Renaissance Faire - Escondido, CA - April 2010

We went to the Renaissance Faire in Escondido on Saturday. Our friend Bobby was in town visiting for the weekend, and this was the first time any of us had been to one of these. There was quite a variety of genres going on, from Elizabethan England, to the Pirate theme, to the Lord of the Rings theme. Beyond that, there were some characters that pretty much defied categorization. 


The pirates were an interesting bunch, and if I had to pick one, the group that was probably the most fun to hang around.

Most folks came prepared, both with tankards and weapons. We felt quite naked being unarmed, and apparently it turns out that the participants of these fairs use the term "naked" to describe those not in period costume.  It was observed more than once that we were "naked".

I thought about getting Heather one of these chain-mail dresses so that she could be in costume, but then realized that she would probably want a sword as well, and then I might be in real trouble.

There was a lot to see as we wandered around the Faire, and lots of interesting people. I'm still not sure what some of them were supposed to be.

Of course, we did have to try the turkey leg for lunch. I think it weighed several pounds.

There was plenty of entertainment for the whole family. Here's a few kids practicing tossing severed heads through a board with holes in it.

The big event of the day was the battle between the English troops sent to collect taxes and the Irish and Scots who felt they were being oppressed. I'm not quite sure who won in the end.

After the battle was over the dancing girls came out. 

All in all it was a very fun day. I would certainly go to one of these again, and I'm even working on an idea for a costume of my own. I just need to find someone to walk behind me with a set of coconut shells.

Click here to see more images from the Renaissance Faire on Saturday April 24, 2010.