ARRINGTON COMMUNITY — Note to all damsels in distress: Knights in shining armor arrive this weekend.

The Tennessee Renaissance Festival opens Saturday and will cast its 16th-century spell every weekend during the month of May.

An enchanted forest surrounding the Castle Gwynn in Arrington — called Covington Glen — is the setting for ye olde festival. In this Tudor realm, visitors can expect to find magicians, musicians, manpowered rides, a variety of crafts, balladeers, falconers, jugglers and (gasp!) jousting by mounted knights in full combat armor.

Fairy sprites make merry by surprising revelers as they walk along woodland paths, and fortune tellers with tarot cards are on hand to make remarkable predictions about what life will be like in, say, the upcoming 17th century.

This weekend is ''Maidens and Masters — Children's Weekend'' at the festival. Kids ages 12 and younger will be admitted free with a paid adult. (Limit of two.) Next weekend is ''Mistress of the House — M'Lady's Days'' in honor of Mother's Day. The first 500 medieval moms will receive festival souvenirs.

May 18-19 is ''Making Merry for Many'' weekend. Each visitor who brings a sack of canned goods for the Second Harvest Food Bank will receive a festival souvenir and a coupon good for $2 off any purchase at the information booth.

And the final weekend of the festival is Celtic Music Weekend, in which several local Celtic and other period bands and musicians will share the sounds of centuries past.

Castle Gwynn opens this weekend for jousting, merriment