Gingerbread Houses and Holiday Shopping at the Boston Christmas Festival

The Boston Christmas Festival is a beloved shopping extravaganza held over a November weekend each year at the Boston Seaport World Trade Center. 

Celebrating its 30^th season, this year’s festival will be held Friday-Sunday, November 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th, 2016. Details

With a companion Gingerbread House Competition to boot, we at New England Fall Events were intrigued to check it out first-hand. As a fall event resource, we don’t usually attend many Christmas-focused events but with more and more festivals extending their holiday season to include November, this particular event lands squarely during our fall season.

It was our very first visit to the Boston Christmas Festival. Though the gingerbread house competition is an important feature of the festival experience, it’s the holiday shopping which takes center stage and it constitutes about 95% of what you’ll see.  The festival overall is neatly organized, enormous, and a very enjoyable way to spend the day if you love Christmas, enjoy shopping, and have a variety of people to shop for. The timing of the 3-day festival—typically the first weekend in November—is ideal for making a dent in your holiday gift list early in the season.

Most of the vendors at the Boston Christmas Festival are fellow New Englanders. Though being New England-based is not a requirement for vendors, the fact that most were locals really lent a personal feel to a festival otherwise so large in scale. We met many New England artisans—potters, woodworkers, craft makers, small batch food producers—of every size and stripe. Beyond the festival, some vendors we met had brick-and-mortar shops, others sold their goods online, and a handful sold their wares exclusively at craft shows and festivals.

Before heading to the festival we did a little research on their website. The Seaport World Trade Center is a large expo hall situated in--you guessed it-- the Seaport District of Boston. With an exit right off the Mass Pike, the seaport district itself is a snap to reach via car and has plenty of open lot parking near the Trade Center. Like always, parking in Boston is generally pricey; although there are numerous options in this area, only one could be considered affordable--Necco Garage (10 Necco St.). The Boston Christmas Festival website suggests pre-booking across the street at “Lot 18” for $28.75. Without pre-booking the rates are $27 for 2-3 hours (not enough time to attend this festival) and $30 for 3-6 hours which is a more realistic amount of time you’ll be there. The Necco Garage, by comparison, has a Saturday and Sunday flat rate of $5 (yes, you read that right). The trade-off is the 12 minute walk from Necco to the Trade Center which we felt was a minor sacrifice. (If you attend the festival on Friday, Necco Garage’s rates are higher with a $21 daily max).

It’s worth noting that on the Saturday we attended, there were LONG lines of cars just to get in to the open lots and covered garages closest to the Trade Center so with your pre-booked rate or chosen lot proximity, you also are treated to a traffic jam of everyone trying to park in the same place. If you can hoof it from Necco Garage, do (and thank us later for this insider tip).

We arrived right before the festival began at 10:00am on Saturday. The admission is $15 for adults, kids 14 years and under come free. There were long lines to the box office for people wanting to buy tickets. If you plan to use a $3-off coupon from the festival website you’ve also landed yourself a spot in the long box office line since you’ll need to redeem it in person. If buy your ticket online you’ll breeze right through the doors and off you go. Our online ticket got us right in and it was nice to get a head start on the show before the crowds built up.

To navigate the festival, pick up a printed map from the box office lobby. The map lists all the booth numbers and their corresponding vendors which is useful if you need to double back to a booth or have a particular vendor in mind. More useful perhaps, is the map clearly shows where the restrooms, concession snack bar, and ATMs are. There is a coat check near the entrance of the hall and since the festival is large enough to spend many hours browsing and shopping, it’s not a bad idea to check coats to free you up for the day ahead.

Upon entering the show floor, the smell of cinnamon candles was incredibly strong. For many, this scent evokes an olfactory-driven nostalgia for a day of holiday shopping; but for those with fragrance sensitivities, this may be genuine cause for concern.

At a glance, you’ll see hundreds of vendor booths—over 350, in fact-- and ample shopping ground to cover. Knowing we’d have a day full of browsing ahead of us, we decided to start our adventure by visiting the gingerbread house display and competition.

The beneficiary of this baking competition, other than the feast for our own eyes, is Housing Families, Inc. a wonderful local organization whose mission is to help homeless and at-risk families transition into affordable housing, self-sufficiency, and stability. With youth and family programs, pro bono legal services, and volunteer school tutors, and 400-600 families served, it’s wonderful to see this important group’s work showcased to so many festival-goers and to receive the attention it deserves. During a holiday season marked with so much commercialism, it’s a welcome reminder to remember our fellow neighbors who need our support for securing the most basic essential of a roof over one’s head.

The Gingerbread House Competition is exhibited in the furthest corner of the expo hall which also has the advantage of being set apart from the volume of shoppers. The entrants to the gingerbread house competition are designed and constructed by local bakers and top chefs. In addition to competing for the top prizes, the gingerbread houses themselves are donations which are auctioned off to businesses who wish to display these houses in their foyers and lobbies during the holiday season. The recipient of the funds raised from the auction is Housing Families, Inc.

All in all there were about 10-11 houses in the 2015 exhibit. What the houses lacked in numbers, they made up for in their quality, size, and craftsmanship. Many of these houses weren’t the familiar “gingerbread, dripping icing, and candy” that we often think of; instead they landed more in the hand-sculpted, fondant wrapped category, likely because of the durability (and transport) requirement. Some, like the charming row houses by Masonry Doctor, a non-bakery submission which was one of our favorites, had hardly any visible representation of actual brown gingerbread, as nearly every inch of the houses were covered by piped icing and rock candy. Beverly’s Marino’s Café, Burlington’s Café Escadrille, and Davio’s Chestnut Hill each contributed houses with the iconic Snoopy resting on top of his dog house and all three were fully iced from top to bottom.

One of the best representations featuring classic baked gingerbread itself was the Make Way for Ducklings display by Sweet Things , recipient of the award for Most Creative. The renowned Flour Bakery submitted a quaint farm scene complete with a red barn and Boston’s Blackbird Doughnuts’ log cabin was crafted using a combination of pirouline rolled wafers, pretzels, graham crackers, and fondant.

Cupcake City from Reading, MA received the awards for “Best Tasting” and “Best in Show” with their stunning pastel candyland representation of “Whoville” from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. CitiPerforming Arts Center and Brookline’s Party Favors teamed up for a house and in the process earned honors for “Best Decoration” with their Santa’s Workshop interior and Rudolph-themed outdoor scene.

The largest gingerbread “house” could be considered more of an elaborate display showcasing the work of Quincy’s Ginger Betty’s Bakery complete with a Peanuts movie theme. Filled with gingerbread cookie Peanuts characters, this display featured an Eiffel Tower, a stage, Snoopy’s dog house, and layers of smaller details like music notes, trees, and a piano. Ginger Betty’s also occupied the only vendor booth in this area of the exhibit where you could purchase gingersnaps, macaroons, gingerbread kits, as well as decorated and undecorated gingerbread cookies from bite sized to cookies larger than your own face. Ginger Betty’s also hosted a table where kids could decorate their own gingerbread person.

The gingerbread display could be browsed at a leisurely pace and fully enjoyed in about 20 minutes or less. We observed that it was good etiquette to observe the houses several steps back from the table so as not to crowd the display for others to see. The gingerbread houses were very well done and certainly showed off the professional skills of the capable bakers who created them. Despite the polished final product, all the displays managed to retain the whimsy and magic that a gingerbread house should convey. Personally we would LOVE to see more entries into this competition as it is not limited to professional bakers and is a wonderful project to take on—and your donation is to a very worthy cause.

The deadline for entry is in mid-October (no fee) and the house needs to be delivered on Friday morning of the festival for the judging and auction. There are limited rules for the gingerbread house entries—the house base must be 4’x4’ or smaller, and the house must be “sturdy and glazed” to ensure its durability to travel to its final post-competition location and to sustain 6-8 weeks of display. Find the entry form here.

With the gingerbread houses under our belt, we moved on to explore the rest, and majority, of the Boston Christmas Festival—the shopping.

The shopping expo fills every corner of the Trade Center hall and eight aisles of vendor booths are split down the middle with a “Farmer’s Market” which is the aisle dedicated to food-centric vendors. The booths are marked with numbers, some more prominently than others, which is helpful if you rely on the map guide to find a certain vendor or to return to one previously visited.

Jingle Nog Glass Ornaments on display

We browsed booths aisle by aisle working our way from one end of the hall to the other. The sheer volume and variety of vendor booths is staggering. As frequent festival attendees ourselves, we know our way around craft and retail vendor booths from the largest fairs (The Big E) to much smaller gatherings. The Boston Christmas Festival holds the distinction for us of having not just the greatest variety of products but they are generally high quality and interesting items. We later learned that the vendors booths are approved based on “quality, originality and professionalism” and we’d concur that the vendors we saw really do fit that bill.  As a significant number of festival vendors draw from local makers and artisans in the Northeast, in many cases we also met the artists and crafters themselves or the owners of these small mom-and-pop start-ups. Though a number of the vendors are at the festival representing their brick-and-mortar shops, there is a strong representation from web-based businesses and Etsy online stores.

Twice as Nice Mittens booth

If you have a sizable holiday shopping list, you will love the diversity of vendors here--you can find gifts which will appeal to people of every age, pastime, interest, personality, and style. Even if you can’t cross off gifts for every person on your shopping list, we think you’ll have a fair amount of success. There are limitless stocking stuffers, jewelry choices, hand-sewn doll clothes, personalized items, practical gifts, whimsical goodies, tasty treats, and much more. With hundreds of booths to explore, you’ll find goodies to appeal to the cat-fanatic, quilt lover, baking goddess, doll collector, spa scrub and lotion accumulator, sports nut, birdwatcher, organizer, Christmas ornament junkie, woodworker, beachcomber, tinkerer, puzzler enthusiast, teen beauty queen, cold-feet sufferer, avid crafter, sporadic golfer, outdoorsy couple, amateur mixologist, wise gardener, perpetual dieter, and hot sauce aficionado within your circle of friends and family.

Apiary Designs' lovely apron selection

The Christmas Festival booths really run the gamut in terms of what you’ll find. Being November, there are many booths featuring items and accessories to help one endure cold-weather months. Expect to find countless infinity scarves, cozy socks, mittens, alpaca slippers, fleecy bathrobes, and knitted hats to choose from.

One of our favorite vendors was Boxford, MA’s Twice as Nice Mittens where we picked up a second pair of toasty mittens sewn from recycled wool sweaters—we already own a pair and can attest to their reliable warmth and fun-loving style.

Another standout at the festival was Apiary Designs from Providence, RI whose booth was a veritable beehive of customers all day long. Apiary’s impeccably crafted aprons, zip bags, wristlet pouches, and catnip mats made from high quality fabric in cheerful vintage prints and patterns were flying off their racks. We couldn’t pass up snagging a new reindeer themed apron for our upcoming Christmas baking.

NH artist Erin Moran's colorful pinched bowls, plates, pitchers, and mugs were a feast for the eyes.

Pink Pigeon's messy mags were a hit.

Portsmouth, NH artist Erin Moran’s booth was chock-full of vibrantly colored pinch pot cups, mugs, sundae bowls, lidded jars, dessert plates, platters, and snowmen ornaments. The bright glazes, polka dotted designs, simple patterns, and functionality combine to make her wares totally irresistible. If we could have purchased every item in her booth that day, we would have.

Pink Pigeon Creations from Beverly, MA offered dozens of super cute and practical goodies for keeping families organized. Her waterproof-lined fabric “messy bags” are handy for storing snacks, damp items, cosmetics, art supplies, and you-name-it. Pink Pigeon also sells burp cloths, baby blankets, Chapstick carrying key chains, kid-sized aprons, hooded bath towels and more.

Dave's Woodshop's stunning baskets.

Dave’s Woodshop's booth was host to a stunning selection of scroll saw wooden baskets, trivets, and clocks. Cut from a selection of different exotic woods, we couldn’t take our eyes off of his handiwork. Since we bought a striking tigerwood basket for ourselves, we can continue to enjoy Dave’s his skillful creation at home.

If the shopping aisles were busy in the morning, by afternoon they’d reached the next level of congestion. Teeming with people, the aisles grew more challenging to navigate and patience is absolutely essential. For shoppers with strollers in tow, it seemed particularly difficult to get around the crowds and increasingly difficult to steer into a small, busy booth to explore. Moreover, with shoppers wandering crowded aisles with armfuls of handle bags, the bags proved somewhat hazardous to the children sitting in strollers with the tops of their heads landing regrettably at bag-height.

Beautiful shell trees and wreaths.

In the interest of time, we window shopped all the non-food aisles making notes of which booths we planned to revisit. Though it gave us an excellent overview of what the festival offered, doubling back to buy gifts proved trickier than we’d anticipated due to the increasing crowds. By the time we’d completed our return visits, we were left thoroughly over-stimulated and exhausted. Knowing that the Christmas Festival offers such an extensive variety of booths and goodies, our advice would be to make our purchases at the initial booth visit.

Muddy Mary's bloody mary "mud"
mixes were wrapped and ready to go.

The central aisle of the expo, dubbed The Farmers’ Market, is where you’ll find the majority of the food booths. As nearly every food vendor offers samples to taste, it’s also the busiest area of the festival. For cooks, bakers, food lovers, and kitchen gadget hoarders on your holiday list, you are sure to find something that will appeal. Many of the booths also cater to shoppers by selling foodie box sets or gift basket arrangements at several price points to simplify your holiday shopping. The smartest vendors here know that having gift options already in attractive packaging is a huge plus for shoppers. Even the bloody mary mix we bought from Muddy Mary’s Gourmet came in a festive shiny red box with a bow—all wrapped in advance for shoppers to grab and go.

L to R: Bags of Boonie Doon's delicious shortbread; Jarva Cakes sold in a jar; ready to cook soup mixes. 

McCrea's Candies' caramel gifts

Holiday-themed food gifts have the edge at the festival—you’ll have options such as peppermint bark, a variety of fancy kettle corn, holiday cookies, Maine’s own Jarva Cakes, Boston’s McCrea Candies’ tasty caramels, and the most outstanding shortbread we’d ever tasted from VT’s Bonnie Doon’s Scottish Shortbread. The Farmer’s Market is also where the Wakefield, MA’s Gingerbread Construction Company booth is located—perfect for buying or gifting a ready-to-decorate gingerbread house.  Many savory food booths featured holiday hosting appetizer ideas and small hostess gifts. These booths cover gourmet nuts, BBQ rubs and sauces, dip mixes, soup mixes, RI’s Gerbs Allergen Friendly Foods, sauces, dog treats, hot sauces, relishes, pepper jellies, and similar fare.

Physically there is a lot of ground to cover in this giant expo hall. Those who find it challenging to be on their feet for long stretches (on a concrete floor) or need frequent breaks may want to consider how they’ll manage. There is “café seating” at two ends of the large hall but nothing in between that can be easily accessed. The space is wheelchair accessible but, as with stroller, you may find the aisles quite crowded and it is a slow-going negotiation of space.

There are restrooms available in the box office lobby and more restrooms are situated in the absolute rear of the expo hall. The lobby bathrooms had long lines but the rear hall washrooms were rarely crowded and lines moved swiftly. An interesting perk of the bathroom is the display of lotions, hand sugar scrubs, soaps, and other goodies for testing out. These samples are provided by a handful of the festival vendors for attendees to sample and what a terrific idea! The ladies in the bathroom seem to appreciate the chance forgo the standard bathroom pump soap so they could try the goodies available on the counter. Moreover, the samples became a conversation piece between strangers while managing to lift everyone’s energy and spirit. Some vendors had smartly affixed a label to their sample to advise us of their booth number to find the item for purchase. It is funny how something so simple and small, left a huge impression on all of us.

We did see many families, lots of mother-daughter shopping pairs, a fair amount of families with young children in strollers, and a handful of families with preteens. We observed that some families gave their preteens a budget/allowance for making their own purchases and it seemed like a smart strategy for limiting persistent “can I get that?” needling—especially with so many retail goodies vying for attention.

As you’ll be shopping for hours at the festival, at some point you’re bound to get hungry. Snacking on samples in the Farmers’ Market aisle isn’t going to fill your belly. The expo floor does offer a snack bar where the lines can be long and the selection is slim—salads, and simple wraps. There are café tables near the snack bar where you can sit and eat your light fare but the tables don’t turnover as quickly as one would expect—especially as it’s the only place at the festival to rest your feet during hours of shopping.

It’s not a bad idea to pack your own lunch if you plan to spend the full day at the festival and folks with dietary concerns are encouraged to do just that. If you’d rather step out for lunch, it’s easy to grab a bite at one of the local bistros within walking distance in the Seaport District--just be sure to have your hand stamped by the ticket taker for re-admission later.

Though this was our first visit to the Boston Christmas Festival and Gingerbread House Competition, it won’t be our last. It was satisfying to get a head start on holiday shopping in early November and with such variety of vendors, you can find gifts which are bound to appeal to the most enigmatic of personalities or of very particular interests. The festival is well-organized and festival producers mount an impressive expo. Approximately 65% of the booths are repeat vendors and their prior experience at this festival shows both in their efficiency and they seem to have their finger on the pulse of the kinds of gifts early-holiday shoppers may be looking for.  

We appreciate the strong representation of New England-based businesses, and the emphasis on hand-crafted and artisan products. On the whole, the items being sold in the booths feel fresh and interesting—not the all-too-familiar offerings we often see on the “craft festival circuit.” Considering its size, there was a “personal touch” to this festival, likely owing to the large number of local makers and small local businesses vending here. In many cases, the person manning their booth is also the owner or artisan which adds to the quality of customer service and makes each gift purchase more meaningful knowing we are directly supporting our fellow New England neighbors.

Top Tips for Attending the Boston Christmas Festival

Arrive when the doors open to get a head start when the crowds are a bit lighter.

Buy your ticket in advance online. This will save you from standing in line at the box office (which you’ll have to do if you plan to redeem a coupon). For 2016, the online tickets have a reduced price but they’ll come with a small processing fee. Online tickets are the smartest way to go for this event.

Pack a lunch to eat at the festival or to step out for a bite make a reservation at one of the local bistros.

If you don’t mind a 12 minute walk, park at the Necco Garage to take advantage of $5/day flat weekend rate (Sat and Sun). Not only will you spare yourself the traffic jam from trying to park in a lot closer to the Trade Center but you’ll have an extra $23-25 in your pocket to shop with!

Plan to spend hours at the festival. With over 350 vendors plus the gingerbread house exhibit, you can easily spend 4-5 hours here, more if you like to browse slowly.

Every vendor we saw accepted credit cards.

The show floor at the World Trade Center offers free wi-fi which is handy.

If you wish to pack a snack in advance to tie you over there’s a 7-Eleven just outside the Trade Center’s entrance. If step out for lunch, there are many local bistros within walking distance of the Trade Center. in the Seaport District. Be sure to have your hand stamped by the ticket taker for re-admission.

The smell of cinnamon candles in the expo hall is incredibly strong. For those with fragrance sensitivities, this may be a challenging environment to spend time in.

It’s a challenge to navigate the crowds with kiddos and it’s tricky to move strollers through the aisles and into some booths. Kids in strollers seem to be especially exposed to shoppers’ handle bags inadvertently bumping against their heads. Those wearing their babies in a sling could move more freely but make no mistake, there are a lot of bodies all in one place—especially by the afternoon.

There are diaper changing tables in all of the women’s bathrooms.

If you are going with older children or teens, consider giving them an allotted amount to spend at the festival to limit incessant requests to buy buy buy all the great things they see!

  

Vermont's Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival - Where Medieval Engineering Meets Squash

by Deb Wojcicki / New England Fall Events

A late September treat for us, New England Fall Events enjoyed the 7th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival in Stowe, Vermont.

This one-day, family-friendly festival provided an exciting afternoon of fun featuring food and drink, the People's Choice Chili Cook-off, children's activities, music, and of course, the all-important pumpkin chuckin'!

The premise of this event centers around the engineering challenge of designing trebuchets of all size and types to hurl pumpkins across a field to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd. Twenty-six teams entered the competition this year in four categories: Heavyweight, Middleweight Open, Middleweight Junior and Lightweight.  Teams consisted of friends, family, and even Boy Scout troops.

For the uninitiated, trebuchets are a type of gravity-driven catapult employing a counter-weight system to sling projectiles towards some far-off target. Imagine a line of medieval-looking siege-machines set up in a field preparing to do battle...except instead of hurling rocks at castles, here they were competing with each other for the distinction of flinging pumpkins the farthest.

The larger the machine, the larger the pumpkin it can accommodate. As the trebuchets launched away, the projectile pumpkins rolled, bounced and splattered all over the field with officials chasing after the fruit to measure and record the distance flown.

Some spectators in attendance were there to appreciate the mechanical engineering involved; others were transfixed by the competition itself - either way, these machines were truly magnificent to watch.

When not mesmerized by flying pumpkins, children were entertained by giant board games, blocks and games of throwing skill. The bands played on and off during the event, which ran from 11:00am to 4:00pm. The chili cook-off judging began at 12:15pm and for a mere $5, festival attendees could taste the various chili offerings and vote for their favorite blend. Four teams entered the chili cook-off so there was plenty of variety and adult beverages could be purchased to round out the lunch.

The pumpkin chuckin' action began at 12:30pm and throughout the afternoon. The 8th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival is scheduled for Sunday, September 25, 2016 and it's a fine afternoon, we're sure, for trebuchets and chili.

Tips for Planning Your Trip to the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival:

Tickets are $5 at the door for adults and children 5 and older; younger kids get in for free.

Cash is king for food and drink at this festival.

Bring lawn chairs, a blanket, umbrellas, bug spray, sunscreen or anything else you'll need to be comfortable while you are watching the competition; there are no grandstands or picnic tables, but you may sit on the grass if you wish.

Dogs and outside food & beverages are not allowed.

There are a few tents for the food and such, but no indoor space to speak of. The event runs rain or shine.

Restroom facilities consist of porta-potties, but no lines were observed so there seemed to be plenty.

Trebuchet mishaps are rare, but they do occur. If you are watching from behind the trebuchet line, you may be asked to move while the machine in front of you is firing. Be prepared for a short wait between launches as the competition waits until the spectators are safely dispersed.

There are three rounds of competition, so get there when you can - it goes all afternoon.

Ample free parking is provided in a field adjacent to the event.

Traffic going in to the event was fairly smooth and parking easy to find; be patient when you leave as people tended to leave en masse at the end of each round of competition.

King Richard's Renaissance Faire Offers Costumed Charm and Good Cheer

The Jousting Challenge in the
tournament arena was a thrill!

New England Fall Events took a trip down 495 to celebrate the opening weekend of King Richard’s Faire in Carver, MA. Held over eight weekends in September and October, it is a mainstay of New England fall festivities as it enters its 35^th year.

Visit King Richard's Faire every weekend from September 3rd through October 23rd, 2016. Details here.

Set inside a forested expanse, the property is a dedicated space for this Renaissance festival. Crossing the threshold from the ticketing area into the faire-grounds, we were instantly transported to another world. We’d hardly taken ten steps before we were immersed by the trill of pipes and cheerful song. A dozen-plus performers dressed in period garb sang from the staircase of a Tudor-style building and most of the folks around us—customers? players?-- sang along heartily as well. The spirit and sense of community we felt was immediate, both qualities which persisted throughout the memorable day.

Performers and guests alike sing together

 We’d be remiss if we didn’t confess that this was our first “Ren Faire” experience so we honestly didn’t know what to expect or much about the world that we were walking into. It appears we were in the minority as most of the festival goers we saw very much did and it was a merry scene indeed.
Many of the faire’s attendees embrace the theme of the day employing various costumes, as they assumed characters and accents to add to the fun. With guests dressed in corsets and crowns, soldiers in armor, boots, archers, elves, and period lay-folk, we couldn’t tell the performers from the festival guests—a perk of the Renaissance Faire atmosphere.

Many of the guests wore lovingly hand- made costumes and it was common to see couples or whole families all dressed in character.  Others added just a small touch—elven ears or a set of fairy wings—to join in the spirit of the day.  Because dressing in character is so welcome and encouraged here, the faire also maintains a weapons policy just to be perfectly clear and all guests can feel comfortable.

L to R: Wood Nymph, Atmosphere at King Richards' Faire, Character roaming the grounds

Upon entering the front gates we were handed a multi-purpose printed flyer detailing a fairground map, merchant list, menu offerings (with vegetarian and gluten-free designations), game options, and a schedule of the daily events and special performances. This flyer became our go-to guide to everything we could possibly need to know for our visit. We sat down with our flyer and circled the performances that caught our eye to make sure we didn’t miss a thing.

Wood Nymph hiding among the trees

As we usually do, we wandered the grounds to gather a feel for the event. King Richard’s Faire is certainly not lacking in atmosphere or vibe in any way which makes it all the more fun for us first-timers. Being opening day, we witnessed plenty of mini reunions happening around us. One character (or was it a festival guest?) would spot another person across the glen and they’d run towards one another to embrace and ask (in character of course!) how their year has been.

We understood right away that King Richard’s Faire was very much an annual event for folks in attendance and most likely has been a place where special friendships have been forged through the years. Owing to this, the festival maintains a very intimate feel—not just in the magical setting of the sun spotted woods but in the familiarity and love between the festival goers and performers.

The setting of the faire is somewhat majestic in its own right. The entire fairground is festooned with banners and flags, the “cottages” and other buildings all designed in sturdy Tudor-style. If you want to buy “fur” stoles, hand-spun pottery, pewter goblets, embroidered capes, custom-crafted armor, elegant corsets, or leather goods you will find them sold along York Way, Royale Way, King’s Way, and Lancaster Lane. 

The goods are sold in proper buildings fitting the theme—a detail which adds much to the atmosphere and offers a sense of permanence and realism.

The attention to detail is what immerses you at King Richard’s Faire and why it’s so terrifically fun. Sure, there are plenty of inconsistencies to the time period such as selling French fries but if you’re going to do it, why not list them as “French Fryes” which they do. An there are a fair number of more “traditional” menu items and heartier English fare such as the Queen’s Turkey Stew, Shepherd’s Pye, or you can try for classic Fishe n’ Chips, and the Lord’s Pigge Sandwich (BBQ pulled pork). They have honey mead if you’d like to go old school ‘Ren beverage or “Gluten Free Beere” for a modern innovation. It should go without saying that the ginormous turkey leg is the food of choice at King Richard’s with the requisite photo-eating-leg that follows suit.

L to R: Theme inspired menu items, Food and beverage ticket booth, Giant turkey leg

The food vendors and other merchants dress in appropriately period-ish clothing though blessedly the food vendors skip employing an accent when taking your order. There are numerous vendors walking around selling flower headbands or roasted nuts and the colorful banners and giant sail cloths strung between the trees add to the festivities.

With nearly two dozen games featured in the Gaming Glen, there are endless ways to spend your time (and your money). What other festival invites you the chance to try your hand at axe- or knife-throwing? Archery was certainly the biggest draw with kids and adults lining up to land their quivers in the hay bales. Other games like “The Giant Strike” is a Ren-faire version of the familiar sledgehammer strength swing. It was as entertaining to watch people test their hand at these less familiar games as it was to play them.

L to R: Knife Throwing challenge, Archery booth, Guest trying his hand at archery.

We took in as many performances as we could—Daniel Duke of Danger acrobat, the Torture Show, Great Cats of the World, Jacques Ze Whippeur, The Mud Show, the Maypole Dance, Draiku Aerial Show, and The Challenge of Champions—and there were even more that we couldn’t see in time. All of these scheduled shows and performances were free, take place multiple times throughout the day, and there are always a few shows taking place in any given minute.

L to R: Draku Aerial Show, Daniel Duke of Danger, The Torture Show

Jacques Ze Whippeur entertained
large crowds throughout the day. 

With additional roaming entertainment wherever we went—a drummer and guitarist over there, princesses singing over here—we were never far from action. There were swashbuckling sword shows, tightrope walkers, and musical comedy to boot. There was nowhere on the faire-grounds where we didn’t hear a performer entertaining the crowds, catch laughter at somebody’s antics, or startle at the rhythmic crack of Jacques Ze Whippeur’s whip.

Spontaneous moments of “village life” spring up when you least expect and without fanfare. The funeral march pulling a white-sheet wrapped “body” and followed by a Grim Reaper was a good example of quiet moments of daily life unfolding in any moment.

Moments from the joyful Maypole Dance

The maypole dance (see our video clip) was lively and the dancers invited the bystanders to join in the weave.  The wild cat demonstration by Oregon’s Great Cats World Park (see our video clip from their snow leopard demo) was both fascinating and very educational and judging from the crowd it drew and the oohs and ahhs they elicited from said crowd, it was a true highlight for many, including us.

The Great Cats World Park delivered an entertaining and educational demonstration for the festival goers

It goes without saying that the three daily jousting competitions are eagerly anticipated by all. Held at the top, middle, and end of the day, there’s a chance to catch a show at some point during your visit. The large tournament field is fenced in and there is plenty of room to stand for the show or lounge on the surrounding lawn as many do. There is much pomp and circumstance for this event with the emcee narrating play-by-play of the action.

The Jousting Challenge in the Tournament Arena is one of the highlight of the faire

There are grand introductions of the competitors as the armored riders on their horses strut around the field to their starting corner. Costumed women pace outside of the fenced field cuing the spectators in applause and inviting each section to rally for their corner’s particular competitor.

Spectators are treated to a skill competition—riders throw spears into a target while their horse streaks across the field or wield a lance to thread a ring. The jousting re-enactment itself was neat to witness—would Sir Joseph best Don Metri? Does Sir Wilfred still have what it takes? The crowd thoroughly enjoyed this dusty event and it’s a classic experience to have at this festival.

Our visit to King Richard’s Faire was incredibly charming. The stunning weather made our trip all the more memorable and the dappled spots of sun streaming through the tall trees onto the cottages and stages will remain a lasting image for us from our time there. It’s a large scale festival—no shortage of production nor crowds-- but for us the experience retained a dreamy intimacy and community warmth. 

Some thoughts about attending  King Richard’s Faire with Kids

It should be said although we didn’t bring kids with us to this event in our advance research made us more than a little wary about whether this would be considered a kid-friendly event. It was unclear to us whether performances such titled the The Torture Show, Washing Well Wenches (billed as “wet, dirty women, good clean fun”), and pub sing-a-longs were lending itself to families even as they offered a designated kids area, kid games, and a “Princess Academy”. 

Jacob's Ladder tested adults and kids

From a pure atmosphere perspective, kid-friendly food options, and number of activities designed especially for children, it has more than enough to keep your children very engaged throughout the day. The costumes everywhere are sure to enchant children and they’ll absorb the experience like a kind of magical, wooded, tech-free theme park.

Shows like the wild cats, magic show, and Princess-sing-along are free and will certainly hold their attention and interest. Games such as “King of the Log” where kids “battle” with pillows to stay on top of a slippery log or try to climb up an extended rope ladder without flipping over and fallings softy onto the hay. You'll find pony rides ($6) and face and body painting ($15-30), a critter catapult (6 critters for $3) a Swan Swing ($4) so you can expect to have your "extras" add up very quickly after a few games.

L to R: Spitting a mouthful of mud at The Mud Show, Fire breathing at The Torture Show, Dragon at Draiku Aerial Show

Princess Sing-a-Long

One show we attended—The Mud Show—offered a verbal disclaimer at the start by announcing it was good bawdy fun and would have many adult jokes delivered with veiled references and double entendre (mostly of the sexual nature). They even said the kids would probably laugh along with everyone else even as they wouldn’t get the jokes—from what we witnessed it was a totally accurate assessment. While it is true that the double entendres and other intentionally low-brow jokes were genuinely obscure enough to go over the head of even the most precocious child, unless you were at The Mud Show at the very top, you’d never have heard that announcement. We didn’t see anything on their sign advising parents at-a-glance to help them make a judgment call as to which shows would be a good family-fit.

Father and son in matching skull capes

Due to scheduling we only caught parts of the very entertaining Jacques Ze Whippeur and, other than the suggestive nature of the names, nothing we heard or saw made this shows flat-out unsuitable for kids. Jacques Ze Whippeur gave a hilarious rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” while snapping his whip to keep rhythm. 

The Torture Show which featured traditional sideshow feats like fire breathing and inserting long needles through the skin—ouch! (middle schoolers would love this stuff.) came with a PG-13 rating on their event sign and they offer verbal disclaimers about the show content during the show as well.

Many families would dress up for the day

The Great Cats World Park Show was very kid-friendly but due to the nature of the performers (hello, predators!) the emcee did ask that small, wiggly children not sit in the first few rows and insisted that people not move from their seats while cats were on stage so as not to be mistaken for prey—and people absolutely listened—but the content held appeal for festival goers of every age. Here's our video clip from the Great Cats Tiger Demo.

If you are going with children and are unsure about the content of the shows consider stopping by the info booth as we’re confident they would happily make some recommendations for you.

Tips for visiting King Richard’s Faire

Wood nymph at King Richard's Faire

• Most of the events are in the shade and the sail cloths above picnic tables and stages offer additional coverage yet areas like the tournament field are full sun so consider sunscreen.
• Performances are free—and there are plenty to see—but any games will cost you extra and adds up quickly.
• Cash is the way to go here—you’ll need it to buy food tickets as plastic isn’t accepted (though an ATM is available for steep withdrawal surcharges). In fact, food vendors do not handle money transactions at all as they operate on a food ticket system which is a little inconvenient as the food ticket minimum (5) doesn’t typically line up with the prices of the food items.
• Some food price samples were $4 for water, $8 for chowder or stew, $9 for Italian sausage or a BBQ Sandwich, $10 for chicken fingers and fries, $11 for a turkey leg. Tickets are $29/adult and $16/children (ages 4-11y) online.
• You can buy tickets in advance online with plastic but tickets "at the gate" are CASH only!
• We were thrilled that the giant parking lot featured different colored flags at the end of each row. It was a snap to find our car at the end of the day. Other festivals please take note!
• There are many special themed events throughout the six weekends such as Vow Renewals Weekend, Game of Thrones Day, Prince and Princess Costume Contest, the Fairies and Pirates Costume Contest, and others.
• The tournament arena can get quite dusty once the action is underway. Choose a lawn seat if you have any respiratory sensitivities.
• Dress up! If you are even the tiniest bit inclined to add a cape, a crown, or don a corset, you’ll never find a more welcoming place to dress up than this one. The enthusiasm of the festival goers to dress up—even in a small way—add so much to the atmosphere of the event. We saw plenty of people carrying their own pewter goblets to sip from wherever they went.
• If you look carefully, there are rather unconventional looking water fountains near the food “court” saving you a few bucks on a beverage. Bring your own (pewter) mug to fill up and take on the go!
• Many of the featured performers will kindly ask for a gratuity if you enjoyed their show. These performers are playing their hearts out and are very entertaining. Pack some extra small bills to express your thanks.