# Can someone explain Renaissance Faires? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565 "2006-07-15T01:17:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/161 "2006-08-08T13:54:40Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Went to my first RF this weekend, Bristol, Just N of the IL/WI border. > Had a better time that I could possibly have imagined. I also just went to my first one - same place too! I was hesitant, but had such a good time I think we’ll go next year. I loved the professional insulter, who was spot on while my friend was trying to whip tomatoes at him. The strangest costume I saw was some guy wandering around in a Star Trek uniform. Although something tells me that’s what he wears normally. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/162 "2006-08-08T14:09:52Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I have to tell you, if you’re a stickler for historical accuracy a RenFaire is NOT for you… “There were no utensils in medieval times, hence there are no utensils AT ‘Medieval Times’. Would you like a refill on that Pepsi?” –Cable Guy ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/163 "2006-08-08T14:24:06Z")
> [@Mooch](#): > > I loved the professional insulter, who was spot on while my friend was trying to whip tomatoes at him. Okay, here’s a question that has been bugging me a bit. As I said above, I had no objection to dropping in a couple of bucks every time the hat was passed. But I didn’t understand why people would drop in $20 or more. When the insulter started, I was surprised that folks paid 10-20 for him to insult someone, but I figured that was the going rate. What surprised me was when he was passing the hat to get for his final insult. He got over $200, with a couple of people dropping in 20s. I mean, he was good at what he did, but to me, $20 is a considerable amount of money for a relatively short act. Especially for folks who were not related to the insultee. If you dropped 20 at every act you saw, you'd go through some serious coin in the course of a day. Can anyone fill me in on the mindset of someone who spends that kind of money for something like that? I'm not saying I'm right and/or they're wrong. Just trying to understand as our value of seems quite different. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/164 "2006-08-08T15:25:48Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Okay, here’s a question that has been bugging me a bit. > As I said above, I had no objection to dropping in a couple of bucks every time the hat was passed. > But I didn’t understand why people would drop in $20 or more. > When the insulter started, I was surprised that folks paid 10-20 for him to insult someone, but I figured that was the going rate. What surprised me was when he was passing the hat to get for his final insult. He got over $200, with a couple of people dropping in 20s. I mean, he was good at what he did, but to me, $20 is a considerable amount of money for a relatively short act. Especially for folks who were not related to the insultee. If you dropped 20 at every act you saw, you'd go through some serious coin in the course of a day. Can anyone fill me in on the mindset of someone who spends that kind of money for something like that? I'm not saying I'm right and/or they're wrong. Just trying to understand as our value of seems quite different. Wine and beer. And they probably don’t bother putting anything in the hat of the majority of performers. The harpist under the tree gets quarters. The guy with the tomatos gets tens - the harpist has fewer drunks it her target market. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/165 "2006-08-08T16:17:33Z")
> [@Caprese](#): > > **Cherry** and **ExTank** > Did you ever see Puke and Snot? > Those guys were pretty funny. Oh, yeah. I used to go to the Texas Renaissance Festival on a regular basis. On the absolutely must-see list were Merlin the Magician, Puke & Snot, and The Ogre. After that, we just winged it for the rest of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/166 "2006-08-08T16:49:42Z")
Okay - another question: What’s the deal with the furry “raccoon tails”? ---
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/167 "2006-08-08T18:33:06Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Okay - another question: > What’s the deal with the furry “raccoon tails”? I also saw a ton of those on Sunday. Tails and ears. Maybe it’s just a place where you can wear whatever floats your boat and no one will care. Kind of like that Star Trek guy, although he might have just been pretending he was traveling back in time or something. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/168 "2006-08-08T19:02:06Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Okay - another question: > What’s the deal with the furry “raccoon tails”? It’s a piece of tail - theoretically to mean “I’m available. Want to duck behind the burlap and screw?” We try not to let our participants wear them too prominently, and we really take a dim view of them bringing anyone backstage. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/169 "2006-08-08T19:31:34Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > It’s a piece of tail - theoretically to mean “I’m available. Want to duck behind the burlap and screw?” WOW! I’m liking this gig more and more! Wish I had known about them when I was younger. Any estimates on what percentage of “tails” are legitimate advertising as opposed to “theoretical” costuming? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/170 "2006-08-09T01:46:20Z")
Excuse me, but has anyone mentioned [the boobs](http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1045/renfaireweb4qv.jpg) yet ? ( work safe shot of three ladies in traditional Ren Faire outfits- NOT topless. Mostly. 😃 I live very close to the Sterling Forest Ren Faire. I shall admit that it’s a bit disconcerting to see the neighbor’s daughter dressed in an outfit akin to the ones on display in the cite, but hey- it’s the Ren Faire !! Usually excellent jugglers, fire-eaters and whatnots. The Mud Show is spectacularly dirty in a clean mud-eating kinda way. I am good to go every few years. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/171 "2006-08-09T13:21:02Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Excuse me, but has anyone mentioned [the boobs](http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1045/renfaireweb4qv.jpg) yet ? Man, it started with an astounding display at the ticket booth. When confronted by that amount of - um - cleavage, the mind starts to reel. How do they do that? Where are the nipples? Is that comfortable? When a woman goes to such lengths to display her breastages, I feel it only polite to take notice. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/172 "2006-08-09T15:47:28Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > When confronted by that amount of - um - cleavage, the mind starts to reel. How do they do that? Where are the nipples? Is that comfortable? “You can show the fruit, but no stems” is the guidline. A properly-fitted bodice is almost universally described by the ladies (especially the umm… larger ladies) as more comfortable than strapping “the girls” down with a bra. The key here is properly-fitted as that will enable it to be comfortable and allow the nipples to remain out of view. ---
**Author:** ![Klytus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Klytus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klytus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/173 "2006-08-10T01:13:11Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > … You get to carry sharp pointy things… Alas, that cannot be done at the MD Ren Faire (Crownsville, MD). For as long as I can remmeber, only performers are permitted to have weapons, peace-bound or not. > [@Martini Enfield](#): > > So you have to pay to get into these events? What do they charge? The MD Faire charges $12 for one adult. I forget how the 2-day passes scale. I usually egt a Fairever Pass which is $75, but it gets you in every day of the season, and since this Faire runs nine weeks (including Labor Day) that’s 19-days worth of Faire. Just seven visist and the Fairever pass is cheaper than general admission. If you are turly hard-core and go _every day_ (and there are plenty of folks who do) that’s just under $4 a day. The real money is made in selling drinks ($1 for a 16-oz cup of soda), and games like the axe throw. The performers and acts at MD, fortunately, do not have to hand out the hat - the Faire seems to well enough that everyone’s cut of the gate is good enough to keep performing. Still, many of the performers, like _Johny Fox_ and _Hack & Slash_ sell merchandise like T-shirts, and most all of the musical acts hawk CDs. _The Pyrates Royale_ also sell CDs. I mention them seperately as I don’t consider them a “musical” act. Yeah, they’ve been at the MD Faire for about two decades, and people seem to find them entertaining, but calling the _Pyrates_ “musicians” is an insult to real musicians everywhere. Ok, I take that back - the current violinist is damn good, and they _used_ to have a great singer, but those are the exceptions. And, yes, I do harbor a personal prejudice against the _Pyrates_, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Interesting bit of trivia - in Civilization II, some of the cast for the High Council ae performers at MD Ren Fair. The Military Advisor is Captain Moon of the _Pyrates Royale_ ( **this** role, he’s good at!), and the Financial Advisor is Slash from _Hack & Slash_. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/174 "2006-08-10T03:07:25Z")
OH MAN!!! I’ve been out of here for a while, and just found this thread today, darnitall. I am at Bristol every weekend and I am totally bummed that I missed a chance to meet **Dinsdale** in person. (If you saw a woman in the parade with a pewter tankard balanced on her head, that was me.) There used to be at least one Doper - possibly two - on the Security staff at Bristol. I remember I was startled to find a Doper name I recognized listed on one of my Bristol friends’ LiveJournals. Bristol runs through Labor Day, so if any more Dopers happen to be there, please look me up and introduce yourselves. As I mentioned aboe, you’ll likely recognize me by the tankard balanced on my head. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/175 "2006-08-10T04:54:34Z")
> [@Klytus](#): > > The MD Faire charges $12 for one adult. I forget how the 2-day passes scale. I usually egt a Fairever Pass which is $75, but it gets you in every day of the season, and since this Faire runs nine weeks (including Labor Day) that’s 19-days worth of Faire. Just seven visist and the Fairever pass is cheaper than general admission. If you are turly hard-core and go _every day_ (and there are plenty of folks who do) that’s just under $4 a day. > > The real money is made in selling drinks ($1 for a 16-oz cup of soda), and games like the axe throw. That’s so cheap compared to Bristol! It’s $18.95 for regular adult admission at the gates. Advance tickets are cheaper–$16, I think. A season pass is $85, which isn’t all that much more, I suppose. The drinks are way more expensive though–my sister and I were overjoyed when we discovered the sassafrass last year for less than two dollars a glass. I think the workers knew us by name by the end of the day. I wanna move to Maryland, now. Or Vermont–I hear that’s like a smaller Wisconsin, but with more maple syrup. Just for the summer though. **LifeOnWry** , didn’t we try to meet up at Bristol last year and it fell through? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/176 "2006-08-10T09:39:04Z")
> [@Mooch](#): > > Maybe it’s just a place where you can wear whatever floats your boat and no one will care. Kind of like that Star Trek guy, although he might have just been pretending he was traveling back in time or something. I remember reading about some Trek fans (maybe gamers) dressing in full uniform, then acting like they’ve beamed down to a primitive planet. As geekiness goes, I think that one warrants a “neck order.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/177 "2006-08-10T13:41:40Z")
Larkspur was also my first Faire ('91?) - and I ran into a high school classmate (from NC) who was one of the performers. My sister was, at one time, heavily into SCA (she was a Baroness, head of a household, and a lady in waiting to the Queen), so when I visited her one year at Christmas she was having the New Year’s/12 Night celebration at her house. I now am the proud owner of a monk’s garb, made specifically for the party. Now I wear it when I go to our [local ren faire](http://www.washingtonrenfaire.com/) (which is actually currently running). ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/178 "2006-08-10T14:16:43Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > (If you saw a woman in the parade with a pewter tankard balanced on her head, that was me.) Sorry we missed the chance to meet. And with all the folk to take in during the parade, I don’t recall your tankard. So long as you weren’t that tootless beauty bringing up the rear… Maybe you noticed me? I was that tall, really good-looking guy… (Right!) What is your association with Bristol? Maybe we crossed paths elsewhere on the grounds. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/179 "2006-08-10T14:54:29Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > I remember reading about some Trek fans (maybe gamers) dressing in full uniform, then acting like they’ve beamed down to a primitive planet. > > As geekiness goes, I think that one warrants a “neck order.” 🙂 You mean like the story somebody told in post 62? ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565/180 "2006-08-10T21:05:02Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Yeah, the pirate-themed shop is/was on a short leash. The guy there knew history, though, he was impressed when I inquired about a replica matchlock firearm. (Alas, he had none, and was also sold his only wheellock.) Wonder if it’s the only gut in the SCA I saw doing Pirate correctly… most other pirates were of the “Leather pants, no shirt, and call me Bloodwolf Darkmoon” variety. I’d only been to one Faire, the Black Pointe Faire in, I think, 1994, and I had a great time. Ended up running around with a bunch of folks and got in a water fight, got yelled at by the woman doing drawings of aura’s out of her booth, and moved on. Got kissed to. It was a good day. The next year, I moved onto SCA. Loved SCA at first, later got really disgusted with many of the people, and the entrenched mindset our our area that made it pointless to try fighting without being interested in being king. My wife showed up, went to 2 events and said “no thanks”. Since I’d rather spend time with her than at Faire/SCA, all my gear is packed up, and most of it went to my ex. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-renaissance-faires/364565.md?page=10)