Applying to Ren Faires?

[Seatan]

Has anyone here ever worked at a Ren Faire? I am asking for two reasons:

1) Is it a horrible job? Is having to sit around in your tail in the hot sun all day worth it for the joys of playing mermaid? I am in Texas, so even in the Spring it will be hot, but I sure would enjoy being a mermaid there! (Me loves me a Renaissance Faire long time)

2) I am wondering if the faire near me (Scarborough Faire) has a policy where you have to have worked as a ticket taker/food service person/whatever before you can be a performer? I know some faires do... The girl I met who attends the school I work at was one of the mermaids at Scarborough last year, when they had their very first mermaid lagoon and FinFolk provided the tails. I would like to apply to be a mermaid there this summer (with my own tail), but I have no interest in working there as something other than a mermaid. If I can't get hired, I'll just get a season pass! But there is a job fair coming up in March, and I am thinking about just taking my tail with me and going and seeing what happens...

Any thoughts? Has anyone here had RenFaire experience that they want to share?

[Mermaid Dottie]

Yeah, I've worked a few faires.

Unfortunately, my faires have all been rather cold, being in May and September in northern Utah. And I've swam at every faire. in the cold. :( Still, joyful children's smiles are pretty warm. <3

About your second question, I'm not sure. I joined a guild last year, which has gotten me into parades and all kinds of stuff, and before that I just offer to come perform for tips. our faires are still very little, so that's how I got in.

[Thalassa]

I've mermaided at most of the local faires as well as a couple out of state. The Vegas faire was pretty warm, I'd definitely recommend some shade and a way to move around in Texas. Also, keep a bottle of water handy to drink and a spray bottle of water to spritz yourself. Tails get HOT in the sun, and even if the water is lukewarm it provides relief. I once actually had someone go get me a kiddie pool and fill it with ice because I looked too overheated!

Honestly, my number one tip for getting into faires is to get into a guild or get to know someone. The more people who know you at faire, the more opportunity there is to say, "Hey, do you want a mermaid?" The best thing is that a lot of the same people go to different faires, and striking up a friendship can open doors to more faires! I mostly work faires for tips and board, I use faires to try new things as well. Other than that, the thing that got me into faires was reaching out to the faire organizers and guilds online. I asked who I would contact or what I should do if I wanted to participate, and they were more than happy to help me or direct me to someone who could.

As for whether it's worth it, it depends on how comfort oriented you are. It is usually pretty uncomfortable, but you get lots of attention and the kids absolutely love it!

[NerineArcticMermaid]

Thalassa... Vegas is my hometown... I used to work that faire from 1994-2003 :)

[Thalassa]

Awesome, Nerine! It was my first year at Vegas this year. It was AMAZING!

[Kishiko]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but... I was approached by a Ren Faire to come perform, and they want a price quote so the lady can pitch the idea to the board. How much is average for say just sitting in a lounge chair and on the other hand something like having a small pool and handing out treasures?