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Casa Loma Renaissance Festival cancelled.

Started by SwordintheStoneCrafts, December 15, 2010, 01:42:02 PM

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SwordintheStoneCrafts

I just got an email today from one of the organizers at Casa Loma stating that they have decided not to host a renaissance festival in 2011. No reasons given, but I believe that show has been in a bit of a decline for a coupla years now. They didn't say if they'd try again in 2012, but my guess would be not.

On the flipside of things, this opens up a prime piece of calendar real estate for something else!

cheers,
Adam
fine leathergoods for the new renaissance

Hausfrau Monica

That is a sad piece of news.  The atmosphere there is wonderful and we had such a great time there last summer meeting with and making new friends.  I won't forget the photo ops for the Japanese tourists.

LadyJuliana

Here's the latest update: The Faire hasn't been cancelled for sure, but it hasn't been scheduled either. I've been told that if enough support is shown, management might be swayed to hold it once again! So everyone who wants to keep our faire alive, please let Casa Loma know!!!

SwordintheStoneCrafts

Really?? Who told you that? I got the information from an official email to prior merchants and performers from Casa Loma. I followed up and was told it was extremely unlikely that there'd be another ever.
fine leathergoods for the new renaissance

LadyJuliana

I got that info from the person who moderates the official Casa Loma facebook page. After I posted last, we "spoke" (online) more and it seems like it's off for sure this year. However she did say there's a possibility of it coming back in the future if the demand is high.

Alacrity

What would it take to get a annually running multi-weekend renn fest in Ontario?
Trust me, I'm a Dungeon Master

LadyJuliana

#6
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

;)  :P

On the serious side though, we are hoping that someday Country Ren Fest will grow to be like ORF was. So I guess building lots of support for CRF is the best way to go!

GirlChris

Actually, Gregor's Crossing is running multiple weekends this year... the only thing is that it's one in Simcoe, one in Brampton, one in Markham, one in Huntsville, one in Sault Ste. Marie and one in Curran.

Alright, so they aren't full weekends, just single days, except for Curran. And they aren't at permanent sites. But seven days all over the southern part of the province is pretty cool.


LadyJuliana

I hadn't heard about that! One in Markham would be awesome - that's the closest to me!

Alacrity

So we need money and we need land. How hard can that be???
Trust me, I'm a Dungeon Master

GirlChris

Money, CLEAR land that isn't swamp or forest, zoning permits, accessibility, hydro, sewer/port-a-potties/septic tanks, building permits, advertising. You also need a reputation, because the vendors who actually PAY for the building of the buildings aren't going to be too eager to give you money if there's a chance your faire closes down within a year.

It's not that people haven't tried to have permanent faires- it's just that no one has managed to get all the ducks in a row yet.

Aelynn of Georgina

I am sooooo sad that Casa Loma isn't running this year. I have sent repeated messages to the management about wanting to see it return.  They won't give me a straight answer about why it's not running this year, nor about whether they will bring it back in coming years.  I know that the Barrie Swordplay Association does demos there very frequently... so I don't understand.  :(

I promise that if I ever win the lottery, I will buy a piece of land specifically for a permanent faire.  AND I will have a castle built on it!!!!!!
:o Wouldn't that be awesome!

LadyJuliana

Apparently it's a lack of funding that cancelled it this year. It wasn't bringing in enough to cover the cost of the entertainment. Personally, I think that's because it wasn't advertised well enough. Aside from the "usual suspects" (aka the group of us who go to all the faires), I don't think many people knew that the faire was something unusual. Most tourists just thought it was part of the castle.

I'll be looking forward to the day when you win  ;)

LadyJuliana

Well, as it turns out, Gregor's is only doing educational days this year, no actual faires. Too bad! I was looking forward to a faire that close to where I live  :-\

Cornwall

Dang and I was looking forward to going there this year.  Hopefully they'll have another planned for next year.

robert of armstrong

Quote from: Alacrity on January 07, 2011, 11:31:10 AM
What would it take to get a annually running multi-weekend renn fest in Ontario?

I have thought about this a million times... I even look when I am driving around Barrie for suitable sites for a Faire, thinking that I too need to win the lottery.

Some will remember the old Ontario RenFest that was held in Milton.  It was built and run by the same group that runs the Maryland RenFest.  It was building and building, but then the land was bought by Mattamy Homes to develop at a future time and that was the end of the Faire.  I was at the site a little while ago, I posted this on another forum:
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How bad is this?  A week and a half ago, I happened to be in the area where the old Ontario RenFest used to be held.  Now, the Faire closed down after the 2004 season, when the land was bought up by developers.The land still hasn't been developed.

I had to stop, and went for a walk, across the field that used to be for parking, and into the grounds proper.  Although all the buildings are gone, the grounds are otherwise still as they were, just really overgrown - there are still octagon shaped benches around trees, and fences around the old archery area were still there, and there were even foundations for two of the vendor shops still there.  I wandered out to the Field of Honour (the jousting and foot battle field), which still had it's benches on the hills surrounding it, looking down onto four foot high grasses.  I even found the old suggestion box, still sitting on top of of it's post outside where the exit used to be, which at least a couple generations of birds have turned into a birdhouse.

I got goosebumps walking around there, remembering what was where, the people that we enjoyed it with and the things we did, the times we had.

When I got home, I had to empty out two closets and a couple bins of RenGear, spread it out on the spare room floor and look at it, longing to hit a Faire.  Although I had the urge to gear right up, I couldn't go too far - I put on a pair of bracers, then took them off.  I put on my helm, then took it off and put it away.  I put on a peasent shirt and a vest that I hadn't worn in years, then took them off and put them away too.
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Man we need a permanent, multiweekend Faire to call home.  Bad
Always on the lookout for my next noble cause.

And because a flail don't need reloading, that's why.

Hausfrau Monica

Amen!!

There are now only three faire days this season that I will be able to attend.  Very sad.