A festival held to recreate the arts and history of the Renaissance. Generally held outside and on weekends faires offer all things Renaissance, and many things other. They usually happen during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I but time periods vary from 1300 to 1800. They are usually set in England, but many be different countries such as Scotland, France.
Faires offer lots of entertainment, from games to
swordfighting and Shakespeare to comedy and magic.
Faires are also known for their costumes. Entertainers and Vendors are almost always dressed in costumes (called 'Garb') that are nearly historically accurate for their character. Many patrons dress in ‘period garb’ but there are also many costumes that are seen at all
fairs, no matter how historically inaccurate. Pirates Fairies and Bellydancers are always present. Often, people dress as Fantasy characters, though some fairs do not encourage this. You find wizards, magicians, steampunk, lord of the rings, video game characters, and even occasional
Klingons.
Renaissance Faires are also known for their
handcrafted items on sale. A faire will have many booths with vendors selling everything from swords to jewelry to herbs to costumes.
Fairs are also known for their food and drink. Most faires will have various
ales,
meads, beers, and beverages, as well as common soda. They may have a few historically accurate specialty items(
turkey leg), but most have general festival food. (hotdogs, hamburgers, potatoes,
funnel cakes