I guess it depends on the location, Ninja. For the South Florida Ren Faire, a lot of the performances and several of the food stalls are not for profit, or at least were when I was there. Even some of the professionals were in it as advertisement for their real business; for example, there was a group of tunos who worked out of a local restaurant; their presence in our events acted as advertisement for the restaurant (which would sometimes hire a handful of us as additional waiters/shows for weddings and suchlike).
Also the Ren Faire I generally go to it’s always the same people and they really are having a lot of fun. Sure, they’re in it for the money, but you can tell - they are positively bubbling over with joy. I don’t know how they manage to keep the same attitude week after week but we usually go late in the year and they are still cheerfful.
I really like (most of) the people in the SCA*. I really am starting to like the SCA. But it demands too much of your time. 10 hour events, and all of the people I know go to the whole event…morning to night. I don’t want to make it my life!
*There are a couple of people who I find are a bit overbearing. I expect that in any organization. But just for amusement, the two guys who giggled and laughed for about 20 minutes because someone wore nylon to an event and it isn’t a period fabric…true enough, but perhaps it would be better to say something than laugh behind their back? Also, the guy who picked on me for 10 minutes over the pronunciation of “Cohoes” - like it matters.
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
“Here is your contract. $200 for seven weekends. Provide your own costume. We charge you $50 for the campsite. Provide your own food. Oh, the site - its 30 miles outside town - you are on your own for gas money, too.”
Thank you. 
I rather thought they weren’t getting paid a lot, but I didn’t want to speak out of turn.
Besides, SCA events also have the issue in that you have to provide your own food and gas and everything. I mean, at the Ren Faire you go there and everything is there. It’s not cheap, but there’s good food and nice facilities. I was querying about the War of the Roses which is a memorial day event, and I have to:
Drive there myself
Bring garb
Pay to get in
Make my own living arrangements
Bring food (cook it myself or go to a Subway nearby)
I have pretty much decided not to go, even though it sounded interesting. I want to get involved in the SCA, but honestly it’s too much trouble - I have interests in a thousand things and the Ren Faire fits my needs much better.
Most of the workers at my RenFaire do it for the sex (reportedly). Vendors and stage performers are looking for money, but nobody’s getting rich, I assure you. I’ve heard the jousting troop spends the majority of their profits on the horses (which are all rescues).
As to the need for visitors to dress, I do, but you don’t have to. The worst is a bad half-way effort, which is easily distinguished from a good half-way effort.
Actually, dressing as Link is the worst, but let’s not go there.
RenFest is big fun (if done only occasionally as opposed to annually) for the casual visitor.
I took DD one year and both kids 2 years later.
We wandered around and lots of juggling, comedy, and ventriloquism acts, etc., and then stayed for the big jousting event that is held in the evening. This event was followed by other acts and a firework show. There is generally a parade at noonish. Those were no-additional-cost events. For a fee, one can ride a variety of carnival type rides, an elephant ride, or try a large maze. The food is better and more interesting than your usual carnival or large event food, but just as pricy.
The only thing I found disappointing was that the acts did not change during the two year intervals that we attended- everything down to the patter was exactly the same. This surprised me as I thought the performers would at least make minor changes in their acts.
Overall, it was a lot of fun. We will go again in another 2-3 years.
You can probably check your local fairs on-line site to see generally what to expect.
To me, the major difference is that for a RenFaire, you functionally spend your money and the guy who owns the faire makes a lot of money. On the other hand, you are provided with a stage, only few rules and a bunch of good friends.
SCA is non-profit. No one (except maybe a few crafters) is making money.
The second real difference is the people.
Festies tend to be theatre geeks. In general (and painting with a really big brush), they are younger, funnier, less serious, more diverse, have a wider variety of interests. They may be a town fool for six weekends a year, but they play in a band, do community theatre, and are getting their degree in journalism. Festies are a more extroverted group of geeks, and they don’t tolerate socially disfuctional geeks.
SCAdians are historical reinactment geeks. In general (and its a wide brush again), they are like other “reinactment” geeks - if your thing is SCA or Civil War or being a member of a Starship, there is a certain geekiness that attracts like and repells anyone else. SCAdians are wonderful, generous, smart people and far more tolerant of people without social skills - but you are either one or you aren’t. The SCAdians I knew, I never knew what they did or what they were interested in “the real world.” I’m sure their real world lives were just as full as the Festies, but they didn’t bleed into their SCA activities.
C3, you absolutely don’t have to dress up. I’d be surprised if most patrons were. Essentials are sunscreen, sunglasses, and lots of $1 bills to tip performers with. Be ready for some good, goofy fun.
Dangerosa, that’s an excellent description of the difference between Rennies and SCAdians. I’ve hung out with both and find the Rennies a lot more fun in general.
Dangerosa, you are very right. And it seems more and more that the SCA is probably not the place for me. But I’m not giving up yet, I will keep trying. Dance practice - which is where I am heavily involved - is a great deal of fun.
It’s a bit surprising to me that I feel more comfortable around the theatre geeks but upon reflection it probably is right. I was never in theatre but I danced plenty and performed and never put accuracy first, always enjoyment - both mine and the watchers’.
Well, not counting your guild fees, the registration fees and the workshop honorarium, plus the guildmaster’s birthday present, his cigarettes, his bail, the pun tax…
Why yes, I was in the Irish/Scott guild, why do you ask?
Don’t forget the drugs and rock and roll.
Generally, backstage at Festival is not family friendly. There are always some families there, but its mostly single people. There is lots of “romantic” drama. Lots of drama.
Generally, SCA events are family friendly. Never saw drugs at a SCA event - never didn’t know where to get drugs at Festival (though I have never done drugs myself). There is drinking, but its “more” optional. Lots less “hooking up.” Lots more people with kids running around and couples that have been together for years (instead of weeks).
I didn’t say they were SUCCESSFULLY making money. 
That rings true with me. In a quarter-century in the SCA, I’ve met folks ranging from some very sharp, capable and personable folks, to a few people who should probably be institutionalized. It’s a big tent (with, literally, big tents).
I’ve had fun at Renaissance Faires, but it helps if you don’t take it (or yourself) too seriously.
To clarify: I know a number of Renfest burnouts. They still have friends in the circuit, they still go to the faires once in a while, but the dynamic really is very different. I’m not saying the Renfest people are all a bunch of greedy venal bastards making thousands (unless you’re talking about multiple thousands a year in profit, which they might do if they’re successful) off credulous tourists and cackling over the piles of gold in their air-conditioned Winnebago.
Of course they got into the scene because it was cool and fun and you get to wear nifty clothes and the parties are frankly amazing. But for the most part (and I am corrected by Nava, who I will thoroughly believe) the people running stalls at any of these things are doing it to make a living. SCAdians are (just as someone said above, except for some of the crafters and merchants) in it for the fun. There are people who make their living crafting longbows or period clothing. We have a famous (for people who know that kind of thing) crossbow maker here in town, the sort of guy who makes museum reproductions. It’s safe to say none of these people are here to get seriously rich – they’re going to be disappointed – but an SCA event is not about everyone trying to sell you something.
And as far as the SCA people in particular? I’ve found them to be, by and large and in my area, warm and wonderful and welcoming people who quite understand that it’s mostly geeks interested in their hobbies and most geeks have some social issues from simple shyness to… well, other problems. Mostly around here they’ll be a lot less “OMG THAT GUY IS WEARING NYLON” and a lot more “You know, Bob, if you’re interested we’d love to outfit you from the newbie garb. If you like, we can even get you started on making your own outfit! If you’re interested in the whole recreation thing, a lot of us find it easier to get into it when we’re wearing…”
(rackin frackin 5 minute window)
Neither is RenFaire to the “average” Festie.
SCA has two categories of people - crafters - who may or may not make something approaching a living, and general participants - who go and hang out and tell stories and whack each other with duct tape covered PVC pipe. The two are pretty darned blurred. There is some minor class system in SCA depending on how involved you are…i.e. you can be a Baron or show up at your first event in tennis shoes - but it isn’t like the Baron looks down on the newbies (generally speaking).
RenFair has many more categories of people.
Patrons - who pay money to get in. There are some festie geek patrons - people who pay $20 to get in four or five times EVERY YEAR. Patrons may or may not dress up.
Volunteer - or practically volunteer - street performers. This is the majority of the Festies I know/knew - and what I was. They are the ones on a $200 (maybe more now or even volunteer) contract, hanging out at adding atmophere. They may not have any commitments on where to be when, or they may belong to a group that does much more structured entertainment. They may “hawk” a stage, or take tickets. A big show like Minnesota has several hundred street performers.
Stage performers (or alternatively at Minnesota “gridded” performers). They have a show to do at a certain time at a certain location. They tend to have a more significant contract amount, but the majority of their money is made passing hat.
Paid workers - they might work the food booth or sell tickets or pick up trash or something. They are mostly minimum wage types wearing a provided “costume.” Though there are more skilled jobs around, like the paramedics.
Show management - they get salaries that might even approach real money (at low levels it is a better deal to be on a volunteer contract).
Crafters - potters, jewelers, etc., who move from fair to fair making and selling their wares. They pay the festival a rent and run a business.
There is a lot of the caste system at work here. Crafters may hire street performers to work their shops or hawk for them and certainly friendships are formed - but the average street performer doesn’t really “know” the crafters. The stage acts are too busy going from show to show to generally know the street performers well - they’ll know the ones the hang at their stages, or camp near them, or are their friends from their street perfomer days. But for the most part there is a lot more differentiation than with SCA. My comments are targeted mostly towards the volunteer and maybe gridded performers - I avoided management during my festie years, only knew a few crafters, and - at Minnesota - patrons were something we shared space with, occationally performed to (or perhaps its better to say they watched us having fun and we sure didn’t mind), and made fun of. I went once as a patron before joining the cast and have only gone back maybe four times since (and my last year of performing would have been 1989).
Minor nitpick. We whack each other with duct tape covered rattan. It hits harder than equivalent sized PVC pipe and doesn’t break into nasty point bits like PVC.
There is certainly room for both Ren Faires and SCA. I think you can get a similar level of authenticity for both also. The way I explain the difference to friends is that Ren Faires are done for the audience and the SCA is done for the participants.
Hopefully I haven’t hijacked the thread too far into the SCA realm. As I think everyone else said you don’t HAVE to dress up for the Ren Faire. When I go I just wear weather appropriate clothing and enjoy the show.
p.s. From someone who has done the SCA for a little while (8 or 9 years) and tries to put together a pretty decent representation. The people who spent 20 minutes laughing at someone having worn nylon sound like jerks.
That comment you made about RenFaires & SCA is a very good comment. I like.
I don’t mind those two guys. Well let me rephrase. I think they were jerks, too, but I have absolutely no doubt I could find equivalant jerks at any RenFaire (or at any other gathering). However, I do think that people like that make people who aren’t as sure become not interested. You know, “If they’re laughing at that person over there, why should I even bother with making a costume? No way can I make it right” type of thing.
As for the hijack, I have definitely been enjoying it so I hope the OP doesn’t mind too much. I got a great definition from yourself and from Dangerosa of the differences. I even cleared up some things in my own head…while I will continue with the SCA dance practice, I am really more of a theatre geek than a history geek. The anti-history thing comes as no surprise, the theatre geek was a bit of news to me.
And upon reading the thread, it’s ** fetus** who brought in the SCA thing but myself who really made it into a hijack. So there! Blame me.
Yeah, sorry about that SCA thing, guys. I’ve known festies and SCA folks but never really knew that they were separate groups of people.
That’s representative of reality–much more so than that jousting thing, anyway. Maryland is one of few hotbeds of lacrosse talent and interest, and when I was really into lacrosse it seemed like all of the good players that didn’t come from Long Island or Canada came from around Baltimore.
You most definitely don’t have to go in costume, but how many opportunities does life present for you to wear brocade and feathers?
This year will be my third year attending the KC Renfest. My friends and I are planning our costumes. I want to wear Viking garb.
Correct period? Hell, no.
More comfortable than the rib-shattering corset I laced myself into last year (although it did look fabulous and did interesting things for my cleavage), not to mention incredibly easy to sew? Oh, yeah.
I figure if they can have fur-wearing Barbarians roaming around hitting each other with clubs, I can dress up as a Viking age housewife.
I hit one of these a few years back in New York with a band of merry Dopers.
Though it was about 100 degrees out, we had such a fantastic time I’m annoyed I never had the time or money to do so again.