The Texas Renaissance Festival is in the middle of a contested ownership transition. Founder George Coulam held it for more than fifty years, but a May 2025 court judgment ordered the festival sold to real estate investor Meril Rivard for $60 million, and Coulam died later that same month. The sale still requires additional court steps before ownership formally transfers, and Coulam’s estate now stands in his place in the litigation.
George Coulam Held It From 1974 Until 2025
George Coulam started the festival in 1974 on land in Todd Mission, a small community about fifty miles northwest of Houston, and built it into the largest Renaissance-themed festival in the country. Staff and longtime attendees called him “King George,” a title that reflected both his personality and his absolute control over the festival’s creative direction.
Coulam’s ownership was never passive. He personally oversaw the design of permanent structures, the expansion of performance venues, and the overall look of the grounds. That concentrated every major decision in one person, and the question of who would eventually succeed him became the central drama of the HBO docuseries Ren Faire, which aired in 2024.
Coulam was found dead at his Grimes County home on May 21, 2025, at the age of 88. His death came just weeks after a judge ruled against him in the sale dispute.
The $60 Million Court-Ordered Sale
On April 7, 2023, Coulam and his companies signed a purchase-and-sale agreement to sell the main festival property for $48 million and an adjacent property for $12 million. The buyers were entities connected to real estate investor Meril Rivard. The closing was scheduled for August 8, 2023, but the day before, the buyers learned the festival owners likely would not follow through. The closing date passed without the sale being completed.
The buyer entities (RW Lands, Inc., Texas Stargate, Inc., and Royal Campground, Inc.) filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit in Grimes County later that month. The defendants were the Texas Renaissance Festival, Coulam personally, and his company Stargate Manor Arboretum, LLC. The plaintiffs argued that because they had deposited an initial payment under the agreement, the festival owners were legally obligated to close.
In May 2025, Grimes County Judge Gary Chaney issued a judgment ordering the festival to honor the original sale agreement. The judge also awarded the plaintiffs more than $22 million in damages and $1 million in legal fees. A festival spokesperson said at the time that operations would continue as planned and that a decision on a potential appeal had not yet been made.
Who Meril Rivard Is
Meril Rivard is the real estate investor behind the buying entities. According to his attorney, Rivard’s son is married to the daughter of one of the festival’s largest vendors, and Rivard wanted to purchase the festival partly to protect the livelihoods tied to it. His attorney stated publicly that Rivard plans to keep the festival running after any sale is finalized.
Why the Sale Isn’t Final Yet
The judge’s May 2025 order was not a final judgment. Rivard’s attorney described it as “the step before a final judgment,” noting that assembling the final judgment could take weeks or longer before anyone would need to decide whether to appeal. The sale still requires additional court approval before ownership formally transfers.
Coulam’s death complicates the picture further. His estate now stands in his place on the defendant side of the litigation, which means any remaining procedural steps, settlement discussions, or appeals run through the estate rather than through Coulam himself.
The festival operates through Texas Renaissance Festival, Inc., a domestic for-profit corporation registered with the Texas Secretary of State. That entity holds the trademarks, operational rights, and contracts needed to run the event, and it is required to maintain a registered agent in the state for accepting legal documents.1Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Registered Agents Stargate Manor Arboretum, LLC was named as a Coulam-controlled co-defendant in the sale lawsuit. How the various entities on both sides are reorganized or dissolved after any completed sale remains open.
Who Runs the Festival Day to Day
Regardless of who holds the title, the festival’s daily operations rely on an executive management team. Jeff Baldwin was reinstated as General Manager after Coulam watched Ren Faire in 2024 and, according to the show’s director, decided to give Baldwin his old position back. Baldwin had previously held the role before being removed during the succession conflicts depicted in the series.
Operations have continued through the legal battles and ownership uncertainty. The 2025 season proceeded as scheduled, and the 2026 vendor application process moved forward on its normal timeline at the festival’s Todd Mission grounds.2Texas Renaissance Festival. Texas Renaissance Festival Whoever ultimately owns the festival, the infrastructure and vendor relationships that keep it running are established enough to outlast any single owner.