The Michigan Renaissance Festival

Today the Mormegil and I went to the Michigan Renaissance Festival (hereinafter referred to as MRF). We were prepared for the worst, but hoped for the best. Here are the pros and cons:

Cons:

• MRF workers not required to wear period costume. What? WHAT??? Why have a Renaissance Festival if you don’t plan on attempting to re-create the period.
• In all, very little attempt at good period costume on part of participants, although there were a few exceptions.
• Apparently no guilds of any kind, meaning virtually NO meet and greet of the guests.
• No lewd jokes or songs in the street, no peasants screaming at one another and rolling in the mud, no noble cluster-fuck with their backs to the guests (that last should maybe go in the pro section).
• Some items sold at booths not even attempting to pretend to be period.
• Apparently there was a booth for Twinkie decorating.

Pros:

• Un-freaking-believable location. We have attempted to take pictures, but I’m not sure if the pictures will do it justice. It appears to be a permanent site, and they really went hog wild with the production design. Looks like they hired some Disney Imagineers to do the place up. Incredible. Cobble streets, thatched roofs (sort of) and award winning gardening and landscaping. They don’t appear to have a costume contest, but they do have contests for best gardener and best water features. Why go to all this trouble and not have good costumes?

The place was crowded. It was the last day of the faire and it was a beautiful, sunny, warm day which probably helped. The leaves are already starting to turn out here, and Michiganders are rushing around wildly trying to pack in every outdoor activity they can before they are trapped inside for the long, dark winter. But I mean the place was CROWDED. We had a hard time moving around. I can’t imagine trying to wear a noble dress there. I would never have gotten the necessary personal space and my hoops would have been crushed. Might have been trampled under a crowed of milling humans, lowing for their Guinness Draft. I’m not sure the Southern California Faire has seen a day like the (MRF) had today.

Because of the crowds we were put into some kind of over flow parking that required rather a long trek through a lovely shady path. It was really a nice walk, actually. We had to camp out halfway there but luckily we had brought the tent.

In all, not a bad experience. I would definitely return. Although the costuming was disappointing on a grand scale, the site itself was impressive enough to warrant a return visit.

I have also come to realize that I am past the days of wanting to purchase everything I see at a Ren-Faire. When I was younger I used to wish I had a thousand dollars to spend and could just buy whatever I wanted. Today I’ve come to realize that although I still don’t have a thousand dollars to blow at the Faire, its ok. I really don’t need any of that stuff. I wasn’t even moved to purchase a mug saying “Michigan Renaissance Festival 2004”. I wonder if that means I’m finally growing up or just getting lazy? Anyway, we have the photos for our memories. Enjoy!