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The Do's and Don'ts of Visiting a Renaissance Faire/ Festival

Started by Tink, July 25, 2012, 09:33:40 PM

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scarletnyx

DO!

Smile! As a 'Dane, you will feel less awkward! Enjoy, truly let your cares melt away. You really shouldn't feel out of place when you're within arms reach of an elf, a Dragoon, or some sort of combo of both. If you are in garb, you will simply lighten the air around you with your attitude.

Sample the food! If you can't pronounce it, buy it! Barring any allergies of course ; this is how I found out I love alligator and whatever that noodle dish is at a Greek stand is at TRF is -heaven-

DON'T!

Hold yourself back. If you see something/someone that you have a question about, please ask in a polite way. Don't just shout out " What are you?". Engage in the history around you!

Forget to tip/buy true handmade items! A great many of these artisans make their living off of what they make, so tipping or just buying something that strikes your fancy will go a long way, I assure you. However, be wary of people just selling "wholesale" stuff.
2013 RenNado Survivor
Phoenix Risen

Rowan MacD

Quote from: KeeperoftheBar on August 03, 2012, 06:52:58 AM
Don't sit in the front row at the mud show.  Save that place for virgin 'danes.
LMAO! 
  True, but some of the savvier ones pay attention to the 'mud shadows' (splatter patterns on the benches) the indicate that the clean places were where where the last virgins sat....
What doesn't kill me-had better run.
IWG wench #3139 
19.7% FaireFolk pure-80.3% FaireFolk corrupt

Prof. John Bull

Bring sunscreen and comfey shoes.

Plan ahead to tip performers as many rely just as much on your tips for income as servers at a restaurant do.

Be prepared for the possibility of cell phone outages at large festivals as often the cellular carriers don't have the capacity to handle the crowd, so don't rely on phones to coordinate things with your friends or family.

If weapons are part of your costume, know the weapons policy at the festival you're attending and plan for it.

Realize that not everyone in costume is on cast, and just like anywhere else you may encounter some people who are, how shall we say, not especially concerned about how much fun you are having.


Laird Fraser of Lovatt

Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh
Alba gu brath
Laird of Dunans Castle
Warrior Poet/Loki God

Kiss-me-Kate

Quote from: Laird Fraser of Lovatt on August 03, 2012, 11:59:14 AM
Ladies... Ask before you kilt check....  ;)
Spoilsport ;)
If you bring your kids, watch them!   If you buy said kid a one of those sword and shield kits, buy it  on the way OUT! 
~ Notouchin' M'Crack
Pucker Up!

daggrim

Well, Blakduke, I agree to a point.  Instinct tells me, and I assume it would tell 99% of all patrons, that it would be bad taste to dress as a king, and that I'd also probably be taking on a bigger role than I'd be prepared for.  But, on the other hand, I wouldn't care if there were a dozen kings roaming the grounds.  I'd give them all the same amount of respect.  
You'd never know it to look at my mild mannered, bespectacled self, but I'm one of those people who just can't bring himself to bow the head to a Renfaire king, or to SCA crown wearers, even though I know they've often earned their positions through superior skills.  I always keep my opinions to myself, so as not to spoil anybody's fun, except for this one time, but I just wanted to get up and say that there are some like me out there who enjoy the Faire, but don't like even the appearance of being lorded over.
A merry heart has a continual feast.

Kiss-me-Kate

Quote from: daggrim on August 03, 2012, 10:49:02 PM
Well, Blakduke, I agree to a point.  Instinct tells me, and I assume it would tell 99% of all patrons, that it would be bad taste to dress as a king, and that I'd also probably be taking on a bigger role than I'd be prepared for.  But, on the other hand, I wouldn't care if there were a dozen kings roaming the grounds.  I'd give them all the same amount of respect.  
You'd never know it to look at my mild mannered, bespectacled self, but I'm one of those people who just can't bring himself to bow the head to a Renfaire king, or to SCA crown wearers, even though I know they've often earned their positions through superior skills.  I always keep my opinions to myself, so as not to spoil anybody's fun, except for this one time, but I just wanted to get up and say that there are some like me out there who enjoy the Faire, but don't like even the appearance of being lorded over.
If your king is awesome at his job, you shouldn't feel that way.   
~ Notouchin' M'Crack
Pucker Up!

BLAKDUKE

Quote from: daggrim on August 03, 2012, 10:49:02 PM
Well, Blakduke, I agree to a point.  Instinct tells me, and I assume it would tell 99% of all patrons, that it would be bad taste to dress as a king, and that I'd also probably be taking on a bigger role than I'd be prepared for.  But, on the other hand, I wouldn't care if there were a dozen kings roaming the grounds.  I'd give them all the same amount of respect.  
You'd never know it to look at my mild mannered, bespectacled self, but I'm one of those people who just can't bring himself to bow the head to a Renfaire king, or to SCA crown wearers, even though I know they've often earned their positions through superior skills.  I always keep my opinions to myself, so as not to spoil anybody's fun, except for this one time, but I just wanted to get up and say that there are some like me out there who enjoy the Faire, but don't like even the appearance of being lorded over.

Daggrim:

Don't look at as though you were being lorded over.  In one of the previous posts I believe the word 'fantasy' was used and that is exactly what it is a fantasy.  I play a King.  Kings are supposed to be bowed to.  If no one does it the fantasy is lost and you know suffers, not you, not me but the kids who came there with their families to see Kings and Knights is shining armor all making a big fantasy for them.  It's for the kids, not you or me.  So help keep the fantasy alive for them.
Ancient swordsman/royalty
Have Crown/Sword Will Travel

Docamor

Ah Blakduke, I can completely agree with your views on this subject about one King.  For the danes, the analogy is wearing white to a wedding.  But moreso it is a courtesy thing for the performer in the role of King and a courtesy to the patrons who can become confused. And as I stress to our cast, it is also all about the Kid's.  I take the time to try and meet all the children and make them feel special.

At our festival, we loosely play the Henry VIII line because that is what the owner wants, but he does not like the look of Henry VIII so we avoid that look(my avatar to the contrary is from another festival where I was part of a Henrician court). One year we had a patron that came dressed like Henry VIII and looked remarkably like Henry.   I admit my feathers were a bit ruffled but not because he showed up looking every bit like Henry, but because the E.D. made a huge fuss over him and offered to comp him in on future visits.  The E.D. couldn't see my concern over this.  On his second visit to the shire, he began addressing the cast on the streets and asking why they were not bowing to him and showing him reverence as King of England.  They told him that he was not their King.  He also passed himself off to patrons as the King of the Festival and that was what eventually got the E.D. to have a long talk with him about not coming in that costume again.
Modo liceat vivere, est spes.

Merlin the Elder

While it certainly won't have an effect on major issues on the planet, I will support that it is in extremely poor taste to show up dressed as one of the reigning characters of the faire. If one wishes to attend as royalty, I would feel certain that no one would have a problem with a visiting monarch. But, as has been said before, "there can be only one!"
Living life in the slow lane
ROoL #116; the Jack of Daniels; AARP #7; SS# 000-00-0013
I've upped my standards. Now, up yours.
...and may all your babies be born naked...

Kiss-me-Kate

Also, if you pay in cash, don't use 100 dollar bills, please.  Use smaller bills.  We don't have a ye olde atm/bankbehind our booth.
~ Notouchin' M'Crack
Pucker Up!

daggrim

OK, Blakduke, thanks for the response.  I never looked at it that way...like we're a team working to keep the fantasy alive for the patrons.  Maybe I'm taking my Viking persona too seriously inside the Renfaire.  A crew of Vikings, when asked by a Saxon who their king was, replied, "Our king?  We're Vikings, we have no king."  So, I'll play along more.
A merry heart has a continual feast.

Ms Trish

Quote from: Kiss-me-Kate on August 20, 2012, 11:46:17 PM
Also, if you pay in cash, don't use 100 dollar bills, please.  Use smaller bills.  We don't have a ye olde atm/bankbehind our booth.

I check with the vendor before paying with large bills. Eventually it's going to get spent - just depends on who is going to break it.
If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right!

Merlin the Elder

On occasion, the ATM will toss you C-notes instead of $20s. I hate that. If I have to break a $100, I'll break it at a pub after they've been serving a while.  I've been real careful about not getting stuck with a $100 bill walking into faire.

Daggrim, if you're a Norse character, there would be no reason for you to give allegiance to a king in England. If your country is on friendly terms with England, you can play it that way.  You should pledge fealty only to your own "country's" leader. You know what I mean?  The issue that Blakduke is talking about is about bringing a conflicting character to faire, i.e., trying to play Henry VIII at Scarborough when the real Henry VIII is already there.
Living life in the slow lane
ROoL #116; the Jack of Daniels; AARP #7; SS# 000-00-0013
I've upped my standards. Now, up yours.
...and may all your babies be born naked...

BLAKDUKE

Daggrim:

In a sense your statement is slightly incorrect.  Vikings had kings.  Sweden, Denmark, Norway where the viking all hailed from had kings, which they paid tribute to, look it up in the history.

Merlin is also correct, in that the Vikings would not pay Homage to an English king.  However the faire is a place and time to come and be merry, have good food and drink, wassail, mead, ale all good viking drinks.  So the object is to have fun and enjoyment.  Also it might help if the reason for faires were more publicized.  The faire was a place where merchants of foreign lands could come and sell their countries goods and wares, and to be able purchase the goods of the local inhabitants.  You could not get Toledo blades except from Spain, Spanish wines as well.  As such,  good wool had to come from England, Scotland.  Venitian lace had to come from Italy.  Then there was the Spice and Silk roads to the orient.   The faires were a way to bring all of these things together where no one would be assaulted, so the reigning monarch would establish safe conduct for these merchants and there were severe penalties on anyone caught robbing a merchant under the Kings protection.  

As for my self I can fully accept a Henry the VIII at any faire that I am at because that is not who I portray.  I am my own king,

KING ALLYN THE ONLY.  The most forgotten king in English history.  They even purged me from the history books.  I even have a background story for the character.     I would much rather play a fictional character than an historical one, it allows for more diversification.  For an historical king you are too limited as to what you can do and cannot do.  
Ancient swordsman/royalty
Have Crown/Sword Will Travel