Ren Faire

"📍 Growing up in #Houston, the Texas Renaissance Festival wasn’t just a weekend escape — it was a pilgrimage. Year after year, my family would caravan out to the woods and into a world where #dragons roamed, #knights jousted, & mead flowed like medieval Gatorade.🍺 And behind it all? One man: George Coulam. 🎩 A true Willy Wonka of the woodland realm, Coulam founded TRF in 1974 & built an empire from dirt & dreams — 55 acres of fantasy so sprawling they had to incorporate an actual city around it. This wasn’t just a fair; it was a #kingdom. ⚔️ But like all great kingdoms, this one teetered on the edge of madness. 🦁 Think SUCCESSION meets TIGER KING: In #HBO’s Ren Faire, we meet Coulam in his twilight years — #eccentric, lonely, brilliant & spiraling. He’s searching for a successor, but instead of heirs, he’s surrounded by vendors, #backstabbers & #medieval-themed opportunists who all want a piece of the crown. 💔 George wanted what we all do: connection. A lover. A companion. Someone to talk to. Someone to garden with.🪴 But in the end, this #king had no court — just a legacy, a few #lawsuits & a festival that grew too large for anyone, even him, to truly control. 🎭 The festival itself is a world of pure imagination — a niche haven for #fantasy lovers, cosplayers, jousters, #wizards, and wine-chuggers. Whether you’re into #Shakespearean insults, 🍗 turkey legs the size of your head, or just watching grown adults dressed to the hilt in vibrant #Medieval costumes & chainmail — it’s a must-visit. 👑 Ren Faire captures it all: the power plays, the whimsy, the loneliness, the insanity. It’s #fascinating, it’s #tragic, it’s Texan as hell. Huzzah! 🎉 Long Live the King! 🤴 ▪️ George Coulam, founder of the #Texas RenFest, was found dead in his home one week ago today (5/21/25). Death by suicide. He was 87. 🎬 6.25 for the nostalgia & solid filmmaking + it offers a curious peek into #capitalism & what it takes to run a multimillion-dollar fantasy empire. "

"Huzzah! Bodacious and bizarre, this 3-part docudrama profiles “King George” Coulam founder of Texas Ren Fest. The power struggles rival those of Renaissance Europe as the 85 y/o King navigates mating, holistic styles, and marketing in the sultry woods. I’ve been to this Texas tradition many times, and loved the footage of the elephants and expansive grounds. George’s Machiavellian tactics ensure I will never see Texas Ren Fest the same, ever. "

"The first 30 minutes it feels like Tiger King bought a REN Faire. Final 30 minutes it turns into Succession! "