Shiver me timbers! Did you know that the Town of Enfield hosts a Pirate Festival every September? And it’s geared towards the kids? Aye Aye!
This was the FOURTH annual Enfield Pirate and Food Truck Festival, held in Enfield on the town green. The event was, obviously, pirate themed and included performances, entertainment, games, vendors, and of course, food trucks! Lots of food trucks! Over twenty trucks! The event was put on by the Connecticut Renaissance Fair and the Town of Enfield, and proceeds from the weekend went towards to Kids First of Enfield.
It was held the weekend of September 3 and 4, on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. We visited on the second day, arriving just after opening.
The event was FREE this year (previously the event had cost for admission). Parking was available at the town hall for a $5 donation, which went towards Kids First.
There were a lot of people in costume at the festival, and we had to dress my boy up so he would fit in! I ended up creating a costume with all of his own clothes, and a few dollar store finds!
We got to catch two shows while we were there, but they had a full schedule of entertainment, as you can see below!
They had a lot of vendors, including those selling pirate themed costumes and merchandise, jewelry, artwork and crafts, even the famous pirate snack: kettle corn!
We found this pirate while wandering through the vendor booths! How authentic is he?
They had a ton of games for the kids, including archery tag and ax-throwing stations.
We also found a game of tug of war going on with this very recognizable pirate…
Heave ho!
Son of a biscuit eater! Those scallywags captured him! Will they make him walk the plank?
He put on quite the show!
In addition to these fun games and shows, they also had educational demonstrations, including how pirates lived and prepared food, as well as weaponry. They also had a live canon demonstration (but it was after we left).
There were lots of photo ops, including this ship’s helm and the pirate cage!
My boy also got a balloon sword! That he totally lost within ten minutes… naturally.
They even had face painting (for a fee) but we skipped that since he’s a little too young to sit still for that.
Now on top of all that pirate-ness, they even had carnival rides! These were NOT free, and you did have to pay for tickets to ride. It included your standard carnival rides: a fun house, some flying rides, a train and a tilt-o-whirl.
Once we checked out all the activities, we headed towards the other portion of this event: the food trucks. There was a lot to choose from: fried fish, waffles, pierogies, Greek, Mexican food, pizza, hot dogs, chicken, brats… even taffy. We ended up with a fried chicken sandwich, pizza, fries and a chicken gyro! It was a little costly, and the vendors we bought from were cash only. So if you plan to enjoy lunch, bring your cash and be prepared to spend about $10 or more per person.
We ended up having a great time. The weather was beautiful. We met pirates, ate some good food and learned a lot about the pirate’s life. This is a great event for kids: toddlers all the way up to middle school. And the fact that it was free this year was just awesome.
So, next year, make sure to keep your eye out for this event in September, and steer yer ship to Enfield for a swashbucklin’ time!
This about sums it up…
Address:
Enfield Green, 820 Enfield Street – Enfield, CT
Hours:
September 3 & 4, 2016 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Features:
- FREE!
- Stroller Friendly!
- Large parking lot with plenty of available spaces – available for a donation of $5 (street parking available in the center of town, for free)
- Port a potties only- no changing tables
- Bring sunscreen and hats to protect from the sun
- Food available for sale
- Bring cash for food trucks, vendors and carnival rides
- Bring your camera- many photo ops!
