Questions....

[*Teach*]

(and I WOULD NEVER NOT come and see my FAIRE FATHER! Oh and dear faire father I would like to point out that I turn 21 on Dec. 11 therefore very soon your ploys to not feed me rum will be null and void! )

Good Girl!
Who knows... you may catch me not paying attention to my flasks while we are out there...

*watching you figure out which one has rum in it will be fun in itself lol*

[Queen Bonnie]

 We have an informal meet and greet at the Prince of Wales pub for the parade! Do come and see me and other R/F ers there. I am all over the faire and rarely stay put long- but I am usually at the P.O.W around noon!  Come and grovel before your Queen! LOL!

[Zaubon]

Okay so basically plan two weekends, one to see everything and one to talk to everyone! Gotcha!

... Many good points removed for brevity.

There's no way you will see everything in two weekends, never mind trying to do it in just one. Do come at least two weekends, but recognize before you leave that you will NOT see everything. Just come join us in our celebrations and enjoy yourself! Don't plan, plans never work at TRF. Relax and let it flow over you.   

[mpullen]

So any advice for a first time TRF goer?

Shows, camping, anything? What weekend to go?

It's all welcome the planing has started!!!!!!!!!!!!Muahahahhah

Too broad a question.

If you are just day tripping (driving up in the morning and driving back at the end of the day), it depends on when you will arrive/depart the faire. If you arrive after around noon on a popular weekend, you'll be parking around row 20 or so and have a nice long walk.

There are two mass exoduses at the end of the day. One occurs before the fireworks (dusk) and the final is after fireworks are over (about 45 minutes later). This one can be a real problem, especially if there is an accident on CR 1774. I think it was 3 years ago when there was an accident outside the exit, when traffic was stuck for around 2 hours.

If you stay at a local hotel/motel, then you can get to the faire early and leave late. You just can't leave in an intoxicated condition (hmm, none of us would do that).

Camping is the most popular solution, because:

We can fix breakfast and casually wander into faire at our own pace.

Rather than pay outragous prices for food and drink, we can wander back to camp for lunch and refreshments. However, the prime rib sandwich at the Prince of Wales pub is great, whatever the price.

We get to socalize with great folks.

We can watch the fireworks, watch the Tartanic show outside the gates, and then stagger up to camp, and then let the real partying commence.

[Breandan]

Camp, whatever you do, camp!

[Rani Zemirah]

Oh Drac... All Hallows is when I will be there... and Grov will be there then, also!!!  Not to mention lots of other friends from S&S...

just a little food for thought... 

[Dracconia]

Can anyone give me a price range of things?

Camping, (is it per car or per tent?)

admission....

And anything else you might feel like warning me of...

[mpullen]

Camping just doubled this year. It is now $20 per carload.

That fee gives you the right to try and find a suitable camping spot. If you come in late Friday, most of the good spots are already taken. Some of us come out really early and squat for our normal locations.

If you want to sleep at night, don't camp near the fire circle (row 11). If you have children, you might want to camp in the quiet family camping area.

Faire admission is $21 (I think) at the gate, but you can purchase discount tickets either online or at many local stores. The TRF website has all the information.

[Hercules]

If you're going opening weekend you can order your tickets on-line at https://trf.nodussolutions.com $12 a piece plus a $1 fee. Advanced tickets are $16 plus a fee (assuming $1 fee also).

Watch out for Scottish guys on windy days.

[MysticXSab]

Camping is now 20 dollars per car for the weekend. Not so bad if traveling with other people, pretty suck if it's just you.

Tickets are 16 dollars if you purchase them before Sept 25th. 23 bucks at the gate. I believe there is also an online/local grocery store discount ticket, but I'm not sure about the details.

Camping is definitely the way to go. There were a lot of riffraff about last year, but that can be easily avoided or countered by finding any of a number of wonderful groups. In general, most campers are very friendly, talkative, and willing to share in a pint with ya. Due to $$ issues, my friends and I will often wander the camp on Saturday instead of visiting the faire. We go in both days if we can afford to, but we tend to go to a lot of weekends and it's actually very serene in the camp during the day and not a bad way to save some cash if you want.

Of course, there are way more things to do inside than you could possibly budget time for, so I'd recommend not trying to. I find that choosing shows with a 30 minute to hour space inbetween them (get a program and hang on to it for the season) was quite casual and still efficient in seeing alot of shows. This way you can 'stroll' towards the next destination as you interact with others and browse shops along the way. If you've been to other faires, much more comparable in size to Scarborough than to smaller faires like Four Winds or CTRF.

Bring flashlights. It can get COLD. Seriously. It can rain at a moments notice. Seriously. Having proper backup attire, extra clothes, and protection from the elements is key. So is knowing where a friendly covered shelter and warm campfire are. Most important, and hardest to find in the spur of the moment, is knowing a place where you can comfortably rest and recover.

If you would like a guide or a group to camp with, my group will be there Opening, Pirate, and Highland fling weekends. We are a group of 20 somethings, some releatively new to the faire experience and others (like myself) who have been attending for years. We will probably make it to 1 or 2 more weekends, but those aren't being planned out.

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

If you're going opening weekend you can order your tickets on-line at https://trf.nodussolutions.com $12 a piece plus a $1 fee. Advanced tickets are $16 plus a fee (assuming $1 fee also).

Watch out for Scottish guys on windy days.

Hey now!!  Some of us don't go "commando"! 

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

All Hallows Eve is the middle of the Big 3... all the freaks come out of the woodwork.  The best for people watching.

[mpullen]

Also, if camping, bring your own toilet paper.

The paper in the porta-cans gets damp overnight, that is when there is any there.

If wandering around after dark, watch out for tent stakes and ropes (drunk traps).

Do not wander through a group area unless someone is there and acknowledges you. Of course if you come bearing drinks, you get acknowledged fast.

Don't camp near the porta-johns. Don't park your vehicle such that it blocks access to the cans.

Somewhere down in the old threads are my camping hints. Maybe John will re-sticky them.

[LadyElizabeth]

Well TRF is my home faire and my twin and I attend very religiously.  Last yr we went all but one weekend and the yr before that we went all but 3 weekends.  We were unofficial cast and hopefully this yr as well....  We have also been camping since the first time we went.  So given this, I'd say I'm damn near an expert on what's fun at TRF...

Shows:
chainmaille show - for the hot nakedish people dancing
iris and rose - for bawdy humor and silly songs
Wine and alchemy - awesome music, my fav fair musical act!
sound and fury - wonderful bawdy shakespeare plays
arsene - silly juggling and magic act
titanic - awesome bagpipe music and hot scots without shirts
shunyata belly dance - really hot talented belly dancers

Food:
We don't eat much or often, but some of the food rocks
empanyata in beef or banana rocks
the fruit and cheese plate is awesome
the chocolate covered strawberries rock too

Drink:
We always bring in loki, but the tall strawberry daiquiri drinks rock, especially when you add some loki to it!!  hehe  I love loki!!!!

Camping/hotel:
- DEFINITELY camping!!!!  if you're a total loser, i.e. don't like camping, don't like loud noises at night, or don't want to risk all the drunk folks... then you can hotel it.... but it's not recommended!!  You will miss the full TRF experience if you don't camp.
- hit the main bonfire to begin the night to see all the silliness
- find a fun rennie and follow them around to all the fun local rennie campsites, like valhalla, brigadoon, safe haven, and so on...
- make sure to visit at least one campsite of people you don't know just to be more social and meet new people!

Other recommendations:
- Always wear very very comfy shoes
- Never make a plan that can't be changed some because going with the flow is part of TRF
- Always plan much longer times between things because TRF is absolutely HUGE and getting across it can take all day, especially if you run into people like you're bound to!!!
- try to hit up the Prince of Wales pub noon time for the R/F get together at least once in a weekend

[Hercules]

Shows:
chainmaille show - for the hot nakedish people dancing

That's why I'm going.