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

[Rowan MacD]

I have a new "don't".  DON'T go the the Renfaire and offer to rap for people.  Some clown was doing that at a Renfaire I was at on Saturday.  This guy was just embarrassing and waaaay out of his element.  Please spare us!

 LMAO.  Just about sprayed the monitor with coffee.  
 The only thing that comes close to the rapper faux pax, was the time I drew close to a couple of Bards strumming sweetly under a tree.... only to find out they were playing Led Zeppelin tunes . .....bwwahahahaha.  

[Merlin the Elder]

I've heard Led Zep's Kashmir by more than one gypsy-style group, and Jeff-Air's White Rabbit, too... instrumental versions. If the style fits in, why not, eh?

[lys1022]

I have a new "don't".  DON'T go the the Renfaire and offer to rap for people.  Some clown was doing that at a Renfaire I was at on Saturday.  This guy was just embarrassing and waaaay out of his element.  Please spare us!

The German Twins base a lot of their stage show and their street interactions off of rapping. So it actually can be done and be done in an entertaining manner.

[Molden]

Then there was the snow day at Scarby a few years back, when I overheard Zilch and the Bard of O'Neill singing Stairway to Heaven while playing the tune to Gilligan's Island...  

*Not that I mind, but it still brings a puzzled look to my face. LOL!

[thebog1984]

I have a question regarding a specific 'Do or Don't' of Renaissance Fairs that's roughly about 9 years old, lol.

The first Renaissance Fair I ever went to was in South Florida in 2002 or 2003, and I went with a group of friends - three or four gals and about the same number of guys.

On the way back from the Festival, one of the guys was talking to another of the guys and said that he had stuffed some bills down one of the actor/vendor/in-character's shirt. I attemptedto argue that that wasn't plausible because the money (dollar bills) seen hanging out of their clothing is usually put their by themselves and that having customers/patrons do that would almost definitely be inappropriate and against the rules, not to mention distasteful to the family enviironment I am sure most, if not all, Ren-Fests try to create.

I hadn't thought about this for the longest time, hence the years delay in searching for an answer (I haven't been to a Ren-Fest in 5 or 6 years now) and the one that is coming to S. Fl, a bunch of guys (including the one who swears to this day up and down that doing that is perfectly normal and ok) and gals will be going.

I'd just like to get some kind of definitive answer that either he or I am right so I can more-or-less 'stick it to him' and proove he was lying once and for all.

In keeping with the topic, here's a few I had for when I went:

-DO wear sunscreen if you are capable of sunburning. First year I went, I didn't and was there in the sun for about 9-10 hours... very, very bad idea, lol.
-DO carry a map and entertainment schedule with you. Nothing can provoke more irritating responses than having a person get asked repeatedly 'Which way is X?' or 'Where is Y?'. Having your own map is much easier.
-DO use the restrooms before you go and DO avoid using the Porta-Potties as much as possible. Extremely unsanitary most of the time, lol.

-DON'T heckle performers or other patrons/audience members/peoples. Everyone wants to have a good time, so let them.
-DON'T bombard performers with non-stop questions or try to 'show them up' with Renaissance Period trivia. It's just rude.
-DON'T stand as a crowd in the middle of a main aisle/walkpath or block pathways as a crowd. The second year I went, there was a crowd - some youth group or organization of peoples - that stood in a main walkway all looking at their map or conversing or some such and it pretty much bottle-corked everyone else trying to get by.

[Merlin the Elder]

Good morrow, Bog—if I may address you as thus.

The question regarding stuffing the blouse/shirt of a character/vendor/performer is a difficult one to answer definitively, but in short, it depends upon the character/person. I once purchased an ale from the beer wench who had numerous bills stuffed in her blouse. She was a very gregarious sort, but as I wished to leave her a tip, I did ask "May I?" before taking any liberties.

Personally, I would assume nothing, but if your friend said he stuffed some wench's blouse, I probably would not doubt him. It is not that unusual an occurrence.

Bog, your do's and don'ts with a little more info

Sunscreen: absolutely! If there's cloud cover, then it's absolutely times three! You do not realize how much sun you are getting when it is overcast. The southern tier of states and high elevations are the worst.

Map & Schedule: Good idea

Restrooms: You'll find that this varies from hell to breakfast. At the "hard" faires, you'll find flushies, which are much easier to deal with if you are in garb.

Heckling: Try it, and you may find yourself being made a total fool of. Cell phones need to be OFF at performances! One performer at one of the faires I frequent asked to speak with the person on the other end when the phone went off during her performance. The offender handed her the phone, she said, "He can't talk just now!" and promptly dropped the phone into a water bucket. The audience laughed and cheered!

Ren Trivia: So right. Not every actor is a history buff. It's a faire. It's entertainment. If you want totally historically accurate, join a reenactment group. That is NOT what these faires are.

When stopping, move off the beaten path. Pay attention to what is happening around you. Show some manners.

I hope you enjoy your trip back to the faire, Bog! 

[VIII]

Then there was the snow day at Scarby a few years back, when I overheard Zilch and the Bard of O'Neill singing Stairway to Heaven while playing the tune to Gilligan's Island...  

Now I've heard 'Gilligan's Isle' sung to "Stairway to Heaven' but not the other way around...