King George dethroned
Judge rules Texas Renaissance Festival owner must sell his kingdom
After a protracted legal battle, a judge ruled owner George Coulam must sell the Texas Renaissance Festival.
A Grimes County judge ruled on Wednesday, May 7 that Texas Renaissance Festival owner George Coulam must honor an agreement he made in 2023 to sell the fair. The judgement and sale, if upheld, are not expected to affect the fair's operations in the fall.
"Our commitment remains unchanged: to deliver a safe, vibrant, and memorable experience for the hundreds of thousands of guests who visit each year," spokesperson Tyler Moyer tells CultureMap in a written statement. "Festival operations are moving forward as planned for the 2025 season."
The case stems from business dealings depicted in the HBO docuseries Ren Faire. Over the show's three episodes, Coulam is shown engaging in negotiations with a party referred to as "The Greeks," but the deal falls through. Those parties, a group that includes RW Lands, Texas Stargate, and Royal Campgrounds, sued Coulam to compel him to honor the contract.
Judge Gary W. Chaney sided with the plaintiffs in a brief judgment against Coulam. Not only is he ordered to abide by the original contract to sell the festival grounds and adjacent properties for $60 million, he has to pay $22 million in damages as well as $1 million in attorney fees. Coulam has not commented publicly about the ruling, and it is not known at this time whether he plans to appeal the decision.
King George's History
For more than half a century, George Coulam has reigned as king of the Texas Renaissance Festival in Todd Mission. Not only is it the largest and one of the earliest incarnations of such festivals, it codified the concept to such a degree that its model is replicated all over the world. There is no doubt that Coulam has been the Walt Disney of renaissance events.
However, that long reign has come with accusations of bad business dealings and sexual harassment. Multiple former employees have sued Coulam for hostile work environment related to his conduct. In addition to depicting the sale negotiations, Ren Faire exposed the backstage politics surrounding Coulam's business practices. The show dealt with the possibility of Coulam finally selling the festival to retire, while also highlighting his desire to remain "king," with all the privileges that entails.
Former performer reacts
As Coulam's management of the festival grew increasingly capricious, many longtime employees and visitors stopped associating with the fair. Niki Korontona was an employee until 2019 when she decided to leave, partially because of her health and partially because of the toxic environment. She says that if Coulam is truly out, she could see returning.
"If the sale goes through as it says it's going to, I'll go back," she said in a Facebook message. "While my time with the performance company was its own b----, if the new owners are who I've heard, it will be going into... I don't know... less toxic hands?"
Few renaissance festivals survive a change of ownership, but it's not unheard of. In fact, Coulam was a part of one of the bigger ones. Before starting the Texas Renaissance Festival in 1974, he founded the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in 1971. The investor of that enterprise, lawyer Jules Smith Sr., then sold his shares and opened a new festival in Maryland in 1977. These days, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is one of Texas's main rivals.
That was long before the institutions were cemented into their current forms, worth tens of millions of dollars. Still, Korontana says that a change in management that doesn't mess with what works should succeed.
"[It's] an ironclad business." she said. "Even recessions didn't break it. It's so commercial that it doesn't matter who owns it as long as tickets aren't too expensive and turkey legs exist."
