Why the Renaissance Is Missing From Historical Reenactment's Boom

The Question: Why Does the Renaissance Barely Register in the Reenactment Boom?

Here's a number that should stop you cold: in a study of 115 active annual reenactment events in Catalonia, the medieval era takes up a full 50% of the calendar. Contemporary history follows at 23%, modern at 12%, and ancient Rome at 11%. And the Renaissance? It's not even in the top tier — it's lumped into a sliver under 4% that includes Prehistory, Ancient Greece, and Iberian culture. (EXARC / Catalonia reenactment study)

That's a glaring absence. The Renaissance gave us Shakespeare, the printing press, and the birth of modern science. It's the bridge between the medieval world and our own. Yet if you're a reenactor looking to strap on a doublet and a rapier, you're hunting for a niche within a niche.

The question isn't whether the Renaissance is worth reenacting — it absolutely is. The question is why the scene has passed it by, and what you can do about it if you're an organizer or a participant who wants to change that.

The Medieval Dominance Is Recent But Real

First, let's be clear: the medieval era isn't just the default; it's the runaway leader. The Catalonia study — the most detailed open-access look at reenactment trends we have — shows that medieval fairs and markets account for half of all events. But here's the twist: that dominance is a recent phenomenon. When you look only at events started between 2009 and 2017, medieval fairs drop to 36%, while contemporary-era recreations — think World War II or the Spanish Civil War — jump to 43%. (EXARC Journal 2019/1 (Catalonia study PDF))

So the medieval boom isn't ancient history. It's a product of the last couple decades. And it's not just Catalonia. In the UK, the British Library's oral history project notes that reenactment emerged as a leisure activity in the 1970s and has grown to over 18,000 volunteers today. (British Library oral history)

That growth is real, and it's accelerating. The Catalonia study counted 115 active annual events by 2017, up from 62 in 2008. Most of that growth happened after 2000: 69% of active events were initiated between 2000 and 2017, with 38% created between 2007 and 2017. (EXARC Journal 2019/1 (Catalonia study PDF))

So the scene is growing — but it's growing in specific directions. Medieval and contemporary are the big draws. The Renaissance is nowhere.

Why the Renaissance Gets Left Out

I think the answer comes down to three things: identity, funding, and spectacle.

First, identity. Reenactment groups are often built around a shared nostalgia for a particular past. The medieval era has a strong visual identity — knights, castles, tournaments — that's easy to market and easy to understand. The Renaissance is more diffuse. Is it the Italian city-states, the Tudor court, or the French Wars of Religion? There's no single iconic image that says "Renaissance" the way a suit of armor says "medieval."

Second, funding. In Catalonia, 70% of annual reenactment events are instigated directly by town councils, which are also the main funders. (EXARC Journal 2019/1 (Catalonia study PDF)) Municipalities want events that draw crowds and boost local pride. Medieval fairs have a proven track record. The Battle of Evesham Medieval Festival in the UK, for instance, draws an estimated 60,000 visitors with more than 1,000 reenactors. (British Library oral history) That's the kind of numbers that make a council sit up and take notice.

Third, spectacle. Reenactment thrives on battles. The medieval era offers the Battle of Hastings, the Wars of the Roses, and a thousand skirmishes in between. The Renaissance has wars too, but they're less iconic in the popular imagination. And the contemporary era — think World War II — has a raw, visceral appeal that's hard to beat.

The Opportunity Is Real

Here's the thing: the absence of the Renaissance is an opportunity, not a dead end. The few events that do exist are undersubscribed and underappreciated. If you're an organizer, you have a chance to carve out a niche that's both historically rich and commercially untapped.

And the audience is there. The broader heritage tourism market is booming. In the UK, heritage-led tourism attracted £12.5 billion in spend from international visitors in 2023, plus £11.4 billion from domestic visits. (National Trust (UK Parliament written evidence)) In Scotland, tourism and events delivered £11.4 billion in visitor spend. (VisitScotland (corporate research)) People are hungry for authentic historical experiences.

But they're not getting the Renaissance. A quick scan of the Catalonia study shows that experimental archaeology — the kind of hands-on, craft-based activity that would fit a Renaissance workshop perfectly — accounts for under 5% of event proposals. (EXARC Journal 2019/1 (Catalonia study PDF)) That's a gap you could drive a printing press through.

What a Renaissance Event Could Look Like

Imagine a weekend event set in 16th-century Florence or London. Instead of a battle, you stage a market square with working artisans: a papermaker, a bookbinder, a pewterer. You've got a printing press running off broadsheets. You've got a fencing master teaching the basics of rapier play. You've got a small troupe performing a scene from a Shakespeare play — or, if you want to be more continental, a commedia dell'arte sketch.

The cost needn't be astronomical. The Catalonia study notes that the sum of all event budgets across 115 events amounts to around 3 million euros per year — that's an average of about 26,000 euros per event. (EXARC Journal 2019/1 (Catalonia study PDF)) You could do a lot with that, especially if you partner with a local museum. In Catalonia, only 6% of events are organized mainly by a museum, but 18% involve one in some way. (EXARC Journal 2019/1 (Catalonia study PDF)) A museum partnership gives you access to artifacts, expertise, and a built-in audience.

The Bottom Line

The Renaissance is the missing middle of historical reenactment. The medieval era has the castles, the contemporary era has the urgency, but the Renaissance has the ideas — and that's a gap worth filling. If you're an organizer, my recommendation is simple: start small, start local, and lean into the craft angle. Don't try to reproduce a battle; reproduce a workshop. You'll stand out precisely because you're not doing what everyone else is doing.

The data is clear: the reenactment scene is growing, but it's growing in a rut. The Renaissance is a chance to break out of that rut. The audience is there, the funding model is proven, and the historical material is richer than any other era. All it takes is one good event to prove it. Be that event.

Sources

• EXARC / Catalonia reenactment study - https://dev.exarc.net/issue-2019-1/int/current-trends-annual-historical-re-enactments-events-catalonia
• EXARC Journal 2019/1 (Catalonia study PDF) - https://www.exarc.net/sites/default/files/2026-02/Current%20Trends%20in%20Annual%20Historical%20Re-Enactments%20Events%20in%20Catalonia.%20Uses%20of%20Cultural%20Heritage%20_%20The%20EXARC%20Journal.pdf
• British Library oral history - https://www.bl.uk/stories/blogs/posts/re-enactments-authentic-history-or-just-dressing-up
• National Trust (UK Parliament written evidence) - https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/136531/html/
• VisitScotland (corporate research) - https://www.visitscotland.org/