If you would like a taste of the Renaissance, visit a local faire for the fun, food, and shopping opportunities.
Ready to Go Back in Time? If you have a taste for time travel, try visiting a Renaissance Festival. Once relegated as obscure oddities, Renaissance Fairs have gained tremendous popularity, and are permanent features in every state in the US. If you are planning a holiday, or looking for something closer to home, find out where current Renaissance Fairs are located.
Renaissance Enchantment
Why the fascination with this enchanted period of time? Perhaps Chicago journalist Neil Steinberg summed it up: "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."
Given the popularity of such movies as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, it is not surprising that Renaissance Fairs have enjoyed increasing fame. People long to escape reality and go back into a time period where the belief in fairies and elves was commonplace. Part of the charm lies in dressing for the occasion. Many faire participants and performers don elaborate period costumes, while others go for the simple – perhaps a set of fairy wings and a little glitter on the cheeks. Whatever you choose to wear, you will find yourself transported to another time.
Performances
There are a variety of performances at a typical Renaissance Faire. Street performers abound; you will find minstrel musicians, jugglers, or others performing all manner of jests. You never know what's around the corner, and that just adds to the fun of it all. If you care for more organized entertainment, some faires offer jousting competitions. Many also have theatres, where you can watch a bawdy show, a bit of improv, or even enjoy a period play. Belly dancing is also a typical entertainment.
And much like circus entertainers, many Renaissance performers also follow the Renaissance circuit throughout the US.
A Sampling of Food
If your faire travels leave you famished, you might want to try a whole roasted turkey leg, or a bread bowl filled with soap. There usually are a wide variety of goodies to try, ranging from the exotic to the commonplace. Many items, like your standard French fries, may have unusual sounding names, like "dragon's giblets." Don’t let this deter you though, it is all part of the fun.
Vendors at the Renaissance Faire
You can find all manner of unique items for purchase at Renaissance festivals. Not only can you find beautiful hand sewn garments, but you can also find such things as handcrafted knives and jewelry. Some vendors even sell exquisitely carved instruments.
If you like Celtic inspired artwork, you will find an abundance of it offered at a Renaissance festival.
When you leave your enchanted Renaissance faire, let the fairy dust linger. Renaissance means rebirth, and you, too, will feel a rebirth of spirit after all the festivities.
