If Oktoberfest and the Circus had a baby it would be the Renaissance Faire. I was with my friends, Ash and Alison, approaching a line to get into the Faire. We saw a man dressed as a storm trooper, another man dressed as Ghost Face, say who this is and several young women with long vibrant dresses and colorful flower crowns on the top of their heads or pretty buns. They also wore long colorful dresses that showed off their cleavage. Some of their dresses looked uncomfortable, cinching in their waists and pushing their breasts up to their chins, seriously, how does one even breathe? I saw families bringing their kids in who were dressed up in knight or fairy princess costumes.
The woman in line let us pass once we showed her our tickets. There were stages for the actors to perform Shakespearean plays and comedy acts. I saw a jewelry store, a braided hair shop, a nail salon and a flower crown shop. The fair had costume rental places and of course, let us not forget, food. It was expensive food too. It cost $5 to $8 for a funnel cake. I also saw elephant and camel rides and, of course, jousting. I thought to myself, "So this supposed to be intellectual, ha just another excuse for Halloween and partying!"
While I was taking time to process this exciting and overwhelming experience around me, I met actress, Maddie White, an actress at the Renaissance Faire.
“This is my first year acting at the Renaissance Faire,” White said. “It’s been an interesting experience, I am constantly rehearsing and traveling.” She went on the explain how she got the job and how she was always a Renaissance Faire fan. “I really like the idea of playing a character and pretending to be someone else. This is my fourth year at the Renaissance Faire and it is something I feel passionate about because I love to cosplay… One of the people that run the fair asked me if I wanted a job as an actress here because he liked my costume and thought I was able to play the role of Princess Leia very well, so that’s how I got the job!”
I asked White why she likes the Renaissance Faire and what attracts people to them. White said, “I think it’s more than just cosplaying and the idea of being something else. People are attracted to the exotic and a time period they never got to experience.”
I was a little confused by her saying a time period they never got to experience. “Wouldn’t this period be the Medieval Period and not the Renaissance Period?” I asked.
“Well, yes, it’s definitely not historically accurate, the Renaissance was more so about the Enlightenment period and was intellectual,” White said. “I am not really sure why they call this the Renaissance Faire.”
Liessa Joy, 20, was wearing a black and green silk dress in an uncomfortable-looking corset style. Along with this, she had a silver chain necklace, a flower crown which included the colors: yellow, pink, and purple and her short brown curly hair was up in a bun. She was standing by the archery station. Joy explained that she was no stranger to the Renaissance Faire and has been coming here for years, “Three years to be exact.” She went on to talk about what draws people into the Renaissance Faire, “The alcohol, because adults can gather together and drink in a public place. While kids can enjoy the games and the jousting” said Joy. “It is worth coming to the Faire before 2 p.m. and staying until 7 p.m., by 3 p.m., all the adults are drunk and having a good time.”
I asked, “Would you say the weirdness of the fair is what attracts people to the Renaissance Faire the most?” Joy said, “Absolutely, you can’t dress up like these characters anywhere else except at conventions and for Halloween. My friends make fun of me and say I’m nerdy, but I enjoy being a part of this fandom and like having a place where I fit in.”
Okay so there's fandom, there's cosplay, but where is the THINKING part?? Can't you have fun and think at the same time? It's just very misleading to say "look we are going to have a fair called the Renaissance and but really it's a celebration of Medieval Times. All we need is jousting and violence in order to have a good time!
Since she is 20, Joy mentioned she is excited to finally drink next year, but finds her fun by playing archery. Joy said, “I mostly just come for the archery. My friend and I buy 40 arrows and play all day long, I just love the weirdness of this fair, you’ll never see anything like it!” Each arrow costs $1, so Joy and her friend end up splitting the cost, together the cost for 40 arrows would be $40. A slightly chubby man with short blonde hair appeared. He was dressed up as a knight and carried a pretend sword with him. He took her to go shoot some arrows.
While this was going on, I kept thinking about what White told me about how historically inaccurate this is. Jousting was done during the Medieval times, not the Renaissance Period.
Also, as White said, it is this attraction to the exotic that people like so much. Many people enjoy the violence and naughtiness of the Medieval Period, so naturally people like the entertainment of that time period more than the Renaissance Period. Also, one does not need to be intellectual to enjoy the Medieval Period, like they would for the Renaissance Period. Which makes sense, but the name is still misleading and it doesn't make sense why they just wouldn't change the name. But in a sense, this feels like a mockery of the Renaissance Period, so why can't we have think but also have fun at the same time? Does everything really need to be overdone and are we in a time period where we need to be entertained every second? After going to this fair, I think yes.