Is it just me or has everyone been particularly horny for the Rennaisance Festival this year? Ren Faire season in Los Angeles wrapped up in May but countless other renaissance fairs around the country are just kicking off or have yet to begin.
As a bonafide Nostalgic Person™️ and former theater kid, I understand why I’m obsessed with the ren faire. (“Fair,” “Faire,” “Festival”? Sorry, I can’t pick one.) My dad also worked at various Renaissance fairs before I was born so it kind of runs in my blood. (Keep reading for a brief interview with my dear old dad, a former “Renny,” as he lovingly calls those who work at the ren fair.) But these fairs seem to be getting more attention than usual lately…
David Farrier recently covered the ren fair on his podcast Flightless Bird, where he dissects uniquely American phenomenons. And of course, because I am known to love the ren fair, multiple people texted me the moment the new “Ren Faire” doc on HBO dropped, which is all about the “King” of the Texas Renaissance Festival choosing his successor. So with all that in the zeitgeist, I feel it’s time to investigate this subculture, seeing as an extravagant reenactment of Elizabethan times is about as nostalgic as it gets.
From the average attendee to the people who work there, I think the clientele the Renaissance Fair attracts comes down to three-ish types, which can all exist in a sort of Venn diagram:
Because of social media, I think the ren fair’s typical clientele is expanding. But what else is drawing people there in droves? Naturally, there’s a nostalgic element, but why is the Renaissance Fair having a… renaissance?To help me get to the bottom of it, I enlisted my Dad, Scott Beaumont, former Rennaisance Fair employee and enthusiast.
Sarah Beaumont: Ok Dad, let’s get into it. What originally drew you to the Renaissance Fair?
Scott Beaumont (aka Dad): Well, I started going when I was a kid. My mom, your grandma, would take us and I was very attracted to the people living that lifestyle, basically a hippie, on-the-road lifestyle. But they weren’t just hippies. They were artisans, craftspeople, and entertainers, and they were really talented at what they did.
Sarah: How would you describe the typical “Renny” [someone who works at the Ren Faire]?
Dad: Charismatic, very talented in certain areas. They tend to be more rural than urban. They like living in the mountains, they like living off the land, that kind of thing. But they're flexible. They have to be because they travel. They live in all kinds of environments. They’re really into their vocation or craft more than they are into money. Certainly, they want to be comfortable, but that isn't their main purpose or goal.
Sarah: And how did you end up working at the Renaissance Fair?
Dad: I started out working at the Minnesota Renaissance Fair selling pottery and then I worked for a plant booth selling roses. I was a “Hawker” so I would go around and try to get people to buy roses and I took on this alter ego I called “Sappy.” I spoke in an Italian accent, like Chico Marx, and I would flirt with women shamelessly. You could get away with that back in the early ‘80s. We won the award for Best Hawkers in the whole Renaissance Fair.
And then I met a woman named Sharon who made Renaissance-style clothes and we talked and she asked, “Would you be interested in coming out to Colorado and selling the men's renaissance clothes at the Colorado Ren Faire?” And I told her I would love to because I loved being a Renny.
Sarah: What did you love the most about being a Renny, other than the wild parties and interesting people you’ve told me about?
I have always been attracted to the Renaissance because it was a time of rebirth. We were coming out of the Middle Ages, and there was such a burst of creativity. And so the whole mystique of it just transported me. It took me to another place. It took me out of the boredom of the suburbs and into another world.
Sarah: That “burst of creativity” that must have been felt during the actual Renaissance feels a bit present at the fair today. Do you think the mystique and transportation to another time is still what makes people want to attend or participate in the ren fair?
Dad: Yeah. I think it draws in the same types of people who like reenactments or acting. The people who work at the ren fair want to play the roles and they want the visitors to be a part of it. They want to fit into the act. They want to be transformed. They want to be taken out of their ordinary consciousness and brought, well, brought back to the past. And oftentimes alcohol is a big part of it... But people want to be festive. It's important because there aren’t a lot of opportunities to be festive outside of holidays and parties.
Sarah: Why do you think people are gravitating towards this specific festivity? There's a subculture that's always been into it, but what do you think it is about the period we’re living in that’s making people interested in experiencing Renaissance culture?
Dad: I think that people are overloaded with so much of what's happened in the last, let's say 20 years. The division in our country is the greatest it's been since the Civil War. And the rapid pace of change is too much for people to put up with. All that and the fact that people have to be so tech-oriented now, it diverts us from experiencing actual life. We're experiencing life through our phones. And the best way to get away from that is to have an alternative experience in the real world away from things that don't bring us real connections with other people. It allows you to connect with others in a safe and fun way, but you also get to go to a different place. You're going to another world and you're becoming part of that world.
Ren Faire, Wrapped
At the core of it, I believe the ren fair is a place to play pretend, to imagine a simple life, free of the confines of modern society. It’s an escape into a vivid, artistic, and fantastical past that we Americans may need now more than ever.
Of course, we cannot talk about the ren fair without talking about the fact that people dress up in elf ears and fairy wings to attend (me), and as far as I know, those weren’t hallmarks of the actual Renaissance. We seem to equate this period in time with fantasy because it seems so far off and impossible. Why wouldn’t there be elves, wizards, fairies, and humanoid mushrooms present during the European Renaissance? Going back to David Farrier’s take on the ren fair, in our American brains, it’s hard to imagine a world of castles and monarchy—things we’ve never had here—so we mix in additional elements of fantasy because, to us, it’s all fantasy.
Nostalgia and fantasy go hand in hand. When we’re feeling nostalgic, we’re typically looking back at an idealized version of what was. The Renaissance Fair is a carefully crafted immersive experience that pulls together the best pieces of the time it represents and takes many creative liberties along the way. Because if we’re being honest, who would actually want to live in the Renaissance era? Infrequent baths and no rights for marginalized groups? No thanks. We make the period more palatable by mixing in elements of fantasy. Because let’s be real – historical accuracy really isn’t that cute.
Will you be donning your best corset and elf ears and time-traveling to any Ren Faires soon? I’ll see you there. 😘
xoxo, Sarah aka Nostalgia Girl
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