MNRF Attendance Data?

[dbaldock]

Do the Owners / Managers of MNRF release the attendance data for individual days, or weekends, during the Faire run?  (I mean a count of the people through the Front Gate, and not just a Tickets Sold number, since Internet purchasers may not actually show up.)


Just curious how many people were there on Saturday, 4-Sep-10, when my parents and I were visiting.


Take Care,
David Baldock

[groomporter]

They used to print it in the weekly participant's newsletter the Privie Counselor, but stopped several years ago and don't announce it except occasionally at cast call when it had been high. It's was being posted inside the B gate shack so I'll try to remember to check for it when I pick up the Privie Counselors for my neighborhood.

Back in the early 1990's one of the perks for paid street characters was a bonus if the annual attendance was over 300,000.

[William_MacKean]

When the CKC chieftains come by with my numbers (great gals, BTW) I can see the attendance numbers.  I, too, will try to remember them.

IMO, this is something that should be announced at every cast call, or somehow made public.  The more info we have and the more 'plugged in' we feel about the faire, the better.

[Charlotte Rowan]

Carr did announce at Cast Call on Monday morning that we had great attendance on Sunday (apparently there was some big event...?) but I am really bad with remembering numbers if I don't see them written down, so I don't remember what it was. DOH! I'll ask around and see if anyone remembers.

[Sorcha]

(apparently there was some big event...?)

There was that pesky wedding on Sunday...   

[Random Girl]

HA! I actually know this one.

Attendance on Sunday was 20573 (I or roughly there about).

And this time I didn't fall off a bench telling everyone.  WOOO!!!!

[groomporter]

My memory of "back in the day" there was a lot of buzz when we broke 30,000 in a single day.

[dbaldock]

HA! I actually know this one.

Attendance on Sunday was 20573 (I or roughly there about).

And this time I didn't fall off a bench telling everyone.  WOOO!!!!

Thanks for the info!

Was that more or less than Saturday?  i.e.- Do you have the actual attendance number for Saturday?


Take Care,
David Baldock

[Random Girl]

I don't have the numbers off hand for Saturday but I want to say something like 17K or thereabouts...

[dbaldock]

Thanks.

OK, I have a second question --- How many acres are inside the fenced part of MNRF, that paying customers have access to?

It seemed pretty crowded on Saturday afternoon in several of the Lane areas.


Take Care,
David Baldock

[groomporter]

It's supposed to be 22 acres, but that may include the non-public back stage areas of the "islands" of booths that are surrounded by the public areas.

[dbaldock]

It's supposed to be 22 acres, but that may include the non-public back stage areas of the "islands" of booths that are surrounded by the public areas.

Wow, that's a lot smaller than I would have guessed --- comparing the area of the faire to my memory of my Grand-Parent's 80 acre farm.

I'm not positive, but I think Scarborough Faire (near Dallas) is ~30 - 35 acres inside the fence, and Texas Renaissance Festival (near Houston) is ~70 - 80 53 acres.


Take Care,
David Baldock

EDIT: Did some Google Searches, and found numbers for Scarby & TRF.

[groomporter]

Yeah the Texas fairs are supposed to be larger in acreage, but MNRF (at east at it's historic peak) supposedly used to beat them as far as annual attendance.

[dbaldock]

I guess one could use the "Ruler" tool in Google Earth to draw boxes over the various Ren Faires, then calculate the Square-footage and convert to Acres (there are 43,560 sq-ft per acre).