Audience Guidelines

The weather is getting better and that means one thing: fair season is about to start. So to all you fair attendees who are planning to attend a ren faire, pirate festival, civil war encampment or a street festival where reenactors are appearing here are some things to consider. The ropes (or other barricades) around an encampment are there for your safety. It keeps you out of the range of gunfire and swinging swords. Don’t let your children sit under the ropes or let them crawl to just inside the rope line. Don’t sit with your legs stretching out underneath the ropes. You could trip a performer. The barricades also keep us in. It sets up a safety zone where we know we can shot guns without hurting anybody and it prevents us from spilling out into the audience during a fight scene. Listen to and obey any instructions. Sometimes the instructions are about safety, sometimes it’s about getting an event done in a timely and orderly manner. Never touch any weapons unless you have permission. Swords and knives can be sharp, guns can be loaded. Never take a weapon from a holster or sheath from a reenactor as they walk around the fair grounds. Not only is that dangerous for the reason stated previously, it’s just wrong. You wouldn’t want anyone to take your property as you walked around. Ask permission to handle anything you see on a display table. Glassware is obviously fragile, and some items can be expensive. The person who spent hours making garb or doing needlework that is on display would be grateful if you keep your drinks and food away from the table. Do ask questions. You’ll find that reenactors can talk for hours about their passion. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you.) Don’t be shy about asking to pose with us for pictures. Most reenactors accept this as part of the job. Be aware of your fellow audience members. That means no talking, no shouting into your cell phones and no heckling during a performance. If possible try not to block someone’s view. No flash photography. It can be distracting and therefore dangerous to the performers. Having a camera doesn’t give you the right to jump in front of someone and ruin their view. Remove crying babies and restless children away from the performance area. Please no pirate jokes that involve a play on the letter R. We’ve heard them all.