My husband and I attended the Olde English Faire today, held at the Stronghold Camp and Retreat…read moreCenter. I have attended Renaissance faires of various sizes in multiple states, and I thought this was a nice small-to-mid-sized faire!
The venue:
The retreat center looks like a castle, so it is really the perfect place for a Renaissance faire. Most of the events were outdoors, a few indoors. Vendors had tents and were in tree-shaded areas. There was one performance space that was a permanent structure (a covered picnic area). Flushable privies (toilets, vs portapotties) were available; they are in the pool house for the retreat center, so the restrooms don't have doors, just shower curtains.
It's worth going into the building with the Great Hall to see the library with the secret passage, the muraled ceiling, and the room with an actual Tudor-style fireplace (smaller scale than it would have been historically but proper shape). In the Great Hall were Tudor-style curule chairs, so the details are there!
Staff from Stronghold were very nice and helpful when we interacted with them throughout the day.
Accessibility:
Most of the event is outdoors; the property is partially paved but then gives way to paths down a rambling hillside. I did alright with my cane and saw others with wheelchairs, both power and manual (the former would definitely be easier in this terrain).
The indoor part would not be wheelchair accessible unless there's another door: there was a precarious set of steps leading down to the building, then several staircases indoors to get to various parts of the building.
Golf carts and small shuttles were available to give you a lift down to the front gates from the parking lot. Again, staff were very friendly and kind.
Vibes:
If you are familiar with larger faires like Bristol, this is on a smaller scale, but I do not think that makes it less worthy. The ratio of people dressed in garb was higher, which always makes for an immersive atmosphere. (I will note that unlike other large faires I have gone to, the Queen's court here seemed to be having almost zero interaction with anyone outside their own circle, which kind of misses the point; they should be interacting with the people attending the faire and setting the scene, as it were.)
A madrigal singing group, sea shanty singers and a gentleman with his peregrine falcon all helped to create the appropriate mood.
Vendors:
There were many vendors of art, jewelry, garb, bath products, weaponry, and sadly a few AI slop booths. Prices were reasonable given the size of this faire. There were several food vendors; we had cookies, drunken mushrooms and lemonade, all tasty.
Cost:
Tickets were $10 for adults, with free parking.
I am already looking forward to bringing some friends next year!
