Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California (RPFS), is the first, original modern Renaissance Fair; it opened in 1963 and has run ever since.[1] Presently owned by Renaissance Entertainment Productions (REP), it is a commercial re-enactment of a 1580s[2] market faire at Port Deptford[3], an imaginary water front town located in Elizabethan England.

Contents

[edit] History

Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California (RPFS) began in tandem with the Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Northern California (RPFN) in 1963 in the Spring and Fall respectively by Phyllis Patterson and the non-profit organization Living History Center (LHC)[4] as the first renaissance faire in America. RPFS was first staged at Agoura, moved to Glen Helen surrounding most of the lake, moved to the opposite shore, and most recently, has been moved to Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area. RPFS has also experienced new ownership starting with LHC(1963), then to Renaissance Entertainment Corp (REC)(1993), a for-profit corporation, and finally to Renaissance Entertainment Productions (REP), also a for-profit corporation. On the other hand, some believe the faire has, under the new management, become more family orientated.[5] [6]

[edit] Attire

RPFS's actors portray the dress found in the Elizabethan Era, or more precisely during the life of Elizabeth Tudor, 1558-1603. All actors' costumes go through a rigorous approval process ensuring authenticity. Generally there are four types: Peasant Class, Middle Class, Nobility, and Military. Visitors, commonly known as patrons, are encouraged to dress up as well but Elizabethan "garb" is optional.[7]

[edit] See Also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Peter Thomas and Richard J. Sneed, The Faire: Photographs and History of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire from 1963 onwards, The Good Book Press, 1987.
  2. ^ REC California Faire Specifics. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
  3. ^ Renaissance Pleasure Faire - Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
  4. ^ Ren Faire: RPFI: History.
  5. ^ RPFI California Faire History. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
  6. ^ Renaissance Pleasure Faire is for young and old. El Paisano (2008-05-16). Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
  7. ^ Mills, Michelle J.. "Come play at the Faire", Pasadena Star-News, 2008-03-29. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 

[edit] External Links

This festival-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.