6/29/26 Minnesota Renaissance Festival Advertises Elephant Rides Again
1 day ago
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The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is once again advertising elephant rides for its 2026 season—and CompassionWorks International is asking supporters to speak out before the festival begins in late August.
The elephants expected to be used are Paige, Krissy, and Jeanie, three African elephants owned by the Swain family and exhibited under the name Trunks and Humps. The elephants are transported long distances and used for rides, appearances, and other forms of entertainment throughout the year.
Paige was recently taken to Houston and used as a living political prop at the Texas Republican Convention. Dressed in political decorations and surrounded by crowds inside a convention center, she was once again treated as an attraction rather than as an intelligent, highly social animal with complex physical and behavioral needs.
Now Paige, Krissy, and Jeanie are expected to be transported from Texas to Minnesota, where they will be forced to carry festival visitors repeatedly through loud and crowded grounds.
Public pressure has worked before
In 2025, sustained advocacy helped prevent Trunks and Humps from using the elephants at the Colorado Renaissance Festival. That victory demonstrated that venues can—and do—change course when enough people speak out.
Most Renaissance festivals have already left elephant rides behind. The Minnesota Renaissance Festival should do the same.
Elephants do not belong at festivals, political conventions, circuses, or any other venue where they are used as rides, props, or entertainment.
Please take action today and urge the Minnesota Renaissance Festival to cancel elephant rides for 2026 and adopt a permanent policy prohibiting the use of elephants at its events.
