Renaissance Festivals?

[Maddy McCall]

They've become quite popular in the South.

What do you think about them?

[LadyoftheRabbits]

1. Often quite anachronistic in parts...

But generally enjoyable. :D (I'm a history nut). The university puts one on here every year, in May. I had fun. :hi:

[Maddy McCall]

3. I do the history gig for a living.

Not medieval history, by any means. But I saw a woman and man last night in their festival gear, and I thought--they look like they've had a fun day.

:hi:

How's college going??

[LadyoftheRabbits]

5. Cool!

Oh yeah, I love dressing up for festivals like that. :D What history do you specialize in?

College is going well. :) Finals are coming up, and I'm looking forward to a break. :P

[Maddy McCall]

6. What do you have planned for your break?

I'm going to run the roads....maybe take my kid to New Orleans for a weekend.

I might go back to Williamsburg, Virginia, for several days...it's lovely up there.

[LadyoftheRabbits]

7. Ohh, Williamsburg...

I loved it there. :D And New Orleans, what I can remember of it. Hope you have a great time!

I'm going to fly to Missouri to see my dad for Thanksgiving. :)

[Maddy McCall]

8. Well, I love Missouri, too.

As long as it's not Branson.

:D

I live close to New Orleans, so it's merely a day trip for us. We stayed on Bourbon Street a couple of years ago, and we've been meaning to go back. We didn't have much time the last time we visited to see the historical sites.

Williamsburg--I attended a professional conference there a couple of weeks ago, and I've been chomping at the bit to go back. It is positively a beautiful town.

:)

[LadyoftheRabbits]

9. Oh, lord...

Branson. I've never been there, but I've heard... things. :P

Oh, cool! We weren't living terribly far from New Orleans when we went... I wish I could remember more about it. :)

It is really beautiful. Luckily I remember that trip well. :D

[Maddy McCall]

12. LOL

You should feel no shame...I made several trips to NOLA in my youth of which I have very little recollection.

;)

[Patiod]

36. Say hello to Thomas Jefferson for me

The actor who portrays him is actually a Yankee, and an old friend from my wilder days, and a great guy.

[Maddy McCall]

40. Serious?

I'll do it! :D

We want to go to the witch trial, too. I thought that most of the witch trials were in Massachusetts colonies, but I guess Williamsburg had one or two.

[Patiod]

42. Seriously! We used to watch PeeWee's playhouse together

His girlfriend and my boyfriend (his roommate) used to sleep in, and Bill and I would eat breakfast and watch PeeWee together on Saturday mornings after a big party. We were all in a theater group - he was the director and I was Props Mistress. There was some occasional headbutting, but in general, we got along ("Bill, please don't tell me that now that you don't want that 4-foot-high plaster wedding cake for the party scene! Do you know how long that took me to make? And that I spent 2 weeks with a plaster wedding cake drying in the middle of my apartment?!!" - ah, happy memories...)

He's a real character. Tell him his favorite propsmistress says "hi" :hi:.

Didn't know they did witchburning either - have been to Salem, but never been to Williamsburg to see Bill in do his Jefferson gig (although I've seen him on a few travel shows, and he really does a great job - well worth seeing)

[fizzgig]

2. i love em

it's a nearly three hour drive to walk around in the blazing sun and probably get rained on but it is so much fun. i go for the food, i go for puke and snot, i go to fondle pretty dresses i will never own and i go to buy my favorite body oil. i went every year for eight or nine years and always had fun.

i didn't get down there this year and i'm sad as it might be the last one due to some contract dispute or something between the festival and the town.

[Maddy McCall]

4. The woman I saw last night...

had on a gorgeous cloak--it was burgundy velvet with an embroidered peacock feather "eye" pattern all over it. Just gorgeous. I'd like to have that for everyday wear.

I guess I'll take my son next weekend to check out the nearby festival.

Thanks for the info. :D

[ZombieNixon]

10. I and a group of friends ran security for the local RenFest some years ago.

We were "The Barbarian Horde." Oh, yes...we had the most fun. :D

[Maddy McCall]

11. Well, the more I hear...

I do think I'll give it a chance next weekend.

:)

[sakabatou]

13. I have my own sort of "Ren Faire"

It's called Fanimecon.

[NV Whino]

14. Being a veteran of the "original" Renaissance Faire in SoCal

I can only say: Been there, done that, ain't gonna do it again.

a newby might have a fun, if expensive, day.

[Shine]

15. We went with the kids this year for the first time with them. We had a lot of fun.

Here we are, in our medieval best. :hi:

[lizziegrace]

16. Shine, that photo is wonderful

:hug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

24. Is that the one at Casa de Fruta?

I'm guessing not. The trees don't look right.

Worth askin', though. :hi:

[Shine]

29. Yup, it was, as a matter of fact.

first time we'd been. I'd gone to the one in So.Cal back in my youth...but this one was pretty good.

:hi: OR! Good to see ya! :hug: Hope all's well with you...

[LostinVA]

17. Go, Maddy -- they're loads of fun

[greatauntoftriplets]

18. Renaissance fairs are loads of fun...you definitely should go.

There is one just over the state line in Wisconsin (about 1 1/2 hours from here) for two months in summer (weekends only) that I love. I don't dress up (usually way too hot) though lots of people do. It's a great day...as long as the sun is shining. The one near Chicago does have flush toilets and running water.

[Redstone]

19. What I really like is the cleavage. Sorry, I can't help it; it's just the way I am.

Redstone

[Lethe]

20. totally fun

turkey legs
mead
jousting
mud fighting
kisses by any man, woman, or beast

[lildreamer316]

21. ALL about it!

Love them!

[auntAgonist]

22. I was in a Ren Wedding a couple of years back .. my dress

was gorgeous. I cannot wear it anymore though as I've lost so much weight it doesn't come close to fitting anymore. (sadly NO cleavage either) :(

I should sell my ren clothing.

aA

[flamingyouth]

23. I went to one in Texas last year and it was fun.

I was a bit skeptical at first, but I ended up enjoying it very much. :)

[Lethe]

25. Tex Ren fest or Scarborough Faire?

?

[flamingyouth]

26. The Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville.

[Lethe]

28. i went there a couple weeks ago

had a few turkey legs and mead.

lots of fun :)

[MrCoffee]

33. TX Ren Fair is great...

we used to go a couple of times a year in high school. love it.

[tigereye]

27. great fun

a nice way to go back in time for a bit. Not as realistic as the SCA people, but very entertaining.

And esp. nice if you like men (or women) in hose and boots and chainmail and such.... carrying swords and the like. Swoon.

[JVS]

30. I hear that they're a good place to find easy/loose women

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. I used to think they were pretty loony.

You know, people that had something wrong with their heads, people who couldn't fit in with mainstream modern society, so they had to create their own anachronistic fantasy world- like Star Trek conventions, or line dancing.

But it turns out Renaissance fairs feature turkey legs, and lots and lots of beer. So I say party on, medieval dudes.

[wildhorses]

32. expensive but, FUN

:bounce::bounce:

[hedgehog]

34. Just watch out for the mead on a hot day.

It can be a lot stronger than beer and you can end up pretty looped without meaning to.

[Patiod]

35. Hint: don't go if it's 105 degrees and your SIL has MS

My S.O. hates the heat
His mother walks with a cane and hates the heat
His other sister has MS, which wrecks your themostat and makes heat even MORE unbearable

For some reason, his mother thought a trip to the Ren Faire (which involves a lot of walking) would be a good idea on the hottest weekend of the summer.

I have never heard more bitching and complaining in my life (at least 25% was from me).

[El Fuego]

37. We have a great one in S. Florida

It goes on every weekend in February.

[bridgit]

38. they're fun, there's a big one down in Agoura, CA we used to go to...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Faire if you're into the history thing they can be a little extra fun :)

[NewJeffCT]

39. As a (mostly former) D&D player

I've actually had zero interest in Renaissance festivals/fairs, even though D&D is primarily a Medieval-oriented game. I seemed to be tailor-made to attend these sorts of things ever year, but have never really even been tempted... probably mostly due to my shyness, and the fact that when I had time to do this sort of thing 20 years ago or so, it was mostly a geeky male type of thing to do.

[Maddy McCall]

41. Thanks, everyone, for the comments.

I think we're going to give the one here a go next weekend.

Thanks!!

[LibertyLover]

43. The Maryland Ren Faire

is fun and generally my husband and I go once or twice during its run. Sometimes we go in garb, sometimes not. But we are in the SCA so wearing garb for a weekend or so is kind of old hat. We worked the Faire one year with a German Landsknecht reenactment group and boy did that take a lot of the fun out of it. You had to be there Saturday and Sunday for all of the weekends the Faire was open, 10 or so as I recall. You had to be there an hour or so before the Faire opened and stay an hour or so after it closed. At the beginning of the run (mid August) it was hot and by the end of the run (end of October) it was cold. After we did that season, we didn't go to the Faire in garb for a year or so. It's a great people watching place. There was this one group of gay men who came dressed to the nines as fairies. I mean 6 foot tall wings, glitter, tinsel and camp out the wazoo. They came a couple of times the season we were working, as well as the few years afterwards. Each year their costumes got campier, gauzier and glitzier and their schtick funnier. It's also fun to watch the women (and a few men) watch the guys in kilts and the Gothlets. All in all the MD Ren Faire is fun.