I don't want to stir the pot too much, but it's been pretty quiet around the forums as of late. Things used to be much more lively, so I'm not sure what's going on. I saw this thread (http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php/topic,18078.0.html) in the MDRF forum, and it seems like people are migrating towards Facebook. Is everyone else experiencing this? Is Facebook the new place to hang out?
A sort of related question: I feel like Renaissance fairs are having a hard time attracting many new young people, and that kind of bothers me when thinking about fairs continuing for years. Is this a real problem, and if so, is there any way to solve it?
Here are my two cents on your points
1. Yeah, it's been kinda quiet around here. This is my first time logging on in weeks - my reason is due to our faire season in Texas winding down ( I think Scarby runs for maybe two more weekends ). While I love faire, after going for Opening and Halloween at TRF and almost every single weekend at Sherwood.... I need a little break, lol! I'm sure that's why it's been quiet around here - just people resting from their seasons
2. I've noticed the " no young adult" thing as well. My husband and I are some of the youngest people we've met at faire with the exclusion of two other young adults in our clan, and I have yet another theory about that. Renfaires take time, money, and patience to get active in, and a lot of young adults nowdays are scant on all of those. I know several people working two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and they do not have excessive bills. My generation is kinda strained right now due to many factors and many of them just don't have time, resources, or money to do something that, from the outside, seems like it takes up a large chunk of all three.
I hope that more young adults get active in Faires.. But right now, we are indeed rare.
Quote from: scarletnyx on May 04, 2013, 09:39:21 PM
Here are my two cents on your points
1. Yeah, it's been kinda quiet around here. This is my first time logging on in weeks - my reason is due to our faire season in Texas winding down ( I think Scarby runs for maybe two more weekends ). While I love faire, after going for Opening and Halloween at TRF and almost every single weekend at Sherwood.... I need a little break, lol! I'm sure that's why it's been quiet around here - just people resting from their seasons
2. I've noticed the " no young adult" thing as well. My husband and I are some of the youngest people we've met at faire with the exclusion of two other young adults in our clan, and I have yet another theory about that. Renfaires take time, money, and patience to get active in, and a lot of young adults nowdays are scant on all of those. I know several people working two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and they do not have excessive bills. My generation is kinda strained right now due to many factors and many of them just don't have time, resources, or money to do something that, from the outside, seems like it takes up a large chunk of all three.
I hope that more young adults get active in Faires.. But right now, we are indeed rare.
I'll second both of those. I just turned 24 (cinco de mayo birthday!), and it'll be another two years or so before I finally get my bachelor's degree, because I work full-time and only take as many classes as I can afford (too many people have warned me of the evils of student loans). So I'm not around too much because of the end of semester crunch with projects and finals, etc. And yes, as much as I adore faire, sometimes I need a break. Also, I still feel like a newbie to the whole scene, so I read and watch more than I post and add to conversations.
But I still love faire, Sherwood is my happy place, I read up on stuff here fairly often, and I attempt to get more people hooked on my addiction as well. :P
I think most conversation has moved to facebook. I've noticed it with other forums as well.
Not sure about the young people and faire.
Gina
Quote from: theChuck on May 04, 2013, 05:41:26 PM
I don't want to stir the pot too much, but it's been pretty quiet around the forums as of late. Things used to be much more lively, so I'm not sure what's going on. I saw this thread (http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php/topic,18078.0.html) in the MDRF forum, and it seems like people are migrating towards Facebook. Is everyone else experiencing this? Is Facebook the new place to hang out?
A sort of related question: I feel like Renaissance fairs are having a hard time attracting many new young people, and that kind of bothers me when thinking about fairs continuing for years. Is this a real problem, and if so, is there any way to solve it?
I wonder if there is a R/F type group on FB? It is more simple to share pics on FB groups, and perhaps this is where people have gone.
I think money is the biggest issue with younger adults. I wanted to attend faire for years before I was actually able to afford it. And although many faires now offer coupons, or discounts of some kind, I think lots of folks don't even know about it.....they just assume they can't afford it.
there are quite a few ren groups. One nice thing about the forum here is that it is all in one place. For those of us that travel to several faires a year, it is easy to find info. With all the groups on facebook, it is a little more difficult.
Quote from: scarletnyx on May 04, 2013, 09:39:21 PM
2. I've noticed the " no young adult" thing as well. My husband and I are some of the youngest people we've met at faire with the exclusion of two other young adults in our clan, and I have yet another theory about that. Renfaires take time, money, and patience to get active in, and a lot of young adults nowdays are scant on all of those. I know several people working two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and they do not have excessive bills. My generation is kinda strained right now due to many factors and many of them just don't have time, resources, or money to do something that, from the outside, seems like it takes up a large chunk of all three.
I hope that more young adults get active in Faires.. But right now, we are indeed rare.
I'm also under 30, and yeah, it's probably true that our generation is hurting. I'm just not sure if that's the reason they're not going to the fair, versus it just being a more niche thing.
Quote from: arbcoind on May 06, 2013, 09:08:06 AM
I think most conversation has moved to facebook. I've noticed it with other forums as well.
Quote from: jackrocks on May 06, 2013, 11:50:14 AM
I wonder if there is a R/F type group on FB? It is more simple to share pics on FB groups, and perhaps this is where people have gone.
Any recommended links to where the party is happening? These forums are great, but I'd like to be on the up and up..
During Faire I am not on here much, nor on Facebook. Most of my week is spent preparing for the next weekend.
Hi,
Another under 30 Faire-goer checking in. I'm actually excited for young people and the Faire. I feel that right now, possibly more than ever, young people are able to express their individualities in different ways without being judged harshly by their peers.
I talk about Faire with a lot of my coworkers, and actually get responses that I wouldn't expect from some people. Now, maybe that is my expectations being misguided but I find that people are more accepting of unusual hobbies than before. What started with myself and one other friend going to Faire a few times a year, has turned into a regular group of 8-10 people that go to at least three Faires annually. I've found more and more people that I wouldn't have expected to be interested that love going to Faire.
I also find that there are more people that enjoy going to Faire that just don't feel comfortable dressing in garb by themselves or as a couple, but when you bring them into a group they are *really* able to open up.
I think if we continue to be open and inviting about our love-afFaire, then we can bring in new people. Also, I'm excited to see some of the little-ones at Faire turn into young adults that continue to enjoy the magic of our favorite places.
@theChuck, I'm not sure where the party is. I know many of the faires have their own facebook page, and I've gotten some info that way. But what I really meant was that facebook is the place for communication between people instead of on forums like this one. For example, PRF opening day tailgate was organized by one person sending out an event notification on facebook. We could accept or decline the invitation and indicate what we were bringing. Nothing was mentioned in the PRF forum here.
I don't use facebook too much. But it is useful for communicating en mass to friends.
Gina
Our clan The Horn has a private facebook page that we all communicate on. Its just a couple of us that post here because we are total renaddicts.
Weve got about 20 members that are around 30 years old and younger. Were definately one of the younger clans around.
There are several boards that I used to frequent that have all but died due to facebook. I had an account for a while, but deleted it. It was too much of a time suck and I was tired of all the bickering and passive aggressiveness.
As for the ages at faire, I notice there are quite a few teens and people in their young 20's, then just a smattering of the rest until the 40's or so. For me personally, I stopped attending as regularly when I was 23 and had my first child. Before that, I would gladly eat nothing but eggs, rice and ramen for weeks to be able to attend faire. Now, I would rather see my kidlets well fed. I am also trying to start my career after finishing college, so the once almighty faire has sunk quite low on my priority list. I still enjoy it, but I am just fine hitting one or two days a season, whereas I once attended as many days as possible at as many faires as possibly. For me, it was simply a priority shift as life changed.
I must be one of the odd few. I'm facing unemployment in a few weeks, and I'm looking towards more faires. Between the extra time off for faires, it also means more time off for making garb and doing some other faire related projects that I just wasn't able to do before. That said, it was a kind of weird incentive, but it was also one of the deciding factors in joining a guild. Over the past few years I've received a number of invitations from a couple different guilds to join, but thought at the time that it might be too much of a time commitment. So, with time available I get to actually do more faires for less money. Between getting on gate lists, and being able to camp, as well as having easier access to non-vendor food, I expect to cut my faire expenses to at most a third of what it has been for the last few years.
The down side being that it'll be harder for my wife to get time off, so it'll be just me and the kids.
But yeah, I've noticed the forums getting a bit quiet. Its not the first time I've seen it though, so I hope it is temporary.
Quote from: Clan McCann on May 07, 2013, 08:37:30 AM
Another under 30 Faire-goer checking in. I'm actually excited for young people and the Faire. I feel that right now, possibly more than ever, young people are able to express their individualities in different ways without being judged harshly by their peers.
I talk about Faire with a lot of my coworkers, and actually get responses that I wouldn't expect from some people. Now, maybe that is my expectations being misguided but I find that people are more accepting of unusual hobbies than before.
I agree. I just turned 22 (and have been doing faires for 10 years this year) and find that a lot fewer people nowadays automatically think I'm too 'weird' when I mention I attend faires. They don't necessarily jump out and go to the next faire they hear about, but they don't turn a blind eye and think it's just something that niche people do.
That said, I don't attend near as much as I'd like. Location is one problem (South Carolina needs a faire!), but the main one is money. I can't afford to go more than one or two weekends a year, total. I just got my BS in history so have many long, foodless days ahead, and faire just isn't always something I can do.
The Forums here are my go-to place for all things Ren. That being said, however, I lurk more than contribute (other than in the Mundane Topics games...) just because I rarely have anything worthwhile to say!
I'm almost 34 and I love going to Fest. I take my three young daughters almost every time because if I don't I can't attend. They love it, and I love being there with them- usually. We have fun dressing up in different garb for each visit and I let them help choose "who we will be." We don't spend much money out at Fest. We get there early so that we can park rather close and at meal time we go to the car and have a picnic. We usually buy two cups of lemonade- that is just right for the four of us. My girls get pony rides and butterfly rides (man-powered swings shaped like butterflies.) I may buy a cd once in a while. We don't buy many other things, just can't afford to, though we love to browse! When I go with the kids we do mostly what they want to do because if they aren't having fun I certainly won't be! I want them to always love Fest and it not be something that I have to drag them to.
I have noticed over the last 8 months that the boards in the South and Midwest are less populated. I was just telling a vendor about this forum over the weekend so she can keep up with what is going on in the region. Facebook can be good for a single faire but only these forums can give a good picture for numerous faires in nearby states.
I met my 28 year old nephew and his family at the Norman Medfaire last month. They instantly fell in love with it. Maybe it's just a thing in and around Oklahoma but it seems like there are lots of kids, teens and 20 somethings at the faires around here, both working and attending.
This is true, our regular Scarby group has a private Facebook page to keep up with week to week stuff during faire. But for other parts of the country, the forum is best for getting info.
Quote from: Craigmeister on May 09, 2013, 12:35:37 PM
I have noticed over the last 8 months that the boards in the South and Midwest are less populated. I was just telling a vendor about this forum over the weekend so she can keep up with what is going on in the region. Facebook can be good for a single faire but only these forums can give a good picture for numerous faires in nearby states..
Sadly, we don't have all that many faires in the upper Midwest, and only 2-3 larger ones in the entire region. Some of it has to do with the weather and population densities, since Texas, California and the east coast seem to have the most faires per capita.
To a lesser extent, I think it has a bit to do with the 'bible belt' mentality and the large pockets of conservative Christians we have here. Most of those wouldn't be caught dead at what they mistakenly regard as a 'pagan' event; and I have it on pretty good authority, that faire is being actively discouraged in the local churches here.
It's hard to get a new faire started, much less grow.
I married into a family that is a lot more Conservative Christian than I am. They thought there was much ado about fortune telling and cult stuff. When I took my wife to her first faire, she saw that wasn't the case. She has been to several faires with me now and her family doesn't think it's a big deal. Her brother's wife even made a lot of my Robin Hoodesque garb. One of her cousins wanted to go to KCRF with me last year too.
As far as churches around Tulsa, Oklahoma, Renfaires don't seem to even be on their radars to preach for or against.
Quote from: Craigmeister on May 11, 2013, 01:17:43 AM
I married into a family that is a lot more Conservative Christian than I am. They thought there was much ado about fortune telling and cult stuff. When I took my wife to her first faire, she saw that wasn't the case. She has been to several faires with me now and her family doesn't think it's a big deal. Her brother's wife even made a lot of my Robin Hoodesque garb. One of her cousins wanted to go to KCRF with me last year too.
As far as churches around Tulsa, Oklahoma, Renfaires don't seem to even be on their radars to preach for or against.
I think the mainstream congregations are pretty indifferent; but I have some neighbors who belong to a church here in town, located in an old movie theater. They think we are some sort of Wiccan convention, but at least they don't picket or otherwise protest our presence.
However, I think the biggest challenge we have around here is the perception that Renfairs in general are not family friendly. Unlike some of the huge festivals we don't have a large, dedicated adult following, so we
have to build a more wholesome reputation to attract family groups.
Sometimes, this is at odds with the overall expectations some folks have of what a renaissance festival is or should be; particularly if they have attended some of the larger venues. By necessity, we have to tone down the 'wenches and booze', and emphasize the 'history and spectacle' aspects to fit in with the community a bit better, and compete with the zoo for the family entertainment buck.
Reputation building takes time,and we realize this will alienate a few hard core rennies, but we have to go with who spends the most money there; and families win, hands down.
My home faire (KY Highland Renaissance Festival) actually has a good teen crowd. They as of this season have a new cast division called the Minions d Mischief which is an all-teen cast. Got to see them do some stuff with some mundanes at a preview/ local business showcase at the faire site this past weekend and they seems very good. The problem is it seems one of the cast falls into the "too cool" clique.
Our resident pirates had to call him out during the family pub sing for sitting there not singing anything with the "this is stupid" look on his face. Not sure of it was supposed to be his character but he was like that anytime the girls were around. Another interesting thing is the mix is about 65% girls. Perhaps the reason is as above: teen boys consider it "geeky" or "uncool"?
But either way: rennies will breed more rennies and they in turn will breed more rennies. I myself am a first generation playtron so fear not that new people find faires as well.
Count me in as one of the young adults that attend faire. For me, it is kind of hard at the moment to attend a lot of faires, because I do not have a car (or license, for that matter) and because I have a job that requires me to work most weekends. I try to attend faire for at least one weekend, but it is quite hard... I still live with my parents, so I usually have to convince one of them to either drive me to faire, or to come along with me (my dad doesn't mind going to faire, and my younger brother loves faire, but my mother could not care less.)
I am also saving money for another trip to England to visit my husband in August, so I have to limit my spending (luckily I have my garb all set for now!)
It is quite hard to find young people that share the same love for faire that I do, at least ones that live locally. I only have two other friends who share my love of faire, but one moved to PA and the other is in the same debacle that I am in (no license or car.)
My coworkers do not mind me talking about faire, and I know one is at least interested in attending one with me, which is a good thing! I believe there is another coworker who has a somewhat of a faire knowledge (I believe she said she attended NYRF at one point.)
My husband sometimes teases me about faire, and calls it my nerdy hobby. He has not attended faire yet, and I want to take him to his first Ren Faire, but the him living in England thing is a bit complicated. xD
LadyAsh - there are faires in England
Quote from: Nidhoggr on May 13, 2013, 02:21:23 AM
Our resident pirates had to call him out during the family pub sing for sitting there not singing anything with the "this is stupid" look on his face. Not sure of it was supposed to be his character but he was like that anytime the girls were around. Another interesting thing is the mix is about 65% girls. Perhaps the reason is as above: teen boys consider it "geeky" or "uncool"?
Yeah , having raised a young man I can say with with 98% certainty, it comes under the 'too cool to do this', mask they pull down when they are unsure of themselves, usually around girls they don't know. Being an actor is a calling, and it doesn't come easily to many people.
Too bad, though. The aura of self confidence that a professional actor exudes is extremely attractive to girls.
Quote from: Rowen MacD on May 14, 2013, 03:12:53 PM
Quote from: Nidhoggr on May 13, 2013, 02:21:23 AM
Our resident pirates had to call him out during the family pub sing for sitting there not singing anything with the "this is stupid" look on his face. Not sure of it was supposed to be his character but he was like that anytime the girls were around. Another interesting thing is the mix is about 65% girls. Perhaps the reason is as above: teen boys consider it "geeky" or "uncool"?
Yeah , having raised a young man I can say with with 98% certainty, it comes under the 'too cool to do this', mask they pull down when they are unsure of themselves, usually around girls they don't know. Being an actor is a calling, and it doesn't come easily to many people.
Too bad, though. The aura of self confidence that a professional actor exudes is extremely attractive to girls.
Oh yeah. It's the same as ANY sort of confidence though. I am a larger dude (5'9", 315 - down from 360 huzzah!) and I STILL get hit on and flirted with in or out of faire setting. Why? I don't care that I am large. I know I am and I don't act shy. Granted that is a trait that is learned somewhat, but you have to be confident in everything you do or you're gonna look silly.
It makes me sad though that cast members in the teen unit succumb to that. That should be a BRAGGING right (First year cast of teens, working at a renfaire, etc) and should pump up his ego not shoot it down. I dunno... Call me crazy, but at his age I'd have been flippin stoked!
Quote from: Gauwyn of Bracknell on May 14, 2013, 02:10:57 PM
LadyAsh - there are faires in England
Thanks for the info, Gauwyn. :)
I know there are faires in England, it is just a matter of finding one that is going on while I visit him there, so that maybe we can both attend. The only one that I have found so far takes place on the 24, 25, and 26th of August. My plane arrives on the morning of the 24th, so maybe I can convince him for us to either attend on the 25th or 26th. If not, then there is always next time. :)
Quote from: Gauwyn of Bracknell on May 06, 2013, 12:10:34 PM
there are quite a few ren groups. One nice thing about the forum here is that it is all in one place. For those of us that travel to several faires a year, it is easy to find info. With all the groups on facebook, it is a little more difficult.
This was where I spent all my extra time, but with everyone sharing their pictures on the Book of Faces, I finally had to break down and get a page. I don't spend AS much time here, but I usually check in daily.
I get overload from the Book of Faces. This is a better pace for me, AND it has everything in one place.
For all things Ren (except photos) this is the place to be.
If I didn't have to host everything on Photobucket first, then here, I would post more pics.