Dec 29 2008
Cheap Advice - To the RenFaire Patron
It’s really interesting seeing what ads get posted on my blog based on the content I yammer about in here…
Ok, on to today’s topic: If you’re reading this, you’re either (a) a Rennie, (b) a Magic Fan, (c) a Tobias Fan*, or (d) someone who’s harangued by my endless Twitter updates. In any case, the odds are that if you read all of the other stuff I’ve written, you might be thinking about visiting one of the hundreds of Renaissance Faires spread out over the US**.
If you’ve never been to a Renaissance Faire, here’s some helpful recommendations from a Patron-turned-Performer. I’ve made all the mistakes for you!
The one big overriding guideline is this:
Going to a Renaissance Faire is an excursion into another country. Plan and behave accordingly.
Plan to walk a lot.
This is an expedition not unlike going to a big outdoor theme park, only with less paving and a lot less air conditioning.
- Wear comfortable shoes
- Wear (or at least bring) a hat to shade your head
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing if you’re coming in “Civilian” gear.
If you’re coming in costume, don’t dress all in velvet when it’s the hottest day of the year. That’s OUR job!
Pack lightly, but wisely.
As with any all day trip, you should bring the things you might need to help make the day tolerable and any mishaps… survivable
- Easy to carry snack foods
Walking burns calories! Hauling purchases burns calories! Carousing burns… you get the idea. Don’t forget to eat! - Tote bags if you plan on shopping
You know all those neat eco-friendly bags you’ve been bringing your groceries home in? Yeah, fold up a couple of those and bring ‘em with. You’ll thank me at the end of the day after you’ve pillaged and plundered. - Water or at LEAST a water bottle
Some faires do have drinking fountains, and all faires will happily sell you bottles of water at a price that the market will bear. If your Faire has fountains, bring a bottle so you can tote water around with you. We bring our own drinking vessels, so you can too! - Sunscreen, bug spray, allergy meds, wet wipes, spare toilet tissue…
Whatever you think you might suddenly need A Whole Lot. I can tell you that wet wipes are a godsend on a hot, dusty day.
Get the lay of the land and plan.
- Get a map and a schedule!
If none are available, expect to spend the first hour or so sorting out what’s where and what you want to do with the rest of the day. This is as good a reason as any to get in early - Try to make at least one lap of the venue before you start buying things!
You may find a less expensive or more desirable version of that thing you saw right at the front gate a bit farther down the road - and you may not want to haul that big ol’ two handed sword for the next six hours… really.
Support your local showoffs.
Renaissance Faires are unique in that they are a theatrical environment which contains… more theatrical environments! Most faires have one or more stages upon which actual shows are performed. Most of these performers travel a lot and do whatever they can to entertain. I speak from experience here.
Support with Donations if you can, Compliments and Word of Mouth if you can’t
- If a show is “passing the hat”, this is done as a way to augment the performer’s stipend from the Faire itself. If you can afford to do so, dropping a bill or two in the performer’s hat is a great way to show you liked what he did.
- If you can’t afford to tip, there are other ways to show your support. Do come up and let the perfomer know you enjoyed the show. If the venue has an “exit survey”, mention the shows you liked, talk them up to your friends, on message boards, blogs, Twitter… we can benefit from this social networking thing too!
- Be Responsive! There will be lots of opportunities for patrons to whoop it up during the proceedings - we call these “applause cues” or “desperate pleas for approval”. Please do join in! It lets the performers know that you like what’s going on and lets the Management know the performer’s doing a good job!
Be a Good Visitor
- Come to play with, not against.
You’re stepping “back in time” when you enter a RenFaire (with varying degrees of historicalness) so feel free to play the visitor from a far off land. But don’t try to catch the participants out by talking about modern stuff and trying to force them to drop character. Also: No one at a Renaissance Faire is a squeezy toy - and that goes for participants molesting customers, too! Look, flirt, laugh, tease, but be respectful - Take pictures, take stories, take souvenirs
Most faire programs make great souvenirs of the event and time - you can even talk performers and participants into signing them! Can you imagine having “Sir Walter Raleigh”’s autograph? Well, why not? - Tell your friends!
And finally, have as much fun as you possibly can! At the end of the Faire day, us weirdo performers want to see happy if tired people trooping out of the gates, talking about all the neat things they saw and heard and did in our humble village.
Anyone have additional advice? Please do coment - that’s how I know I’m not working in a vaccum!
* … which would make you (a) and (b)
** Preferably one where you might see, oh, Tobias the Adequate
Thanks for this advice! I was thinking of taking my history-buff in training (aka my son) to one of these this year, so this is a timely post.
[ProfEvil] - That’s why I say “if you can’t tip, use word of mouth” - compliment the shows and talk them up to your friends - even if you can’t give them money, the fact that you’re *there* means the crowd is bigger and, as we know, a big crowd attracts even *more* people!
[dncresearch] Glad I could be timely! (always take credit for everything that works, that’s my motto!)
[OM] Well yes. Bathe bathe bathe! I would hope that folks would think about at least arriving on site in a cleanly condition, because by the end of it, a shower is going to seem like a really really good idea. For everyone!