On my way to a small, first time, weekend Fantasy Faire in Kingdom City, MO last weekend my BFFF (Best Faire Friend Forever) and I were talking and she mentioned in pictures from some of the other events held on the same grounds she noticed a lack of trees and that there may or may not be shade. The idea of a faire with permanent structures and no trees had never occurred to me... like EVER.
I call the Greater St Louis Ren Faire my home faire. I've attended faire every year since 2004 and every Pirate Fest since it's inception in 2005 up till last year, which was most likely it's last run. In all that time I've come to love our shade lined lanes and the way they meander thorughout the various encampments, vendor shops and well... pubs. This coupled with the hilly nature of our grounds and the permanent wooden structures gives me the opportunity to emerse myself in the atmosphere of "what was".
It had never occurred to me other, well established, faires may not have this ability.
I've not had the opportunity to visit many other faires. In fact I've only attended two other weekend faires which I know can't bring the same type of atmosphere as the GSTRF. One being the Kingdom City Fantasy Faire which has great potential as they're slowly building Boster Castle and have plans to extend into the wooded area to the rear which, when done, will add much to the overall feeling of the events held there. The other being the one day ren faire in Jefferson City which is setup in a flat field void of almost any trees. It gave me the impression of a ren faire mixed with state fair.
I guess my questions to you are:
How does your faire FEEL?
What gives it that FEEL?
Middlefaire is like that. It is built in the middle of a cow pasture; though it borders a tree line on one side. I think they have tried planting 1 or 2 very small trees. The drought probably killed them if the owner didn't arrange for regular watering.
Let me tell you, trees can make a Renfaire. All of my favorite faires have lots of trees. They may be along a fence line or they may be planted all over but they add character to a faire. (I feel the same about neighborhoods - older neighborhoods with big trees appeal much more than new ones.) My favorite faire of all time was the King Arthur Faire in Stroud, OK. It was built in the woods. It felt like I was in a Medieval village when I was there.
Hills are good for character as well. The Bridgewater Renfest in Baxter Springs, Kansas had a couple of small hills. Of course, the Colorado Renfest at Larkspur is in the foothills. The slopes there are amazing! Being at the bottom of a hill can really reduce the affects of wind on your tent as well. I learned that at Fayetteville, Arkansas' Ren & Fantasy Faire of the Ozarks in April.
Trees and hills can help make up for any lack of vendors, entertainers or street performers in a small Renfaire.
Sherwood is in the midst of what was a cedar forest and the owners seem determined to keep as many of the trees as possible. The parking lot was an open field (watermelons, I think), but when people pass through the doors, they are greeted with the shade of tall, old cedars. There is a circular path around the perimeter of shops and the outer walls (erected using culled and dead cedars), but there are no really no straight "streets." there is one main path from the entry to the joust field, but it bends a bit here and there around stands of trees.
That is one thing in TRF's and Scarborough favor; they do have trees. Though I think Sherwood has them both beat.
I have been spoiled buy the grounds at Nor Cal Ren Faire.
The parking lot is huge with one large tree way out in the distance, but the park its self is a good mixture of open and shaded areas. It used to be a part of the camp grounds at the host site, so it has a loop you walk, which gives it that village feel.
Upon going to some smaller/newer faires, I was disappointed that the layout was more picnic then faire style.
And very disappointed in a pirate fest, with very little space, and way too much sun.
But! I'm also excited to go to new faires, because I've been a patron at NorCal for 6 years, and want to see some new acts/atmospheres. However I'm way past the that I want to do more. If I don't start "working" the faires soon, sad to say my attendance will lessen until I get my business going and I'm there as a vendor. =/