10.12.2009

Renaissance Festival Observations

This weekend, we headed out to experience that mandatory fall activity, the Renaissance Festival. We went to the Texas version of this great tradition. Here are some photos and thoughts.
  • Renaissance Festival doesn't seem like the right term. Considering that many people come to these events dressed like executioners, knights, or William Wallace, I think Medieval Festival might be a better term. While there are some Renaissance-era themes at the event, like Shakespeare shows and printing press demonstrations, a lot of what happens at the festival comes from an earlier time period, like this skeleton ventriloquist:
  • Anachronisms. While some looseness of historical eras is acceptable, I'm not sure if Native Americans or this guy belong at the Ren Fest:


I suppose that Native Americans were around at the same time as your typical Ren Fest characters, they were on a different continent. I think Ren Fest is exclusively a European event. And while the Nazis were in Europe, the 20th century has no place at Ren Fest (well, except for credit cards and Miller Lite).
  • Why were there so many people wearing tails at this thing?
  • Buxom wenches. I suspect that one did not see so much gratuitous cleavage during the Renaissance era.
  • Jousting. I guess they're not going to have real, full-on jousting at these events, but what we saw was really fake, kind of like minor-league pro wrestling. I was disappointed.
Do you have any Ren Fest observations or experiences you'd like to share?

1 comment :

  1. we went to one that had real jousting. no one died or anything, Im sure its very controlled. I don't know what's up with those tail either!

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