Fighting the Hoards

One of the many hats I wear is as the author of a funny, yet relevant – and hopefully wise – ADVICE COLUMN. One of the questions that a DARLING READER sent to me in the early years of the column is one in which my answer should prove germane to the people who read… Continue reading Fighting the Hoards

The King’s Taxes part 1

So you want to be an artist at the renaissance festival? What a great way to express your inner soul! Freedom to draw, to sculpt, to perform and let out that hidden child! And to get paid for it! You pour your heart and soul into your creations. And the people flock to see you… Continue reading The King’s Taxes part 1

Tim’s Festival Hiring Credo

The following post is the work of my friends Tim Rosa and Donna D’Ignazio, both long time working participants of the Renaissance Festival industry. We were discussing tips and tricks to hiring good help at festivals, and they shared with me their favorite hiring tool. I’ve included their Preamble … which kind of makes this… Continue reading Tim’s Festival Hiring Credo

Playing by the Numbers, part 2, None of your Business

Ok, let’s see, …..where were we? ….poker…matchsticks…20 pounds of quarters….profit/patron, cost/patron and patron/vendor ratios…big pies…..and little pieces. Remember? If not, you can refresh your memory by reading ‘playing by the numbers, part 1’ It’s a funny thing about numbers. When you ask someone the time of day, a baseball score, or the age of their… Continue reading Playing by the Numbers, part 2, None of your Business

Renaissance Faire Justin Bieber Parody by Julian Bemi

Our friend Julia has done it again. This is his second parody video, utilizing the many skills of the Scarborough Faire Rennie community. Julian! We want to see more of these! How can we help? Let us know what songs you think deserve his Renaissance Rework Magic in the comments.

Playing by the Numbers, part 1, Patron/Vendor Ratio

Editor’s note: This is the first installment in Al’s series that uses metrics to determine the financial relationship between vendors and festivals.Following articles will end up with internal links here (Part 2). It’s high-season in the outdoor festival business, but we’ll get them to you eventually. I love to play poker.  When I was a… Continue reading Playing by the Numbers, part 1, Patron/Vendor Ratio

Worth a Thousand Words

We had some difficulty finding imagery that would communicate the unique mix of festival and business that is the purpose and personality of this site. Just as the experts in the field found no sites asking for articles on their expertise, there were no stock images available that blended the world of performers, vendors, travel,… Continue reading Worth a Thousand Words

Summer Job Lady

This post originally appeared on my personal blog, but just this week I was having a conversation with a Crafter about hiring good help, and the choice to become a mentor. Many many people have their first job experience at an outdoor festival or theme park. It is something we need to remember as the… Continue reading Summer Job Lady

So You Want to Work at a Renaissance Festival, part two

So you want to work at the Renaissance Festival?   This column is the finale of a two part series on the wonderful world of Renaissance Festival Employment. The first installment described the stalwart staff of the Crafts, Foodservice, and Gaming divisions. Today we take on the Prima Donnas; The Entertainers.   Are you a show-off? Do you like playing dress-up? Are… Continue reading So You Want to Work at a Renaissance Festival, part two

So You Want to Work at a Renaissance Festival, part one

For my second outing as guest writer for the amazing Rhonni D’s blog, I thought I’d answer yet another question that I hear frequently in my life as a touring Renaissance Festival professional  People often ask me how they should go about “running away and joining the circus” that is the Renaissance Festival. I am… Continue reading So You Want to Work at a Renaissance Festival, part one