What to bring to faire?

[Aelynn of Georgina]

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the correct forum or not, so please forgive me if I am...

This is my family's first year attending faire (me, my lovie and our two youngest fair maidens) and I was wondering, aside from the garb one wears, what else should one bring to faire?  I've seen mention of people bringing their own tankards/goblets... should everyone have one of their own?  Anything else? Food perhaps? I was thinking chicken or ham, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and bannock... How do you carry it?  I have a wicker picnic basket that I could use, but not sure if that would be appropriate.

[will paisley]

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the correct forum or not, so please forgive me if I am...

This is my family's first year attending faire (me, my lovie and our two youngest fair maidens) and I was wondering, aside from the garb one wears, what else should one bring to faire?  I've seen mention of people bringing their own tankards/goblets... should everyone have one of their own?  Anything else? Food perhaps? I was thinking chicken or ham, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and bannock... How do you carry it?  I have a wicker picnic basket that I could use, but not sure if that would be appropriate.

Tankards/goblets are a good idea, unless you enjoy having gone to all the trouble of getting one's self outfitted in garb, only to be drinking out of a disposable soda cup.  Note that you'll also need a mug strap and a belt to hang it from, unless you like walking around all day with a mug in your hands.

I also presume garb includes both a hat (for the sun) and some sort of pouch for keys, wallet, etc.

Assuming your faire allows outside food into the grounds, a wicker basket would work fine.  If you want to be 100% authentic, you might want to invest in wooden bowls and feast gear at some point.  Personally, I'd bring sliced rolls and just stuff whatever I wanted to eat between them.

[Sitara]

I have never been to a faire that allowed you to bring in outside food or drink.  When I was a patron, to save money, I used to bring cooler and go out to the car for lunch. 

As far as other things to bring, I think the most important thing is sunscreen.

[Cilean]

What do I bring to Faire?

I bring a good sized basket with:
extra pair of contacts and solution
2 Mugs/Tankards
2 Forks, Spoons and Knives
Napkins of Paper
Small purse with ID
1 plate and 1 good sized wooden bowl
Linen Cover for the basket

When I walk about with my family we all take turns on carrying this, it has enough room so that we purchase food we can lay it on top of everythng.Typicaly I know people in the Faire so they can give me water and ice so you don't dehydrate while at faire.

I hope this helps you out!

Cilean

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Depends on the weather of the faires you go to.

When it's hot, hot, hot, a parasol (paper or material) for the females is a good idea, as well as sunscreen and a hat with a brim. 

For rainy weather, Lady Nicolette shared this hint when we visited her in TN.  Take big garbage bags, folded up, so if the benches are wet, you can put one down and keep your garb dry.

Most faires don't let you bring in your own food.  It's not really faire to the vendors, but you can go out in the parking lot and eat stuff that you brought and keep in your car.  Steve and I have tankards and goblets, but we don't go the distance with wooden bowls and utensils.  It's too hot at Bristol in the summer to lug around a lot of stuff.

That is also the other deciding factor.  How much do you really want to carry around with you and look after?  One way I keep track of my parasols is that I have a pair of arm bracers made of leather.  I use the ties to tie around my belt, then shove the parasol inside, so I don't have to worry about putting it down and losing it.  We try to keep it down to a pouch or 2 plus our tankards, so it doesn't get too heavy.

[Dayna]

I carry a basket.  It contains sunscreen, small plate and bowl, drawstring pouch (containing credit card, drivers license, pen, paper, checkbook, cash, spare meds/aspirin/tampax/nailclipper) with the cords tied around the handle, muckinger and dog treats.  Around the handle are mug straps to hold my mug and that of my furry partner.  Often there will be a bit of needlework also.


If I'm wenching I wear a belt with a heavy leather pouch instead of the soft drawstring pouch. 

[gem]

Don't forget your camera!!

Milord and I collect pewter goblets, so while I own some and love them, I don't bring them to Fair. I've never really understood the need to carry around your own dishes. It's not accurate for the period (people didn't bring their own servingware to taverns, etc), and you don't do it anywhere else IRL, so why add to the load at Fair? Maybe other fairs are different, but at KCRF food comes in wrappers/containers. It just seems unnecessarily messy and troublesome to me, but YMMV.  For SCA events where you're preparing your own food, sure. But at a regular commercial fair? I wouldn't bother. 

We *do* bring a waterbowl for our dogs, because they are prima donnas and won't drink from the communal bowls  , AND because the food vendors are barred from handing out disposable bowls to patrons, and you can only go through so many apple dumplings in a season. (Oh, I suppose you can add "dogs" to the list of things we bring! LOL)

Otherwise, I pretty much bring a pared-down version of what I carry in my purse every day: money/CCs, first aid kit, business cards, season passes, etc.

We have a basket in our bedroom during Fair season, where we store the things we take *every* weekend--pouches/belts/etc. I started doing this two seasons ago, and it's been *very* useful. No last-minute flailing about looking for the various odds and ends. At the end of the season, the whole kit gets stashed with the garb again.

[Aelynn of Georgina]

Thanks for the input everyone!

We don't have our own tankards/goblets yet, so we will have to wait and see if we find anything we like. 

Since the first faire we are attending is brand new this year, there isn't even anyone I can ask who would know the lay of the land and what I can expect.  I am of the same school of thought though, and since I don't cope well with being hot, that the less to carry the better.  I have sewn a loop on the inside of my skirt to hang my pouch with my id, CCs and/or cash from so if I can get away with not having to carry anything else, other than my camera, I will be happy!

[Sir Michael Geare]

As part of my outfit, I do wear a pouch and tankard in addition to my sword and dagger as part of my character.  Although I do bring plates and various types of food because being that we work there around Court must eat in a period manner.

[raevyncait]

On my belt:
small pouch in front with my money, ID, lip balm/lipstick
larger pouch that is usually on the back of my hip or center of my back that has a tube of sunblock, my camera, a small notepad and a pen, a small baggie of safety pins, small bottle of ibuprofen
mugstrap for carrying my mug when I'm not using it

In my basket, which has a lid:
wooden bowl, spork & spoon
package of tissues
a few band aids
kool aid, gatorade, or propel flavored packets (save your water bottle after you've drunk it, you can refill it at any water fountain, dump the packet, and voila, you have a tasty beverage, at Scarby, any of the beverage vendors will gladly fill your tankard with ice at no cost)
small scissors
small containers of salve (like aloe vera or whatever you like to use on cuts/scrapes)
small bottle of ibuprofen, a few benadryl, my prescription medications
sunblock
mints
pen and paper
safety pins
hand lotion

A friend of mine also carries her farkle game board & dice in her basket.
Another friend carries small containers of almonds which help with her migraines

There is a good group of us that gather in the same area each day, and there is almost always someone at the table(s), willing to watch over baskets while we are gone for a few minutes, so we don't have to tote them everywhere.

[Kate XXXXXX]

If they don't allow foods to be brought in, how do the faires cope with folk on special diets? 

[dragongirl]

If someone has a special needs diet, you just need to tell the kind folks at troll and they usually have a special colored zip-tie or band to put around your basket so that security knows that you have already discussed this with someone.  I am a simple soul so I just bring 2 belt pouches one for car keys, cell phone and wallet.  The second is for nose spray, tissues, sunscreen, lip balm, and allergy pills.  I also have a large possibles bag for my purchases. 

[Trillium]

If they don't allow foods to be brought in, how do the faires cope with folk on special diets? 

Since I've always brought my boy with me and my hubby is diabetic, I've always brought snacks in my shoulder bag.  When my boy was a baby/toddler, I always stashed food in his stroller.  TRF isn't going to search your stuff but i'm sure they won't let you walk in with a cooler!  If nothing else, keep a cooler in the car and go out to the car to eat.

[Hausfrau Monica]

Huzzzah Aellyn!!! Fayre is coming finally...  I am so looking forward to being there and meeting you and yours.  I will be only able to attend on Thursday and Friday but the rest of the family should be there all weekend.  I hope to have some time tomorrow and in the evenings this week to get the garb out and repaired/fitted.

In answer to your question... I too carry a large basket which I am meant to be selling pretzels from (but haven't had the time to get prepared for this fayre) which keeps handy our mugs, my small purse, cell phone, camera and water.  I have a lot of bells tied onto it (my own way to celebrate the fayre mood every day)

From my last conversation with the organizers, there are going to be several food vendors there but there is no problem with bringing a cooler and leaving it in your vehicle or at your campsite.  I will likely be bringing our own food and setting a time for the family to all gather in one place.

The other accessories I have on me are most importantly my hat and a shawl.  The sun and I don't get along very well.  I will be looking for a proper belt for a pouch and a mug frog.  There is supposed to be a leather crafter there and lots of other vendors.  I have been saving my tip money to spend at fayre.

I am so excited...fayre is finally here.

[Baroness de Vale]

A hint for belts is to go to your local thrift store. I have found some really beautiful leather belts that look great with garb. This can be temporary until you find a vendor with a belt you really love. Or it may be perfect as is. It's especially great for little kids who are constantly growing. Our local Goodwill sells used belts for 99 cents and they always have a selection of leather ones.
As far as what to take, I have a couple pouches on my belt. They hold a small wallet, money, medicine, car keys, tissues, and hand sanitizer. My 4 and 8 year old girls have their own mugs and their own pouches for a little spending or tipping money. They love to tip the entertainers! We all have parasols which can be carried on our belts using arm bracers when the sun's too hot. My husband has a large woven bag to carry anything we may buy. We generally eat lunch at the car both to save money for tipping and to be in a calm atmosphere so the youngest will actually eat without being distracted. Good luck and have fun!