Faire Tidings

Faire Tidings Coming Soon

08/26/2026

January in Florida. February in Arizona. Bristol in summer. Maryland in fall.

Issue 17 of the Faire Tidings Crier is the seasonal calendar issue: where to go when, and how to plan a faire year that does not collide with itself.

Arrives Thursday morning. Free to subscribe.

Consent first. Composition second. Timing always.We read the published photography policies at four Renaissance faires t...
08/21/2026

Consent first. Composition second. Timing always.

We read the published photography policies at four Renaissance faires this week: Michigan, Minnesota, the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Southern California, and Ohio. No two of them said the same thing. One bans tripods outright. One bans only the tripods that block a walkway. One forbids filming any free show without written permission. One holds that walking through the gate grants the faire permission to use your likeness.

One rule runs through all four, and Ohio says it plainest: ask permission before taking a picture with a performer.

Tonight's Crier has the four rulebooks side by side, three habits that fix most faire photos, and how to photograph a working performer without making it weird.

08/19/2026

Mark the light, mind the rules: Issue 16 of the Faire Tidings Crier is the faire photography issue. What to shoot, when to shoot it, and the consent rule everyone should know before pointing a camera at a performer.

Arrives Thursday morning. Free to subscribe.

The Royal Tier is the headline. The hidden gems are where the regulars find their next favorite.Today's Faire Tidings Cr...
08/13/2026

The Royal Tier is the headline. The hidden gems are where the regulars find their next favorite.

Today's Faire Tidings Crier commends five lesser-known faires to you, every one verified in our directory and checked against the faire's own site this week: a third-year festival in Bozeman, an 8-dollar charity faire in Janesville, a 28-season overachiever in Connecticut, a permanent medieval village in Washington, and six themed weekends in Arkansas. Four of the five still have 2026 dates ahead.

Which one are you most likely to visit? Vote in today's poll, and tell us YOUR hidden gem below.

08/12/2026

Hie thee onward: five faires most readers have never heard of, each worth the drive. Issue 15 of the Faire Tidings Crier is the hidden-gems issue.

Arrives Thursday morning. Free to subscribe.

Whence came the faire? We can name the backyard.In 1960, a California teacher named Phyllis Patterson left the classroom...
08/06/2026

Whence came the faire? We can name the backyard.

In 1960, a California teacher named Phyllis Patterson left the classroom and started teaching drama to kids in her backyard. Three years later, on May 11 and 12, 1963, those classes became the first Renaissance Pleasure Faire: a two-day fundraiser for radio station KPFK on a five-acre ranch in North Hollywood. It sheltered blacklisted artists, it invented the "faire" spelling, and it started everything.

Today's Faire Tidings Crier tells the whole story, sourced and checked. Plus: the town in Montana that just proved the 1963 playbook still works.

What is YOUR home faire's origin story? Tell us below.

08/05/2026

On the morrow: whence came the faire? The first formal Renaissance faire was a teacher's project in 1963 California, and Issue 14 of the Faire Tidings Crier tells the story of how it became a national movement.

Arrives Thursday morning. Free to subscribe.

Skip the all-at-once mistake.The regulars with the best garb on the grounds did not buy it in one trip. They built it: b...
07/30/2026

Skip the all-at-once mistake.

The regulars with the best garb on the grounds did not buy it in one trip. They built it: base layer the first year, the middle layer the second, accessories the third, the statement piece from a faire vendor the fourth, the finish the fifth. Today's Faire Tidings Crier lays out the whole five-year plan, including the one purchase that matters most (it is the cheapest one).

Plus: the Maryland Renaissance Festival opens ticket sales for its 50th season, and the fashion press has officially named the aesthetic.

What was YOUR first costume piece? Tell us below.

07/29/2026

On the morrow: the costume you build over five years. Issue 13 of the Faire Tidings Crier is the Fan-tier guide to building a period costume piece by piece across seasons (and saving money doing it). Plus: the call stays open. Reply with the one thing only the regulars know about your home faire, and we will feature the best through the Fan arc.

Arrives Thursday morning. Free to subscribe.

The faire does not change. You do.Today the Faire Tidings Crier opens its Fan tier: nine issues for the reader who alrea...
07/23/2026

The faire does not change. You do.

Today the Faire Tidings Crier opens its Fan tier: nine issues for the reader who already returns. What separates a Fan from a first-timer? You recognize performers across faires. You route the day before you arrive. You have a home faire and a destination faire. You tip like you mean it.

Plus: News from the Circuit, and a Word of the Week straight from the balcony scene.

What made you a regular? Tell us below.

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