Renaissance Faire Survival Guide
I have been working at renaissance faires all over the Western United States for over a decade, and attending them as a customer since long before that! They are strange, but wonderful events that capture the imaginations of all kinds of people. There is really something for everyone, but a few simple tips will help you get more enjoyment from your time at a faire.
1. Water
Alcoholic beverages are the drink that ren faires are known for serving. Imbibing can be a fun part of your day, but most renaissance faires take place in the hotter months of the year. Try to match your alcohol intake with equal amounts of water. Dehydration and overheating are the most common reasons for First Aid treatment of faire customers, especially those in costume.
2. Shoes
The average renaissance faire visitor will walk over four miles at a large faire. Most of that will be on uneven dirt paths, which make the mileage even harder on your feet. Wear comfortable, supportive shoes to maximize your fun and enjoyment. I also suggest wearing closed toed shoes because of all the dirt (sweaty feet + dirt = toe mud... eww). Sexy spike heeled boots may seem like a wonderful idea when you leave the house, but you may regret wearing them by the end of the day as you're hobbling to the exit.
3. Map
It's vital that you know where to find different shows, food vendors, and most importantly, the ale stands and restrooms. This will save you lots of time if you want to be on a schedule, or let you know which direction to wander if you don't have a specific destination in mind. Most faires hand out maps as you enter the front gate.
4. Privies
Commonly known as Port-a-Potties, these are one of the drawbacks of visiting most renaissance faires. They are not pleasant, but there are ways to make the experience less miserable. First, go to the units farthest from the entrance to the port-a-potty area. These are usually the least used and the cleanest. Leave most of your stuff with your friends when you go in, because you want to limit the contamination and avoid dropping things into the Privy abyss.
5. Cash
Faires are a wonderful place to buy jewelry, costumes, art, and so much more directly from the artists. It's a great opportunity, however, the methods of payment that you can use may vary from booth to booth. Most merchants can accept credit card payments thanks to the magic of smart phones, but there are still a few who can't. Ale stands are usually cash-only as well, and it's good form to leave tips for servers and performers. Be ready for that and bring cash with you to avoid the crazy ATM fees and lines that happen at most faires.
6. Costumes
Costumes are one of the best things about visiting renaissance faires. You will see a huge variety of outfits, including stunning historically accurate recreations, pirates, fairies and fantasy creatures, vikings, Stormtroopers, and SO MUCH MORE! Feel free to dress up and join in the fun, but remember tip #2 from above. Costumes made from natural fibers are the best because they breath in the heat. Avoid large amounts of leather because it can get really hot, and avoid rubber at all costs!!!
7. Shows
I'll admit, I'm a little biased here. I love performing and faire crowds are wonderful! Renaissance faire shows will have a unique feel to them and are usually very interactive. Be sure you read signs or program descriptions before you sit down to watch something, especially if you have kids with you. Some shows contain some naughty content, but usually they are clearly marked. Be sure to buy something or leave a tip at the end of the show if you enjoyed it. Renaissance faire performers work hard for their art, and are usually paid MUCH less than minimum wage, IF they are paid at all. Show your appreciation for their hard work by helping fill their gas tanks and their tankards!
8. Safety
Renaissance faires are a melting pot of different 
types of people, with some alcohol and costumes tossed in for fun. They are safe, but as with any public situation (conventions, amusement parks, county fairs, concerts, etc) you need to be aware of your surroundings. Inevitably, there are those few people who will get drunk and inappropriate. They may be inappropriate with you, or with each other. PLEASE REPORT THEM TO SECURITY! You can do this by finding a security person, or by telling the nearest ale stand or booth. We work very hard to create a fun place, and we don't want our hard work to be in vain because of a few jerks.
**IMPORTANT: Remember that not everyone wearing a costume is a faire employee!!! Many people dress up and pretend that they are part of the show, but they paid for their ticket just like you. These "playtrons" are usually at the root of most behavior complaints since they are not trained to interact with the costumers. If someone in a costume is making you feel uncomfortable, be direct! Tell them to stop, then report them to security so it doesn't happen to someone else!
9. Parking
Most faire parking is a big dirt field. If you're lucky, there might be some flags or lines to help show you where to go. If you are VERY lucky, there might be some people pointing for you. By the end of the day it will ALL LOOK THE SAME!! A sea of dust covered cars is hard to navigate. Use a handy Car-Finding App if you have one, or at very least, take a picture with some stuff in the background to reference later. Trust me.
10. Open Mind
Renaissance faires are AMAZING. They are such an eclectic mixing of different aspects of the human experience. A mix of history, art vendors, concert, carnivals, reenactments, conventions, food festival, and costume party! I love it! Come to faire with an open mind, ready to experience something truly unique.
To find a renaissance faire near you, visit Renaissance Magazine's Renaissance Faire List!
EDIT: I've received some great comments on this article! Here are a few more tips!
- Wear sunscreen and reapply it during the day! Hats are your friends!
- Pack well so that your things are easy to carry. Keep an eye on your stuff!
Huzzah!
Huzzah! Ren Faire has Arrived!!
The Southern California Renaissance Faire opened this weekend. It was the largest opening day in the faire's 50 year history. Yep, this year is the 50th anniversary of this faire!
I have been performing at Southern for over a decade now and this was by far the best opening weekend I've ever had. Our shows went wonderfully, our new t-shirts sold well, and our new songs were well received by the audience. Most importantly, my new funny drinking song had the audience laughing in all the right places. You never can tell 
what the audience will find funny. I've written songs that I thought were brilliant that didn't even earn as much as a cricket chirp from the audience, so it's always very rewarding when they enjoy a song. I'll be writing more verses in the next week to perform next weekend.
I'm very happy about our new t-shirts, which were designed by yours truly and the amazingly talented Sam Balcomb. The rooster one debuted last year, but the swallow shirts are brand new. Both were inspired by some very funny songs that we perform.
I have a few days to rest up between weekends. You know it's faire season when going to work on Monday morning seems easy compared to wearing 4 layers of clothing (including a bodice) and singing full volume in the sun on a 90 degree day. Yes, I have an insane hobby... but it's fun! If you haven't been to the renaissance faire before, you should go! It's a totally unique experience.
Wonder Woman Armor
The most difficult part of making a good Wonder Woman outfit is the armor. It can make or break the whole outfit. No matter how much time and effort you put into the corset and star-spangled-underwear, if your armor is obviously spray-painted cardboard nobody will be impressed. Being the over-achiever that I am, I wanted my armor to be made of real metal. This would be impossible for most first-time cosplayers, however I have worked at Renaissance Faires in California for over 10 years. I know more than my fair share of blacksmiths, leather workers, and armorers. So I put word out on the dust filled streets of Faire in 2011 that I wanted Wonder Woman armor made...
These are the people I choose to spend time with...
... and the amazing Jacques Louis David answered my call. Jacques is an artist and should become very, very famous someday. He makes armor at fair, but his most recent passion is for metal sculpture and installation pieces. He also happens to be a comic and Wonder Woman fan. We met a bunch of times to discuss "the plan" and he was kind enough to hold my hand through the whole process. I know a lot more about armor than your normal (late) 20's California girl. I own a collection of swords and used to train horses for a jousting company, but Jacques' knowledge blew my mind and made me consider things I hadn't even realized were possible. Over beers and burgers, we came up with our design. I had bought a belt at a Thrift store, so that was not something we needed to worry about. We figured out that I needed the tiara, eagle chest piece, bracers, and greaves. If you ever want to commission metal work, talk to Jacques.
For my gladiator type Wonder Woman, I chose to replace the boots with greaves which are basically metal shin guards. They would be much more functional than knee-high boots in an actual battle. I could also lace them on and get a similar look to the era where Wonder Woman wore sandals.
50s Wonder Woman and the greaves for my Wonder Woman
I went with the eagle design for the chest piece because it made the most sense for a real warrior to wear an animal symbol. Although I love the W design, it didn't really fit with the image I was going for in this costume. This was easily the hardest piece of the project.
We needed the eagle to be fitted to my...ahem... chest. That meant that Jacques needed something the shape of my chest that was hard enough to bang... I mean hammer against. We made a plaster mold of me wearing a corset (the same corset I patterned the Wonder Woman corset from). Jacques then took this shell and made a body-double of me made out of really hard plaster. That gave him the surface he needed to hammer out an eagle in the shape of my boobs.
Wrapped up in getting plastered...
The eagle (upside down) in process
After forming the steel (which is armor grade), brass was added to give a hint of the traditional Wonder Woman costume. The same was added to the grieves and the tiara. The only pieces that are only polished steel are the bracers, which are such thick steel the could probably really deflect bullets. I added laces on those to continue with the theme.
The power of the DC Universe - SDCC 2011
I am incredibly happy with how everything turned out. The metal pieces look amazing and really wow the crowed when I wear them. I really hope that SOMEONE in a film studio sees this someday and realizes that if a middle school teacher can do this in her spare time, they can do an even better job for a feature film.
Bringing an Amazon to Life
When I put my mind to something, very little can stop me. Common sense and logic were completely forgotten with this intense labor of love. I spent way too much money, way too much time, called in a lot of favors, and had a few near-breakdowns, all in the name of bringing an Amazon to life.
For months I studied Wonder Woman cosplay pictures online. Many of them were very, very good. However, I noticed that most were based on the 4-color comic book idea of Diana. While I love that image, I wanted to bring a Christopher Nolan-style Wonder Woman to life. I wanted a REAL amazon, with REAL armor. This would be outside the realm of most first-time cosplayers, but (lucky for me) I'm a nerd. After working at Renaissance Faires for over a decade (fuck, has it really been that long???) I've made some really talented friends.
The first thing I needed was a concept. I've always thought that the bathing suit look was fine in the comics, but I can't really picture anyone wearing it to fight crime in the real world. I have always liked the skirt option for Wonder Woman, and there are many renditions of her in Gladiator-style Roman skirts. Since these actually functioned as clothing for real warriors in centuries past, that's the option I went with. To do it right, I'd need real dyed leather and real molded steel. This was going to become a much larger project than I had ever planned for...
... but damn am I proud of the results...
Debuted at Comic-Con San Diego 2011
I will be posting specific breakdowns of the creation of the armor and sewing the leather pieces another night.
Dickensian Dress
I made this dress to attend the Great Dickens Christmas Fair, which is held every year in the San Francisco area. Many of the performers there also perform with me at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, so I really wanted to make an outfit that would let me look like a performer too. I used Simplicity Sewing Pattern 3727, a historical civil war gown. I altered the trim, added the collared shirt, decorated a vintage top hat, and historical jewelry to give the appearance of an English lady in London. Historically, the stripes on the skirt should be horizontal for this time period. That would have been very fashionable, but I just loved how they looked vertically.
I did a photo shoot with the amazing Sam Balcomb. This was actually my first real photo shoot and I was very nervous. The pictures turned out really well and this closeup was my favorite of the batch. I posted the unaltered photos of the costume here to give the best views of the outfit.
**This costume was created before I started my blog. Sorry that I didn’t document its creation! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!**