Everything about Renaissance Fair totally explained
A
Renaissance fair,
Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival
(colloquially renfair
or renfest') is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the
USA, open to the public and generally commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are short-term events in fairgrounds or other large public or private spaces. Renaissance fairs generally include an abundance of costumed entertainers, musical and theatrical acts, art and handicrafts for sale, and festival food. Some even offer camping, for those who wish to stay more than one day. Most Renaissance fairs are set during the reign of Queen
Elizabeth I of
England. Some are set earlier, during the reign of
Henry VIII, or in other countries, such as
France, and some include broader definitions of the Renaissance which include earlier periods, such as the
Vikings, or later, such as 18th Century
pirates. Renaissance fairs encourage visitors to enter into the spirit of things with costumes and audience participation. All tolerate, and many welcome, fantasy elements such as
wizards and
elves.
Chicago journalist
Neil Steinberg said (of the
Bristol Renaissance Faire), "If
theme parks, with their pasteboard main streets, reek of a bland, safe, homogenized, whitebread America, the Renaissance Faire is at the other end of the social spectrum, a whiff of the
occult, a flash of danger and a hint of the
erotic. Here, they let you throw axes. Here are more beer and bosoms than you'll find in all of
Disney World."
Characteristics
Most Renaissance fairs are arranged to represent an imagined village in
England during the reign of
Elizabeth I, as this period has been generally considered to correspond to the flowering of the
English Renaissance.
In a modern Renaissance festival there are stages or performance areas set up for scheduled shows, such as plays in
Shakespearean or
commedia dell' arte tradition, as well as
anachronistic audience participation comedy routines. Other performances include dancers, magicians, musicians, jugglers, and singers. Between the stages the streets ('lanes') are lined with stores ('shoppes') and stalls where independent vendors sell medieval and Renaissance themed handcrafts, clothing, books, and artworks. There are food and beverage vendors, as well as game and ride areas. Games include basic skills events such as archery or axe-throwing as well as Drench-a-Wench and Soak-a-Bloke, which allow a player with a good aim to hit a target and get a fair employee wet. Rides are typically unpowered -- various animal rides and human-powered swings are common. Live animal displays and
falconry exhibitions are also commonplace. Larger Renaissance fairs will often include a
joust as a main attraction.
In addition to the staged performances, a major attraction of Renaissance fairs is the crowds of professional actors who play all sorts of historical figures and roam the fair, interacting with visitors. Visitors are encouraged to wear costumes, once any weapons are suitably
peace-bonded, contributing to the illusion of an actual Renaissance environment. Many of the fair vendors sell or rent costumes for all ages and types. The Renaissance fair subculture's word for these costumed guests is "playtrons", a
portmanteau of the words "patron" and "player", and they add a second level of enjoyment to their experience by "getting into the act" as Renaissance Lords and ladies, peasants, pirates, belly dancers, or fantasy characters.
Most fairs have an end-of-the-day ritual, a parade or concert where all employees gather and bid farewell to the patrons. For those who work at the fair, the last concert that a festival holds for the season is traditionally an emotional moment.
Renaissance fairs are staged around the United States at different times of the year. Fair vendors, participants and crew often work the "faire circuit", going from event to event as one fair ends and another begins. They often camp on-site or nearby and develop close bonds with their fellow performers.
An American Phenomenon
Although historical reenactments are by no means exclusive to the
United States (for example, the
Earl of Eglinton in
Scotland sponsored a large
tournament as early as
1839), the
Renaissance Fair is, arguably, a uniquely American variation on the theme, having as much the flavor of an
amusement park combined with a shopping mall as of a
historical reenactment. European historical fairs, on the other hand, seem more on the
living history museum model, where an actual historic site is peopled by re-enactors whose job it's to explain historical life to modern visitors. American Renaissance fair patrons may be as interested in drinking, eating, shopping, and watching
farce as they're in an educational experience. Since the mid-1990s, American-style Renaissance fairs have been spreading into Canada.
It should be noted however that the first American fair (Agoura, CA) was originally designed by the Living History Center to resemble an actual spring market fair of the period. Many of the original booths were no-charge reenactments of historical activities such as printing presses, and blacksmiths. The first commercial vendors were mostly artisans and food merchants and were required to demonstrate historical accuracy or plausibility for their wares. Whole groups of volunteers were organized into "guilds" to focus on specific reenactment duties (musicians, military, celtic clans, peasants, etc). Both actors and vendors were required to successfully complete workshops in period language/accents, costuming and culture and to stay "in character" while working. Fairs that copied the original frequently didn't attempt such historical accuracy and in 1995 new management and economic pressures negatively altered the original fair's historical quality as well.
Spinoffs of Renaissance fairs include fairs set in other time periods, such as
Christmas fairs set in
Charles Dickens'
London. The American approach has apparently been exported back to England; a warehouse-based theme park, "Dickens World", opened in Kent, England, in May of 2007.
History of the fairs in America
In post-
World War II America, there was a resurgence of interest in medieval and Renaissance culture. In the 1950s, there was a very strong
early music revival, and out of that came folk musician and traditionalist
John Langstaff. In
1957, Langstaff held "A Christmas Masque of Traditional Revels" in
New York City, and the following year another in
Washington, DC. A televised version was broadcast on the "
Hallmark Hall of Fame" in
1966 which included
Dustin Hoffman playing the part of the dragon slain by
Saint George, and in
1971 Langstaff established a permanent
Christmas Revels in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In
1963, schoolteachers Ronald and Phyllis Patterson originated the Renaissance Pleasure Faire as an outgrowth of school projects. The first Faire was held in
North Hollywood as a fundraiser for radio station
KPFK and drew some 8,000 people for the one-weekend event. The Patterson family's company, Theme Events Limited, and its non-profit affiliate, The Living History Center, are generally credited with developing the Renaissance Faire concept as it exists today.
For decades, the Renaissance Pleasure Faire was held in the spring at the Paramount Ranch located in Agoura, CA, and in the fall at the Black Point Forest in Novato, CA. The event showcased a large ensemble of performers, fine artists and craftspeople and crew. These yearly events drew on the rich
variety arts movement in Los Angeles, and the explosion of outdoor public events.
Interactive environmental theatre and stage shows were overlaid with large scale processions featuring giant puppets and courtly displays. The
London-based
Reduced Shakespeare Company, San Francisco's
i Fratelli Bologna,
Tutti Frutti, St. Stupid and the Los Angeles
Fools Guild all developed from
improvisationally-focused ensembles that initially worked together at the Pleasure Faire. Famous actors who worked at the Pleasure Faire in their youth include
Charlie Sheen,
Emilio Estevez,
Rosanna Arquette and
Penn Jillette.
Myths and Lore
The
jousting and
swordplay on exhibit in most Renaissance fairs isn't real. As with
professional wrestling, these "fights" are often carefully scripted mock combat. The weapons are real, but the participants are skilled, trained actors and
stunt performers. Some jousting troupes, however, do perform real lance passes (using real pine lances).
Although the
stocks and
pillories displayed in some Renaissance fairs look alarming, they're not actually functional. They are provided for amusing photo opportunities and for entirely fictional stunt acts by professional actors.
Acts at a Renaissance fair usually have years of skill behind them and are highly choreographed, taking weeks of classes and, in some respects, years of practice in order to make it appear as
authentic as possible.
Renaissance fairs have several variant names, many of which use old-fashion styled spellings such as "faire" or "fayre". These historically inaccurate spellings likely originate from the
Middle English variant of the Anglo-Franc word "Feyre"
(External Link
). They can also be referred to as "Elizabethan", "Medieval", or "Tudor" fairs (or fayres). "Ren Fair" and "Ren Fest" are popular colloquialisms.
Controversies
Within the Renaissance fair community, there's difference of opinion as to how authentic a fair ought to be. Some feel the fair should be as authentic an experience as possible, to be educational and like European
living history museums. Others feel that entertainment is the primary goal.
There is regret among some long-term Renaissance fairgoers that the fairs have changed over the years. Many of those who remember the idyllic and transportative nature of the earlier fairs (especially those fairs operating with a
non-profit spirit) lament the growth of the fairs as businesses. Once small, intimate gatherings, where nearly everyone knew each other, they've become more like professional theme parks. However, more organized, professional, family-friendly fairs have also attracted a larger, more diverse audience from the population at large.
Notable fairs
These are only some of the larger Faires around the country. However, there are many many more, of various sizes and themes.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Renaissance Fair'.
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