For your amusement, I present the following:
October 9, 2005
*New* section-- History area has some documents in it now. Please stop by and see which documents you might like to read.
Quick Guide to Renaissance Faires
Somehow, you've found that yourself going to a Renaissance faire, and your friend / significant other / kidnapper actually expects you to participate. What basic stuff do you need to know?
1. A renaissance faire (optional naming varies by location) is where performers and vendors come together to recreate (hopefully, but minus the inconveniences and with a few modern conveniences) the atmosphere of a 16th Century English town (aka shire) (usually English, but I've seen Scottish festivals as well).
2. The monarch varies with the faire. Henry the eighth, Elizabeth I are the two most popular monarchs, with a few Mary and Edward faires thrown in because we get bored doing just the first two. You should probably know the basic history- Henry the Eighth assumed the throne at a fairly young age, was married 6 times, and had three children by his queens. Mary was the daughter of the first wife who he divorced, Elizabeth I was the daughter of the second wife who he beheaded, and Edward VI was the son of the third wife who died from a post-delivery infection.
3. Hydrate yourself. If you haven't peed by noon, drink more water. And then KEEP drinking WATER (or some other similarly hydrating fluid. No, ale doesn't count. Yes, I know they drank ale all the time back then, but they didn't have the wonders of modern water service to keep their H2O pure.)
4. Your clothes might be uncomfortable. You might get hot. When you blow your nose, black slugs may emerge. This is normal and not cause for alarm or incessant whining and complaining. Altho, if you decide you do not wish to be reinvited to play, go ahead.
5. Faires generally run from 10 am to 6 pm. Afterward, there's a Saturday night party, and Sunday night teardown. Your presence is encouraged at the parties and required at the tear down (if you're brought as a guest of a guild member)
6. Four things I ask everyone to bring with them: A faire name, why they're here today (your character, not your *real-life* self), What your character does for a living, and an escape phrase. An escape phrase is just that. a way to get away from the mundanes (people not in garb) when you feel them clinging to you, boring you, or you've run out of things to say to them. It can be as simple as "Look! A dragon!" or "excuse me milady, forsooth I doth harken the dulcet tones of my dearest love beconing me to tend his needs."
brainfried. more later.
Photos of TCRF 2004 by F&H Photography
Photos of TCRF 2004 by F&H Photography
