MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — After years of dressing as a forest fairy at the annual Tennessee Renaissance Festival held each weekend in May, Middle Tennessee State University alumna Devon Russell stepped into the leading role as the event manager.
“For years I had frolicked around that festival, so being the festival manager has been fantastic,” said Russell, a 2017 graduate who majored in mass communications with a concentration in photography. “I loved it right off the rip.”
Now in its 39th year, the Tennessee Renaissance Festival in Arrington, Tenn., is centered around Castle Gwynn, a replica of a 12th century Welsh border castle that transports visitors to 16th century England in the fictional village of Covington Glen. There’s a bustling marketplace featuring artisan wares and food vendors, jousting tournaments and other period-themed entertainment that draw in more than 70,000 annually.
Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department in Franklin, Tenn., which operates the annual festival that continues May 17-18 and 24-26, hired Russell in June 2023 to begin planning for the 2024 year. The 2025 festival marks her second year at the helm.
“We are so excited to have Devon in this role,” said Gordon Hampton, Williamson County Parks and Rec director. “Her people skills and enthusiasm for everyone to succeed makes her very popular with the many vendors and actors that make the festival such a special event. I can’t wait to see the festival evolve under her direction.”
The Tennessee Renaissance Festival began in 1986, just six years after property owner Mike Freeman began building Castle Gwynn, which can be seen towering over Interstate 840. Eventually the festival became a lot to manage for him and his wife, Jackie Freeman. So they kept the castle to live in but sold the festival property to Williamson County, which took over operations of the event in 2022.
When Russell initially applied, the job description was vague — coordinator of a large festival. In the second interview, they told her about the position and then took her on a behind-the-scenes tour.
“When they told me I got the job, I was so excited. I think I squealed,” Russell said.
Transitioning into the role as festival manager of the treasured event has been nothing short of magical for Russell. But there have been challenges.
On her first opening day in 2024, “anything that could go wrong, did,” she said. The lead jousting competitor tripped and cracked his head while setting up for the show. A vendor was injured and left the grounds via ambulance. Then the ticket tent was struck by lightning and the grounds lost Wi-Fi service, leaving them unable to process tickets.
“After work that day, I sat in my car aggressively sobbing for 45 minutes. I was so defeated and tired,” Russell recalled. “And then the next weekend, I came in and all the fairies had little buttons on their costume that said, ‘I love Devon.’”
Watch Russell and the Tennessee Renaissance Festival team on WKRN-TV New Channel 2:
The response of the festival team is reflective of Russell’s charisma and camaraderie with the “Ren Fair” community, which keeps her going when things get stressful. She said MTSU did a great job preparing her for the role. Although she majored in photography, the media and communication side of her degree was “the most helpful tool.”
“Everybody tells me all the time, ‘You communicate so well.’ I never realized how valuable that tool was and it’s gotten me where I needed to go,” Russell said.
There are times when she has a moment to step back and take it all in.
“There’s just something about it when the festival gets going. When the festival first opened and I saw all the vendors in their element and the entertainers performing and these patrons who all love it, I had this moment where I got chills,” Russell said. “Knowing that I planned this thing that people are really enjoying is special to me.”
To purchase tickets and learn more about the Tennessee Renaissance Festival, visit https://www.tnrenfest.com/.
— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)
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