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Hear ye, hear ye! The 44th season of King Richard's Faire kicks off Saturday -- and it's undergone a bit of a renaissance behind-the-scenes.
This year's festival will be held at a new location -- the Edaville Entertainment Venue in Carver, Mass. -- paving the way to increased accessibility for the 120,000 attendees expected to attend the fair's eight-weekend run.
Renaissance fairs promise an immersive medieval experience. King Richard's, which is the largest in the region, is staffed by volunteers playing characters like shepherds, butchers, bartenders and wenches. It's these actors that "make the place come to life," according to Vanessa Webb, director of entertainment for King Richard's. Renaissance fair enthusiasts also love the opportunity to dress up and play pretend, she added.
If you don't usually participate in role play, this may sound daunting -- but it's all a part of the fun, no matter if you wear a period-accurate costume or your usual duds.
" It is recess for adults," said Webb. "Sometimes at recess, people stand on the side and they watch, and sometimes they dive in. Diving in just means finding your friends or your comfort zone, and you can find that here."
Whether you're a long-time playtron or a first-time fairgoer, I've got scoop on what's happening at this year's fair, plus tips from Webb and a well-known WBUR rennie on what to know before you go.
The unique entertainment at King Richard's Faire is one of its biggest draws, according to Webb, who began her tenure there as a performer with the Washing Well Wenches comedy troupe. Gracing the fair's 10 stages will be daredevils, acrobats, musicians, comedians, swordsmen, puppets and even a mime.
You'll also see former WBUR anchor Jack Lepiarz, who will bring his nationally-acclaimed whip-cracking "Jacques Ze Whipper" act to the fair between Oct. 4 and Oct. 19. Performing at a ren faire is sort of like "the old school vaudeville brought back to life," said Lepiarz. "There's a lot of back and forth with the audience, and it's a lot of fun."
Comedy performers will often improvise based on audience interaction, so no two shows are exactly alike. Webb suggests bringing cash for the stage performers, who busk for tips after the show.
You can also catch live jousting three times a day. The first performance involves lance tricks, while the second conveys a bit more competition between the riders. "The third one is our joust to the death," said Webb. "And it just turns into mayhem."
If mayhem is not your thing, venture over to the artisan marketplace for some tamer sights. You'll find leatherwork, period clothing, pottery, jewelry, musical instruments and hand-forged swords for purchase. (You can even watch the blacksmith at work!)
King Richard's Faire has more than 20 booths for refreshments, with themed takes on fairground classics like chicken wings ("dragon wings"), hamburgers and fries ("peasant patty basket with fryes") and heartier meals like stews, chowders and chili. There's no shortage of sweet treats, either. You can indulge in ice cream, fudge, chocolate cake, kettle corn, caramel apples or "whoopie pyes." Just don't leave without sinking your teeth into a massive turkey leg for a "true ren fair experience," Webb said.
Alcoholic drinks like beer, wine and champagne are available for purchase at all the main eateries and at pop-up bars around the fair. You'll also find mead -- a honey wine first produced in ancient times -- on the menu. She said visitors are often surprised when they're served a smaller cup for their mead than for their beer. "[Mead] has more alcohol," said Webb. "So calm down, stick your pinky out and sip."
Overall, Webb says King Richard's is like a "choose your own adventure" book: you decide which path you'll take.
" If you wanna just sit on a bench all day with a beer in your hand and laugh at people going around and call them weirdos, you can do that," said Webb. "But I've seen a lot of people start the day like that and end the day in a kilt that they bought."