How to Prepare for a Renaissance Fair
A blog about all the preparations you need to make for a faire.
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
Your First Faire: Costumes
Hello Everyone! It’s been a little while since my last post. I’ve been recovering from my first faire which was a lot of fun. It’s also exhausting. I’m sure those of you who have gone before know what I mean.
Anyway, the theme for this week is costumes. The first thing you want to do is decide whether you are going to buy or make your costume. If you are buying one, then that is pretty simple and straightforward. However, if you decide to make it, then you will want to get started immediately as it can take some time to complete it. In my next post, I will talk about some of the places where you can purchase supplies and patterns to help get started with your costuming adventure. For now, here is information on how to make a gypsy costume which I made for my first fair:
Well, you’ve decided to go to a Renaissance Faire. You’ve got your tickets, you’re all excited about going, but what are you going to wear? How do you get ready for a faire? What do you need to bring? What will it cost? How much time does it take?
This blog is designed to answer those questions and more!
First things first, you must find the fair or festival. There are faires all over the United States and in other countries. There are usually multiple faires in most states. Some faires are small and quaint, and some are large, such as the Texas Renaissance Festival, which draws over 350,000 people each year.
Preparing for a Renaissance Faire may seem like a daunting task. In fact, it is! However, if you plan ahead and prepare for the faire, you will have a great time.
There are several steps involved in preparing for a renaissance faire.
Step 1: Decide what to wear: The first step in preparation for a faire is deciding what to wear. Do you want to go as a gypsy? A nobleman? A pirate? Think about who you want to be at the faire before you start working on your outfit.
Step 2: Gather materials: There are many resources available online that can help you with your costume preparations. You will also need to purchase some materials – such as fabric and makeup – in order to complete your costume.
Step 3: Make or buy your costume: If you are skilled at sewing, consider making your own costume from scratch. Otherwise, there are many vendors available both online and at the faire who can sell you a completed costume or individual pieces that you can assemble yourself.
Step 4: Prepare for weather conditions: Depending on where and when the faire takes place, weather conditions could affect how comfortable you are during the event. Make sure that you bring any necessary items with you (e.g.,
Hello everyone, and welcome to our blog! This blog will be chronicling my experience preparing for a Renaissance-themed festival. There are many different ways to participate in these festivals, but I’m planning on dressing up and taking part in the fun as if I were living in the time period.
Even though I’ve been going to these festivals for years, this is my first time dressing up for them, so it’s a new experience for me. I hope you’ll follow along and maybe pick up some tips that you’ll be able to use for your next faire!
The Renaissance Faire is a fun and festive way to spend a weekend. It’s also an exceedingly fun way to get together with friends, enjoy good food and drink, dress up in a costume, and play in the woods. The following information should help you get ready for your first faire.
Get your costume together
It’s best to have your costume together before you arrive at the faire. This avoids any last minute scrambling in the parking lot or campground. Renaissance Faires are an excuse to dress up in whatever outfit strikes your fancy. There are many costume vendors on site that sell everything from full costumes to simple accessories like hats and jewelry or even just shirts or bodices that you can use in conjunction with other clothing items you already own. I would highly recommend purchasing at least some of your costume from these vendors because they are experts at creating period appropriate clothing and accessories. Some things may not be available for purchase on the faire grounds so make sure you plan ahead for those items especially if you want them for opening day of the faire.
Opening day is usually when all the most interesting people come out to play so it’s best to be prepared!
Plan on wearing something comfortable under your costume such as tights, leggings and a loose fitting tank top
It is finally getting close to the faire season and I am excited. I love dressing up in a gypsy costume and pretending that I am one of the many travelers of the world. Before you get ready for your trip to your local Renaissance Faire, there are some things you should consider.
First, what type of costume do you want to wear? You have so many choices from gypsy dresses, to pirate costumes, to fairy gowns. I like being a gypsy because it gives me an opportunity to wear lots of colorful jewelry and headpieces. Whatever you choose make sure that it fits in with the time period as well as fits in with the theme of your faire. Some faires allow guests to come dressed as comic book heroes or other characters that are not usually associated with the Renaissance era.
Once you have chosen your outfit, be prepared for some warm weather. Many of the faires take place during the spring or summer months so it can get pretty hot while wearing a heavy costume.[
For our Gypsy Costume, we used a base of black gauze, over which we layered different lengths of light blue and purple chiffon. The bodice was made of gold brocade.
We then went to the local thrift store and found a bunch of scarves and jewelry to complete the look: long necklaces, lots of bracelets, stretchy bracelets that could be worn on the arm or as headbands, and dangling earrings. We also got some hats from the thrift store to add to the mix.
The result was a costume that looked really great and was incredibly comfortable in hot weather.