So I went to the Renaissance Fair (or “Faire”) in Bristol, Wisconsin, on Saturday, just my youngest son (10 years old) and I as the big boys (my husband included) are all away right now. We had a really nice time — we didn’t do any of the carnival games or buy any of the merchandise, but mostly people-watched and watched the performances — a comedic sword-fighting show, a jousting tournament, a couple (again, comedic) demonstrations of weaponry, the Queen’s Arrival, a “pirate cookery” performance for children, and some others. This morning, he asked, “Can we go again today?”
And here are my observations:
Number 1: The clothes!
Really, the people watching was just as interesting as watching the official performances. Sometimes it wasn’t entirely clear who the visitors were, and who were performers, between shows or mixing with the crowds. Some men attempted a serious Elizabethan look, others wore kilts or leather, or dressed as monks or vikings. There was a priest who may have been a real priest, or may have simply been in costume. Women had a wide, wide range of clothing, from leather, as well, to simple long skirts, to fantasy-type outfits, with elf ears or butterfly wings, but the predominant choice was the corset, with boobs pushed way, way up, and the under-corset blouse positioned to reveal as much as possible.
And, of the more elaborate costumes, I wondered: do they wear these outfits annually? Go to more than one Renaissance/Medieval festival? Come to this one multiple times? Do they wear this at parties or gather with friends? When they go out on the town? Or is this sort of the equivalent of Oktoberfest — that is, in the way that it has become tradition for the young men and especially women to buy a Tracht outfit (lederhosen or dirndl) to wear to the Wies’n, even if (so far as I can tell) it sits in the closet the rest of the year.
Now, that being said, the images below are not chock-full of corsets, because, ultimately, that wasn’t as interesting to take pictures of.
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