I can think of very few annual gatherings of 10,000+ people at which the goal of every single attendee is to have as much fun as humanly possible. Consider gatherings that take place outdoors in the late summer attended by thousands of heavily-costumed people in ridiculous characters and I can think of only one: the New York Renaissance Faire.
If you know anything about me and my interests, this shouldn't come as a surprise to you at all...but I effing love the NYRF. Here's why:
I grew up surrounded by science fiction and fantasy by my own volition. My parents have never been Trekkies. I discovered Harry Potter all by myself when I was nine. Of course, I had to ask Santa to bring me every video game I ever played as a child, but that doesn't mean my dad knows the difference between Peach and Zelda. I am and always have been a self-taught geek. Geekery brings me comfort, joy, and guiltless nostalgia. And now, as a full-fledged adult, playing video games, reading comic books, and attending fan conventions is how I decompress, cope with stressors, and indulge in a little bit of immaturity every once in a while. Geekery is such an important part of my life and events like the Renaissance Faire remind me of how much I owe to the subculture.
In a previous Odyssey post, I wrote about how much it means to me to share my geeky nostalgia with my loved ones. At the time I was talking about sharing my love of Nintendo with my girlfriend, and just this past weekend I was able to take her to her first (and my fourth) Renaissance Faire.
For the past four years, a longtime best friend of mine and I have been painting our faces, getting into costume, and traveling back in time to the Middle Ages every summer to prance around, eat ridiculous food, watch performers, and indulge in our loves of fantasy. Every year, we wake up before the sun rises and I transform us into mythical creatures through the power of makeup. Then we sleep on the ninety minute drive to Tuxedo Park and arrive before the gates even open. We don't want to miss a single minute of the festivities.
This year was no different, except for the new face I had to paint. At 6:30 in the morning, I got out of bed and began my transformation from teenage girl to teenage werewolf. Then I turned my mini-me into my personal favorite: an ethereal fawn girl. And finally I welcomed my girlfriend to the world of the Faire by gifting her with the face of a fox. We looked awesome.
We spent seven hours taking pictures of ourselves in the woods, laughing our tails off at all of our favorite shows, and lounging in the grass just taking in the sights. We befriended every character we met, interacted with every show we attended, and even ran into some familiar faces from previous years! I can't remember the last time I smiled for seven hours straight, can you?
The Renaissance Faire is lame as hell, yes. It's a massive gathering of geeks in handmade costumes who have nothing better to do over their weekends than spend their time around Shakespeare impersonators, court jesters, and knights on horses.
I'm one of those geeks and I love it.
The NYRF is an annual reminder that indulging in my childish side can be fantastic and creative and cathartic. As a lifelong dweeb, the NYRF is a place where I can go and spend my day surrounded by other, like-minded dweebs and feel completely at home. It's a place where I can bring my best friend and we can remember all of the silly things we have in common. It's a place where I can bring my girlfriend and show her how much my nerdy childhood means to me. It's a place where I can show off my creativity (by literally wearing it on my face) and feel rewarded and appreciated by the people who inspire me. It's a place that feels like home.
I'm sure I seem like the type of person who goes to the Renaissance Faire; I don't try to hide or conceal or repress my interests. I don't mind wearing my inspiration on my sleeve. I have developed all of my morals and values through the books and video games I love and have always loved, and I'm proud. The New York Renaissance Faire is where I go to remember and celebrate.
