How do you TRF?

[Sitara]

Let's see, at TRF my day usually starts after cannon, frequently that is what gets me to finally get out of bed.  Usually stumble in the gates around 10:30 or later and head straight for the Sea Devil.  Much talking and drinking ensues.  I wander to get food, see Cast in Bronze and visit with my family at the Dark Cloud booth, get talked into walking parade and am tuckered out after that trek!  I always end up back at the Sea Devil and actually spend much of my time there.  Yep- I drive 1200 miles one way to hangout at the pub most of the day. 

[Jack Daw at Work]

I usually can only make it to one or two TRF weekends a season, unfortunately.  I have three sets of friends that I can go with at different times, so I never have to go it alone, but I did go alone one year.  Anyway, my preference is to arrive at cannon and leave after the fireworks.  I go in, get a picture taken, buy a program, and prefer to go counter-clockwise so that I can hang out for some time at the arena.  There are plenty of stops for beer, a chicken on a stick, a beer, a steak on a stick, a dram, a turkey leg, a beer, etc...

[midnightferret]

Wake up. Ask Ambard if it's before cannon. He says yes. Wonder how long I can still lay under the covers and still fool myself that I'm trying to make cannon. Get up. Start cooking breakfast and getting ready at the same time. Decide whether or not "hair of the dog" is needed. Usually have a little drink either way, especially if there's Kahlua for the coffee. Start putting on makeup. Usually cannon goes off around now.

Walk to the gates. See people. Pester Var and Lawrence for delicious beer. Make plans that may or may not come to fruition. Wander around. Drink beer. Swill water. Swill Teach's rum because I've usually run into him by now. See a show, if the one I want starts around now. Buy something I don't need and probably can't afford. Stand perfectly motionless and unseeing or hearing while 3 people scream my name about 3 yards away from me. Drink more beer. Swill more water. Wander over to POW either to watch the parade, or after watching the parade, depending on where I was when it started. Talk to more people. Eat something. Get photographed while eating. Swill more beer. Have 3 people laugh at me for standing motionless while 3 people were screaming my name 3 yards away from me. Wander off. Catch Sound n' Fury. See more people. Make myself annoying to Teach, swill more of his rum. Pirate Auction and/or last Cast in Bronze show, if I get there. Sea Devil. Fireworks. Some of Tartanic's outside show.

Wander back to camp. Rip off bodice and boots. Hang around in my Renn drawers with the excuse that it's dark and no one can see me. Start cooking dinner and drink more. Complain that it's cold and remember that I'm still in my Renn drawers. Wander camp talking to people and/or hang out by the campfire. Go to bed.

[*Teach*]

Walk to the gates. See people. Pester Var and Lawrence for delicious beer. Make plans that may or may not come to fruition. Wander around. Drink beer. Swill water. Swill Teach's rum because I've usually run into him by now. See a show, if the one I want starts around now. Buy something I don't need and probably can't afford. Stand perfectly motionless and unseeing or hearing while 3 people scream my name about 3 yards away from me. Drink more beer. Swill more water. Wander over to POW either to watch the parade, or after watching the parade, depending on where I was when it started. Talk to more people. Eat something. Get photographed while eating. Swill more beer. Have 3 people laugh at me for standing motionless while 3 people were screaming my name 3 yards away from me. Wander off. Catch Sound n' Fury. See more people. Make myself annoying to Teach, swill more of his rum. Pirate Auction and/or last Cast in Bronze show, if I get there. Sea Devil. Fireworks. Some of Tartanic's outside show.

*and people wonder why I bring some much rum in with me each day...*

[Sir Martin]

After years of attending TRF, I'm not sure I even have a ritual.  I arrive sometime between 9 and 10, purchase a program (or bring one I have from previous weeks).  Wander ... take some pictures ... shop a while (especially if I have an item of garb I am interested in acquiring).  Catch a show or three, try some of the great food and sample some of the brewskis.  The things I do and the order I do them in varies with each visit to New Market Village.  It's a wonderful thing to have the world's largest ren faire as your home faire.  So many great things to experience and each day is a new and different adventure.

[Bonny Pearl]

this is our seven year old's version of 'how do you trf'...

son: can i climb on the rock wall?

us:  sure 

son: this is the best day of my life!   

son: can i go on the bouncer thing?

us: not right now

son: this is the worst day of my life! 

hour later....

son: can i go on the bouncer thing now? 

us: yes

son: this is the best day of my life! ! 

wash, rinse, repeat!

[Jack Daw at Work]

After years of attending TRF, I'm not sure I even have a ritual.  I arrive sometime between 9 and 10, purchase a program (or bring one I have from previous weeks).  Wander ... take some pictures ... shop a while (especially if I have an item of garb I am interested in acquiring).  Catch a show or three, try some of the great food and sample some of the brewskis.  The things I do and the order I do them in varies with each visit to New Market Village.  It's a wonderful thing to have the world's largest ren faire as your home faire.  So many great things to experience and each day is a new and different adventure.

Ah, you're consistent in your inconsistency.

[Trillium]

Bonny Pearl, that sounds very familiar...

for us it's:
momma can I play a game?
momma can I have some ice cream?
I'm tired of walking....
Can I have some ice cream?
Can I play a game?
I'm tired of walking...

(we need one of those smilies banging their head against a wall...)

[Bonny Pearl]

Bonny Pearl, that sounds very familiar...

for us it's:
momma can I play a game?
momma can I have some ice cream?
I'm tired of walking....
Can I have some ice cream?
Can I play a game?
I'm tired of walking...

(we need one of those smilies banging their head against a wall...)

yes we do need one of those, lol! 

[Breandan]

Ask, and ye shall receive 

[Bonny Pearl]

Ask, and ye shall receive 

Oh that is just too hilarious!  Thank you Breandan!

[Mouse]

guess I have millions of lessons to learn because I am only 23

From the looks of it Fae, doesn't seem to matter if they are 23, 25 (such as me) or one foot in the grave, porter at their head, stout at their feet....and my hats off to each and every one of you for the lesson...that there is no end to the lessons...Slainte'!

[Lady Ann of Draycott]

There are 3 of us, my son, who is 13 now so who knows what he will want to do this year, my husband and myself...so we pretty much walk through the gate and whoever is in the lead picks a direction and then we just walk until one of us either sees something they want to look at, hears something they want to listen to, wants something to drink, wants something to eat, needs to go to the privy and/or sees someone they want to say HI to or talk to...sometimes the other two will join in on whatever it is, but sometimes they just patiently wait until it's time to move on again.  

The only thing that we ever "plan" to do is to go to the POW after the parade for the meet and greet.  Other than that, we just wander and do whatever comes up! 

[Jinglebum]

I normally wake up about 8 am (or stay up through the night... XD) and go into the festival early, cause I'm a geek like that (and proud of it!)
Then I wander around for the entirety of the festival, talk to random people, etc. Last season I took to wandering alone for a lot of the festival. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I pretty much just go with the flow of things.
Things I def. have to do every weekend though:
Sound & Fury
Wine & Alchemy
Tartanic
Iris & Rose

And at some point during the festival I like to see the Washing Well Wenches and pretty much whatever show I happen to stumble upon. ^^

[KiltedPrivateer]

Its funny to see that our day at faire is not unlike most everyone elses. 

We are usually always up before cannon, but we hardly ever make it to the gate before 10a.  Theres breakfast to make, morning grooming rituals, bodices to lace up, breakfast dishes to clean up.  Rarely has a day gone by that I haven't had to turn around halfway to the gate to retrieve something that was forgotten (Usually the tickets).

Once we are in we are as hapless as everyone else it seems.  During the first 4 weeks our first stop is usually the hair braiding booth for the women folk to get their hair up.  (The last few weeks is hot chocolate spiked with rum). We usually see a few friends just by hanging out there.  Once the hair is all tied up we usually only have a short time before the parade and meet/greet at the POW.  If the princess is still awake then we will most likely be heading to the German village so that she can play with the faeries.  Plus the little restaurant back there is not too bad given its operated by a ren faire.

After that its an aimless wander from mug fill to mug fill.  We try to catch a show when we can.  There are so many excellent shows at TRF.  I'm not too interested in the Joust so we rarely visit the arena.  I do stop to listen to Iris and Rose if they are singing when we pass the sea devil.  The wife will try to do some shopping.  She usually has some item that she tries to find which may steer us on a certain path.

Once the day is over we head back to camp to get dinner started for the group.  Once we've eaten and cleaned up its time to sit by the fire and reflect on the day.  Play a little drum, a little guitar if present.  Eventually we move around the campground and say howdy to our neighbors.  Sharing drink and tales.