It’s summer, and you are bound for a gathering of nerds, all of whom are dressed up in colorful costumes and plan to spend the day buying unusual items and having a good time. Nowadays you might assume that I mean a convention. But conventions had a predecessor that was just as fun and twice as historical: The Renaissance Faire.
A Renaissance Faire is an experience unlike any other. The cast and crew transform an outdoor space to look like a village from renaissance England with renaissance looking houses, stages, and booths. The faire is fully populated by actors playing as renaissance peasants and nobility. There are variations of course, but the basic premise is the same.
What are you suppose to do here? Well, as any of the colorfully dressed cast members will encourage you: enjoy the show. Like cons, ren faires have a schedule of events. These include musical performances, historical skills demonstrations, carnival games, and jousting tournaments. It is up to you what you want to see and participate in, you just have to make sure you get there on time. Most faires give away free maps and schedules at the main entrance. 
There is plenty to see at a ren faire but there is also plenty to buy. The main paths are crowded with stands of numerous curiosity’s. A lot of it is renaissance themed, but some of it is fandom themed. There are cloaks emblazoned with the Gryffindor Lion, necklaces with the Pirates of the Caribbean pieces of eight, and shields bearing the House Stark wolf. Certain shopkeepers can even add a fandom decal to their piece. They treat it as a custom order and charge a little extra for the item. 
Cosplayers of all sorts visit ren faires. Expect to see a Jack Sparrow or Gandalf the Grey wandering around. There are also “Playtrons” (play + patron) on the faire grounds. These are people who dress up as a renaissance character of their own design. They often look like a member of the cast but instead of working at the faire they just have fun. The cast will often interact with them or rope them into silly games. They know from the costume that this person wants to have a good time.
If you decide you want to cosplay most faires have a costume rental booth towards the main entrance. There are also plenty of stands selling costumes and armor that you can purchase. For those feeling ambitious, most faires have costume contests that you may enter. Each weekend they change according to the theme (more on that later). A fun thing to do in costume is Ren Quest. For a small fee, you can go LARPing on missions around the faire talking to quest givers and helping a side in the fight of good against evil. 
The greatest tragedy about cons is that they are only one weekend. But ren faires often run for several weekends! To keep people coming back, each one has a different theme. Popular themes include Pirate Weekend, Steampunk Weekend, and Time Travel Weekend. A new theme that has been popping up is Ren Con. That’s right, there is a whole weekend designed to be a little more like a convention. These often include photo meetups, panels, and a performance by a band both normal faire visitors and nerds would enjoy. If you are debating when to go to the faire, try this weekend.
Logistically ren faires are also like cons. They are often several hours away, have expensive tickets, and are cash only. But many faires offer inexpensive parking, coupons to cut down the prices, and have several ATMs on site. There is one big difference though. Ren faires are mostly outside during the summer. Water bottles and sunscreen are a must on warm days and umbrellas are needed on others. Be smart, and check the weather beforehand.
Ren Faires are a great experience for everyone. They’re a nice break from the convention circuit for nerds and a trip into a fantasy world for others. If you are interested, look into when ren faires are occurring in your area. Then grab some friends, some sunscreen, and go! It’s a great way to let your nerd flag fly this summer.
