My first (and thus far only) Ren Faire is the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, TX. I’ve gone there twice so far, and mostly I go for the costumes and the food (mmm bread bowls…)
Sadly, I was unable to go to the one last year because I was broke, and this year I will be unable to go because I will be moving to Arizona.
Anyone know of any ren faires in Arizona?
Yes, that’s it! It was near a lake, if I remember correctly, and some museum that reminded me of a circus.
Thanks! Maybe we’ll go this year…
Devonshire Renaissance Festival, Nov. 18-19, 2006, City Park, Phoenix, AZ
Arizona Renaissance Festival, Feb. 10-Apr. 1, 2007, 6 miles east of Apache Junction on Hwy. 60
Renaissance In The Pines, June 24-25, 2007, Fort Tuthill County Park, Flagstaff, AZ
Anybody else want me to check their state?
Do you mean to say that there are actually such people at a renfaire? The logic of that one completely eludes me. Why would anyone pay to go to a venue where the whole point is people dressing up in pseudo-historical costumes, just to complain about said costumes?
Of course, if you’re actually at a faire when someone says something (or, come to think of it, even if you’re not), the proper response is to just point and laugh at their silly clothes. Deliberately tying nooses around their necks? Paying companies for the privelidge of advertising for them?
I haven’t had much of a problem with that at a faire. Normally it’s more the opposite at a faire (as it should be). We usually will have people ask to have pictures taken with us.
I was referring to an accumulation of things for me. Some of it is a different set of friends (from my racing hobby) who just aren’t into faires. Some of it is stuff I read on message boards like here. Some is just the inconvenience of wearing garb. It’s about a three and a half hour drive to the Bristol Faire (which I think I’m going to next month). That usually means at least one stop along the interstate. If you dress in garb before you leave, then you definitely will get treated like a freak during any stop. We typically will change in the car when we arrive. The problem is that the garb is pretty elaborate and myself and RogueGF own small cars. It’s a real pain to change in a busy parking lot. I fully admit that all of this is minor, but when it’s added together, it is slowly draining my desire to go in garb. Who knows, maybe I just need to have one of those great times at a faire and I’ll forget all about these nuisances?
I really want to go to that one sometime. I know the woman who played Maid Marian for the last few years, and think it’d be a hoot to travel around it with her as my guide.
Since when does anyone wear a tie to a ren fair?
Marc
Anybody remember The Onion article where they “reported” on a local renaissance faire? It was apparently the most realistic faire ever - attendees dressed as sherrifs were “arresting” people in the crowd, putting them on trial and then burning them at the stake or impaling them. For real! Interviews with other attendees had people raving about how realistic the screams were, etc.
Freakin’ hilarious article 
I haven’t been to one since the late-'80s or early-'90s.
Anyone remember Drench-A-Wench?
In the early-'80s the Faire is where I got my first taste of Laphroaig.
How can you have a Ren Faire without spirits? Are you sure it was that great?
I went to Bristol a long time ago (I think it was under different management)
The first year the jousters were really good, I think they had been doing it for years.
The next year they had new people who weren’t very good.
Still was a fun time.
I liked watching the glassblower and blacksmith.
Brian
“women love a bold and stupid man”
I didn’t realize quite how bad they were for a long time.
Then, when I was at the Faire in Plantersville about ten years ago, I heard – hold your breath – a REAL BRITISH ACCENT. Among all the noise her voice was rather quiet, but it was so clear and audible and REAL that I spun around and pointed.
“You! You’re really British!”
She was a bit startled. She laughed, though, and we shared a few words.
I used to go every year when they had it in the Black Forest in Novato. Did someone mention that it might be moving back there?
I went to the San Diego RennFaire last year, and was pretty disappointed. Back in the days when I went, you were able to walk around with your adult beverage…at the event in Balboa Park, you had to drink in a paddock area set apart from the action.
Does anyone remember “Soak a Bloke” and “Drench a Wench”?
My favorite sound bite from the fair was the crier hawking baked goods: “EVERY BODY MUST GET SCONED!!!”
I’d really like to get a chance to see Blackmore’s Night at a faire sometime.
I’ve been going to Tux for the past twenty-some-odd years (some odder than others). I usually alternate between a blue wizard’s robe or my kilt, depending on weather and mood.
This year I’m dressing as a specific fantasy character. I’m putting an imp finger-puppet into a old camera body. Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and I’m Twoflower.
The Wife (she’s incurably Mundane, but our daughters took after me) says she’ll come along this year as long as I promise not to embarass her again…
My ex-wife was involved in the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in the San Francisco Bay area in the early 1970’s; back in those near-mythical days, the Ren Fairs were attempts at accurate “living history”. Nowadays, as I understand it, that’s all out the window; anything that brings in money is fine, pop culture fantasy is mixed with the tattered remnants of an historical basis, and anybody foolish enough to hope for something educational will receive a huge dollop of misinformation instead. That’s fine as long as the Fair is presented as sheer entertainment with no pretensions to anything more.
Note: the word “garb” to mean a style of dress, and later modified to mean clothing in general, dates maybe from the 17th century. The Middle English word for clothes was, oddly enough, “clothes”. The SCA is just as bad about that; but at least they usually wear bodices correctly.
We went to King Richard’s Faire for the first time last year, at my husband’s suggestion. We were there for like 2 hours when a look of realization spread across his face and he exclaimed, “Oh, these people are just like those Star Trek weirdos”.
Meanwhile he just told me he wants to go again. I guess the concept grew on him over the winter.
I went to a RenFest just outside Atlanta a few years ago, and bought a Drabbit (kinda a cross between a rabbit and a dragon - really cute) He was made to sit on my shoulder and had a wire that ran down my sleeve to my hand to make his head move. I was enjoying the day when one of the knights slid up to me and whispered “gotta be careful with them buggers - when he grows up 'e’ll bit yer head off”. I laughed for the rest of the day.
Am I the only one who thought this was a massive Orgy/Swingers Party with a Renaissance Feel? Hell, I’d happily dress up like an extra from Blackadder II if it meant a hot naked orgy with busty serving wenches…
Giggity Giggity Giggity!
That was also the first “ren fest” I attended, I was also in high school at the time. I only went the one time though because I was too scared to drive over that bridge for a long, long time. Then I lived in Bradenton for a while and never got around to it. Then I moved back to St. Pete and they built a new bridge that I didn’t mind driving over but it was just too far too drive.
We also had a more local one for a long time until Largo decided that the hassle of parking problems for 6 weekends out of the year was not worth all the money it brought in and they packed it up and moved to Tampa. I haven’t been to it since they moved. I think they have it near MOSI. It’s usually held in late March through April. It’s the Bay Area Renaissance Festival or BARF for short.
I like to go to them because of the food, wares and entertainment. I only indulge in the mead when I am not the designated driver. I am a straight female but even I must admire the other ladies abilities to push their goods up to new heights and still be able to breathe. I’ve dressed in costume a few times, but I usually can’t last too long in a corset/bodice. I like breathing and eating too much.
Ive been attending the Texas Renaissance festival north of Houston on and off for the past six years, depending on how rides worked out, availablility of money, exc.
Costume wise its evolved from rather… interesting faerie costumes made with friends, to a budget but okay costume I have now. I need another bodice though as I have outgrown this one (boobs aren’t pushed up any more, just compressed). I was tempted to sew a bodice until I saw some of my more skilled friend’s efforts… no thanks.
I love renfest mostly because you can dress up and act funny for a day. I love how the renfest I go to has themed weekends now too, because you can alter your costume to fit the theme! I also enjoy all the entertainment, and I agree with many of the other posters; the jewelry is awesome. Great, now you have me all excited about renfest and it doesn’t start until October!