"Before Jack Sparrow, there were the Pyrates Royale." -- Laurie DeWitt, The Gazette

Just What Are You Getting Yourself Into?

What exactly is the Pyrates Royale? An award-winning music group? A troupe of interactive comedians? A gang of consenting adults who dress funny?

After more than a decade of noise pollution, money-grubbing and general delinquency masquerading as entertainment, we still haven't answered this question to anyone's satisfaction. What we have done is performed in our own inimitable style: combining seafaring history, music, comedy and reenacting.

  • Singing and Comedy -- Since the group's debut at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in 1987, The Pyrates Royale has set the standard for comic "singing pirate" acts at renaissance festivals throughout the United States. We have also boarded ships, acted in plays, played prettily at weddings and sung raucously at parties.

  • Interactive Performance -- We don't just tear down that "fourth wall," we blast it into powder! We mix, we mingle, we harass our audience one-on-one in character... until they start to wonder if we're going to take a few hostages or press them into service!

  • Black Powder Weapons -- Several of our performers are trained in black powder weapons use, and own and fire flintlock pistols and rifles. We've also had experience firing cannons on land and aboard tallships.

  • Pyrate Encampment -- You can also experience us in our "natural environs," as we are the proud owners and operators of our own tent, furniture, baubles, hammocks and more. Our "hovel sweet hovel" is a favorite part of the Maryland Renaissance Festivalmade quite an impression at events in Georgia, Virginia and Key West.

  • Real Salts -- We have friendly alliances with tallships up and down the east coast. One of our performers, Darcy Nair, is a volunteer sailor on the crew of the Kalmar Nyckel, a tallship docked in Wilmington, DE. She climbs the rigging, ties knots, hauls lines and scrubs the deck. She still eats with a knife and fork, though.

  • Beyond the Sea -- We are available in costume or in "civvies" -- no event is too unconventional and no client is too creative! We even switched genres and ventured into Irish territory and country-western mode for one production (clearly, we are without shame).

  • Sure, we do weddings! -- click here for more information

    We have been seen in action at these otherwise respectable places:

    AT SEA
    Tallship Bounty
    Tallship Rose
    Tallship Kalmar Nyckel
    Tallship Godspeed
    The Clipper City
    The Harbor Queen
    Private yacht The Mystery

    ON LAND
    Good Morning America
    A & E's Hornblower Series promotional events -- Baltimore, Md. and New York City
    The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts -- Washington, D.C.
    The National Aquarium -- Baltimore, Md.
    Walter's Art Gallery -- Baltimore, Md.
    Chesapeake Music Hall -- Annapolis, Md.
    Courtyard Concert Cafe -- Falls Church, Va.
    Royal Mile Tavern -- Wheaton, Md.
    Mick O'Shea's Pub -- Baltimore, Md.
    Maryland Renaissance Festival
    Washington Folk Festival -- Washington, D.C.
    Potomac Celtic Festival -- Leesburg, Va.
    Southern Maryland Celtic Festival
    Folklore Society of Greater Washington -- Washington, D.C.
    First Night Annapolis
    First Night Dover
    Georgia Renaissance Festival
    Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival
    Carolina Renaissance Festival
    Virginia Renaissance Festival
    Florida Renaissance Festival
    St. Louis Renaissance Festival
    Sterling Renaissance Festival -- New York
    Great Lakes Medieval Faire -- Cleveland, Ohio
    Pirates in Paradise Festival -- Key West, Fla.
    Norfolk's Harborfest -- Norfolk, Va.
    OpSail 2000 -- Norfolk, Va.
    First Night Norfolk -- Norfolk, Va.
    Lee Island Pirate Festival -- Fla.
    Havre de Grace Maritime Festival -- Havre de Grace, Md.
    Annapolis Maritime Festival -- Annapolis, Md.
    Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum -- St. Leonard, Md.
    Mercer Museum Festival -- Doylestown, Pa.
    The Pyrates Royale Pub Sing -- Historic Dumfries, Va.
    The Mariner's Museum -- Newport News, Va.
    A Pyrate Home Companion -- Manassas, Va.
    1998 World Science Fiction Convention -- Baltimore, Md.
    weddings and private parties

    ...and one Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner (but only one)

    Read these testimonials, then contact us. We'll be happy to discuss your evil plans and our very reasonable rates.

    • Best Music Group -- 2007 Renaissance Festival Awards
    Best New CD -- 2007 Renaissance Festival Awards Winner, 2005 Renaissance Festival Performer Awards

    WAMMIE Award Nominee
    Best Recording -- "Tales of the Brigantine"
    Best Traditional Folk Group -- 2007, 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

    PRESS
    Swashbuckling Songsters Keep a Legend Alive -- The Gazette
    Included in Washingtonian Magazine's "Great Music" issue
    Pop Quiz -- Washington City Paper
    Acts of Musical Piracy -- Rambles Magazine

    REVIEWS
    Tales of the Brigantine -- No Quarter Given
    Love at Fyrst Nyte -- No Quarter Given
    Love at Fyrst Nyte -- Rambles Magazine
    Lyve Behind Bars -- No Quarter Given
    Lyve Behind Bars -- Rambles Magazine
    Hello, Sailor -- No Quarter Given
    Hello, Sailor -- Rambles Magazine

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    Hire us for your next event. Or we'll burn down your neighborhood, see if we don't.