will feature new and exciting family-oriented entertainment with a Children’s’ Costume Contest, and a wide array of music, food and merriment for all to enjoy!

Return to romance in Renaissance England on this special Romance Rendezvous weekend, July 11th and 12th. Attend a Renewal of Vows Ceremony (reservations required) at the Festival Chapel, treat your paramour to a Lover’s Picnic Basket at the Bad Dog Tavern, or see Shakespeare himself present the Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet on the new Festival Stage. Follow your fantasy and celebrate midsummer as the town of Warwick pays tribute to the myths and legends of Old England. A Midsummer Fantasy takes place on July 18th and 19th. Pull out those outfits that you wouldn’t dare wear anywhere else and join the Fantasy Costume Contest.

Pirates are invading the Shire with swashbuckling adventure, comedy and song at our Pirate Invasion, July 25th and 26th. Join our Pirate Costume Competition; raise a glass of grog in the Bad Dog Tavern’s Pirate Revel and see a pirate swordplay show at the new Festival Stage. Pirate bands will rove, shanties will be sung, and very little honest work shall be done.

Thrill to the lilt of highland bagpipes in the hills! Wear your kilt and celebrate the mighty Scots with a special Highland Fling, August 1st and 2nd. Hear Scottish pipe bands play on stages and in the lanes, see highland dancing, and watch our Scottish athletes compete in a Caber Toss and Stone Put competition and demonstration.

The gypsies have arrived to share their lust for life at a special Gypsy Revel, August 8th and 9th. Sidesplitting Gypsy antics, exotic Gypsy dancing, and Gypsy fiddling in the lanes will lure you into their way of life. Join the ranks of the Romani wanderers by dressing the part and winning at the Best Dressed Gypsy Costume Contest.

On our final weekend of the 2009 season, come crush a grape at the second annual Wine Lovers’ Bacchanal, August 15th and 16th. Taste special wines and meads at our pubs, or sit down for a flight of wine and plate of breads and cheeses at the Bad Dog Tavern. See the Grape Stomping Competition at the new Festival Stage where you can be crowned this season’s Lord and Lady of Wine.

The 2009 season will also showcase the very popular Royal Tea where kids and adults alike will love this special visit with The Queen.

Reservations and seating is limited for certain events. Please contact us for further details.

The Festival Grounds Stay Alive After The Renaissance Festival Ends! Plug in and pipe up at the Sterling Celtic Rock Festival, a weekend of heart-pounding live music, authentic food and drink, and unique Celtic crafts, debuts August 22nd and 23rd, the weekend directly following the Sterling Renaissance Festival. Details are available at SterlingCeltic.com.

The Sterling Renaissance Festival, presented by Empire Attractions, LLC, is located at the Sterling Festival Grounds in Sterling, NY, just 45 minutes north of Syracuse, NY, near Oswego, and one hour east of Rochester. Festival dates are Saturdays and Sundays only, July 4th through August 16th, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine. Free parking is available. Sorry, no pets allowed. For festival details, discount ticket information, driving directions and important notices regarding special events, visit our website at SterlingFestival.com or call 1.800.879.4446.

Empire Attractions, New York’s premier themed events and entertainment provider, proudly owns and operates a variety of venues throughout the State, including the Sterling Renaissance Festival, the Sterling Celtic Rock Festival, and Screamers’ Hollow haunted attraction located at the Sterling Festival Grounds in Sterling, NY; Historic Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, Yesterday’s Royal, and the Sylvan Beach Screamer Speedboat Thrill Ride, located along Oneida Lake in Sylvan Beach, NY; and Santa’s Workshop at North Pole, NY, located on Whiteface Mountain 12 miles east of Lake Placid, NY. For more information on Empire Attractions and its upcoming events, go to EmpireAttractions.com.

CONTACT: Doug Waterbury, Owner, Empire Attractions, LLC, 315.593.9677