I went this year with some friends, and we had a blast. One of my friends had actually worked for the Renaissance Festival for the past few years, so we got to meet quite a few of the actors who played the king, queen, the nights, and the ladies of the court. They did a fantastic job, perfecting accents and putting on airs for all the guests. One of the princes did his best to woo my friends. :) The vendors and booths were excellent; we were particularly enamored with the astrolabes, carved in brass and copper, perfect replicas of the antique astrolabes created by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Renaissance Fair is currently the only place where you can find some of these medieval instruments.
I hadn't been to the fair since I was very young, so I can't really remember how the Renaissance festival in years past compares to the festival today; but I'll definitely be going back next year.