Which faire do YOU think best embodies the 'Renaissance' theme, and why?

[LadyFae]

 I love my Minnesota Festival, but we are NOT historically accurate!  We are definately more fantasy based.

[Rowan MacD]

   Since you are closest to us, you are already on our list  . 
  We have had a number of MNRF cast and dedicated Playtrons meander down our way recently to see what we have to offer, so we will return the favor. 
  We hope to include some genealogy research while we are in the area.

[scarletnyx]

Although I've only been to two faires, Sherwood will always have a very, very special place in my heart. It's small, yet strong and varied. They aren't bulldozing nature; rather, they are working with nature and using the trees and natural aspects to enhance their faire. The vendors are all fantastic, the cast is so caring and "into" their roles ( and I may have a teensy crush on the Sheriff...  ), and the sort of people it attracts are kind, genuine, and loving.

I love TRF and I bet I will love other "larger" faires, but I do like the smaller ones.

[Merlin the Elder]

I would have mentioned Sherwood, but it's not Renaissance. If the question was "which faire best embodies its period theme, I would say Sherwood, hands down!

[Rowan MacD]

 ^^ that's probably closer to what I mean^^. 
  'Renaissance' Festivals now days cover just about all the time periods up to the year 1600.
   Celtic, Norse, Middle Ages as well as Renaissance. 
   I guess the real question is 'What flavor do you like, and how strong do you want it?'
  I like mine strongly Elizabethan, with a touch of fantasy, and a splash of (period) ribald humor.

   I think the ideal commercially successful faire should be able to pull off a very good 'Hollywood' version of a Renaissance festival, which is, I think, what the 'danes, and most Playtrons want and expect to see.   
  "History, but with toilet paper'

[Gauwyn of Bracknell]

I would have mentioned Sherwood, but it's not Renaissance. If the question was "which faire best embodies its period theme, I would say Sherwood, hands down!

If it is 'faire' in a 'period' theme, then the Iowa State Fair (the period being fat-grotesque) - where you can get ANYTHING on a stick (fried or not), including beer on a stick!   

[Merlin the Elder]

Jack Daniel's...through my nose...that's what you did to me, Gauwyn, damn thee.

[Lady Nicolette]

I'm with you, Rowan!  Sounds just like my kind of Faire!

[Orphena]

I like this thread!

Rowan - I'm with you - I think that we should have a clear understanding of what to expect when we visit a faire.  A couple of years ago, for personal use, I started a big chart that listed the "big" faires, including things like how many stages, how many vendors, how many years it had been in operation, and the time period it claimed to have, along with ticket prices, operating dates, and the like. It is now out of date, but I still take a peek at it from time to time. The trouble is that all the information comes from the websites, and at times the promotion team's idea of what era the faire operates in, and the actual flavour of the cast (and costumes!) are a little different. It is one of the reasons that I value this forum so much - so I can ask the questions of the people who attend - but everyone goes to faire for different (all excellent!) reasons!

In Ontario (Canada), we only have small faires - faires set up for a single weekend. Usually these faires have a very specific theme - Over the course of the summer, we do medieval (Education days for school put on by the same folks who run Piratefest), Renaissance (Woodstock Ontario - "Oxford"), Fantasy (Enchanted Ground, Guelph), Pirate (Piratefest, Milton), and Medieval (Waterloo Medieval Faire). Each has a different board of directors, and a different flavour, so it is difficult to judge which one does it's era "the best".

When we travel stateside, we are always seeking that flavour, that thing that makes us feel like we are elsewhen.

My preference, like yours is Elizabethan, but I'll play when and where I can. I just like to know which garb to pack!

I do keep notes on which faires we visited and what we liked, so I can share for the more northern faires if you want!

[Rowan MacD]

Please share!
   Anyone headed up north (when it gets a lot warmer) will know which festivals have what; and your opinions on the offerings.

[Orphena]

Ok – please keep in mind that these are my personal reflections of the faire, as I experienced it. Others may have an entirely different opinion! Things that are the most important to me at faire are costumes, royal court, ambiance of buildings / lanes, and friendly people to interact with. M'lord and I dress (and act) as visiting nobles, willingly interact with playtrons, cast, and visitors alike. Sorry, I have less comments on things like musical acts and jousts than some may like! We generally arrive for the gate show, and stay until the gates close. I am trying to keep these within the guidelines of the topic at hand – the "Renaissance Feel" of the faire – but if anyone needs details on where we stayed and what we ate, I've got that too! These are in no particular order.

Sterling Renaissance Festival – Visited August, 2012 – State of New York
This faire has a very varied terrain, so comfortable shoes are recommended – it is built on the side of a hill, with part of the faire being high, and part lower. Cast was made up of Queen Elizabeth, with a small court - I believe the queen had 2 ladies in waiting, a visiting princess, and a few men from court. Village cast was about 20 people. "God Save the Queen" included the entire cast curtseying / bowing every time – a very nice spectacle. Day began with introduction of all characters, nicely done. Day ended with a very nice pub sing, lots of banter between songs. Villagers did an excellent job, very approachable, easy to interact with. The Queen played a game of forfeits in the street with her court, which presented further ways to interact. Street bits were entertaining, frequent, and in character, always something to watch. Lots of trees for shade, and shelter from rain, lots of places where different sorts of cast could play. I would have liked to see a larger court, but the entire cast worked hard and knew their stuff. Didn't spend a lot of time with the local Rennies, and as dressed playtrons, we were in the minority, but those we interacted with were very friendly.

Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival – Visited twice – once in September 2007, and once in October 2012 – each time with a different rennie couple.  These reflections are mostly from our 2012 trip.  PA faire is an 11am start, so no need to rush in the morning. The faire is on the same property as a vineyard, and has delightful grounds – lots of streets and alleys, a huge jousting arena, complete with lots of benches (but be there early if you want to sit!). Lots of interesting, personable vendors, good acts, lots of playtrons dressed. Our 2007 trip I remember the cast being large, and interacting with many of them – William Shakespeare had a sonnet "just for me", but this trip in 2012 I found the cast more difficult to find / interact with. The Queen was busy with other things, and I did not manage to interact with her, despite watching for an opportunity to do so. We did interact with some of the lesser nobility, but there was nothing notable that stands out. Delightful faire, cast stayed in character for the most part, could be a little more approachable, but I do remember watching a banquet lunch / scene that was quite historical and enjoyable – their joust and pub sing are spectacles in and of themselves!

St. Louis Faire – Visited May 2009 (on our Honeymoon!)
This faire has a different feel to it – many guilds, and the court is a French court – which was a refreshing change!  Time period was closer to Tudor than Elizabethan, but Elizabethans will not feel left out. Costumes were excellent, cast was delightful. Well done, all around! When the queen heard (faire scuttlebutt) that we were visiting from Canada, and on our honeymoon, she sent a servant (how very proper!) to invite us to join the royals in their pavilion for the jousts. It was so...historical, gracious, and thoughtful that it made that trip so memorable. The cast played with French phrases, (but they only knew a few!), the dancing master taught actual dances from the period, the vendors were friendly, all the guilds had a specific focus, and the grounds were beautiful. The joust included many stunts we hadn't seen before – someone's eye ended up on a dagger! If they were closer to us, we would be regulars!

Maryland Renaissance Festival – Visited 2011. Went with friends who knew many of the vendors as Maryland Renaissance Festival and Ontario Renaissance Festival (closed over a decade ago) were run by the same owners. The grounds were lovely – lots of trees (Glorious in the fall!), enough hills to keep some mystery, but not so many that your feet hurt. The year we went it was to be Henry the 8th and Catherine Parr, with Mary de Guise visiting. Although I saw King Henry, and although I tried to follow the intrigue, I could not have told you who was who. I don't recall any cast interaction with us, which was disappointing, and although the story sounded interesting on the web page, I could not follow enough of it to tell you much about it. A nice enough faire, and large, we just cannot say it was our favourite faire to visit!

Michigan Renaissance Faire – Becoming a regular trip! Michigan is the 2nd closest USA  faire to us, and so far we have visited about 3 times (2007, 2011, 2013). I'm trying to convince m'lord it should be annual! There a many lanes to explore, and the cast is friendly, and the playtrons are so welcoming! The Queen is gracious, somehow striking the perfect balance between being clearly the queen, and yet, easy to approach. Last year she stopped me in the lanes and we chatted about gowns – choice of fabric, etc, and still maintained character throughout it all! The costumes are very well done – many of the cast must supply their own, and station in the shire is easy to recognize. The cast plays very well, always looking to invite others in. The pub has a flavour of it's own, where noble ladies might rub elbows with pirates and the like, and not feel out of place! Very homey feeling, enough pomp for the royals, enough fun for the common folk.

New York Renaissance Festival (Near Tuxedo, New York) – Visited September 2013 (closing weekend). This is an interesting mix of Queen Elizabeth and Robin Hood. Grounds are lovely, with a cast of Fae having their own "court" of sorts. Queen Elizabeth arrives on a barge, and was mixing business with her trip, trying to find an heir. There were some liberties taken with history – there was one character who seemed to be a sort of "son" to Queen Elizabeth, but a nice varied cast. Costuming was very nice, easy to see who was who. The Sheriff was just evil enough, his "thugs" were definitely oppressing the peasantry, and vendors and cast alike interacted. Village was well laid out, and although I didn't manage to interact with the queen, I did help save Robin Hood from an island that he had been imprisoned on. Nice ambiance, villagers looked for ways to interact.