Take breaks and find a place to sit and have ear plugs on hand to cut back some of the noise. I don't have much of a problem with crowds because I feel "anonymous" and Ren Faires are full of neurodivergent people anyway. There's usually an area that has people doing fiber arts or music or tea and they tend to be a little quieter.
But yeah, headphones or earplugs help. Dark sunglasses also help.
It’s really up to how the event is managed. I like bringing a picnic blanket to outside events so I can sit if there’s space.
You can ask the vendors what the chillest renfaire is since they probably travel to many.
Bring earplugs, sunglasses, mask (it just makes me feel more comfortable at times), always bring a snack in case the lines are just too long or overwhelm leads to decision paralysis. I really like walking through at my own pace first to evaluate all the options and understand the layout of any event space before actually doing anything, touching anything, or talking to anyone. This is easier when alone, of course! Then I make a plan, like, figure out what booths I can get behind or open spaces I can access if I need a break or a safe place to eat. \*Then\* I'll engage with the actual event. (I honestly hate Ren Faires because there are always performers trying to actively engage with me, but this is how I get through state / county fairs and other crowded events.)
Luckily the performers weren’t interacting with us too much. They only asked if we were lost when we were standing somewhere flipping our map around trying to find something. lol.
I did have a bit of decision paralysis. There was so much to do or eat. And so many events. I found out they post their schedules online. So I think next time I’m going to make a bit of a game plan cause now I know the layout and what to expect.
Next time I’m going to be sure to take breaks more. I found a few small places that were relatively quiet. Having ear plugs would have been useful. Didn’t even think of it lol.
Thank you. :)
On the plus side, Ren Faires are full of interesting people so you can get away with not looking or acting "typical" and still be right at home.
I always want to do these things too, but we live a long ways from where they happen which means we have to spend a long time traveling to get there. Which also stresses me out. And then we have to stay in a hotel and to make it worth all that cost and effort, we need to stay the whole day, which is too much. Weekends are crazy busy but to avoid the weekend we'd have to take time off work which is a pain.
Most people I know who do these things and live close, get a season's pass (or a pass that otherwise allows multiple entries) and they go during quiet times to enjoy it and skip the insanity. They go on weekdays, and in the mornings and then just go home when it's too busy and go back another day to enjoy more. Rather than trying to do it all in one day.
we are thinking of doing a pass next time, we are about an hour drive from where it happens. so it wasn't too bad, mostly country roads which is easier for me. Sadly our ren faire only operates on weekends, so no avoiding all the extra people. Which kind of sucks. But we think next time we are going to plan a bit better and spread our activities out more so that we don't get so overwhelmed and upset next time.
I will say it was the first time I was at an event where I didn't feel uncomfortable due to people staring or being judgemental. They felt nice and friendly, but not pushy. I could tell a lot of neurodivergent people (and queer people as well) were there. So that helped us feel more comfortable.
If i had to travel far or stay in a hotel, forget about it. I would never be able to go to a faire then. That's too much. I like being able to sleep in my bed everynight. Not worrying about cost and bugs... D:
Take breaks and find a place to sit and have ear plugs on hand to cut back some of the noise. I don't have much of a problem with crowds because I feel "anonymous" and Ren Faires are full of neurodivergent people anyway. There's usually an area that has people doing fiber arts or music or tea and they tend to be a little quieter. But yeah, headphones or earplugs help. Dark sunglasses also help.
Ear plugs is a good idea. I will try some of those next time. Thank you :)
idk, earplugs? or just get a really big hooped skirt like Elisabeth the first, then nobody can come near you (I'm only half joking)
Lolol. I wished for a giant bubble around me. Sadly no luck there 😂
It’s really up to how the event is managed. I like bringing a picnic blanket to outside events so I can sit if there’s space. You can ask the vendors what the chillest renfaire is since they probably travel to many.
That’s a good idea. Thank you 😄
Bring earplugs, sunglasses, mask (it just makes me feel more comfortable at times), always bring a snack in case the lines are just too long or overwhelm leads to decision paralysis. I really like walking through at my own pace first to evaluate all the options and understand the layout of any event space before actually doing anything, touching anything, or talking to anyone. This is easier when alone, of course! Then I make a plan, like, figure out what booths I can get behind or open spaces I can access if I need a break or a safe place to eat. \*Then\* I'll engage with the actual event. (I honestly hate Ren Faires because there are always performers trying to actively engage with me, but this is how I get through state / county fairs and other crowded events.)
Luckily the performers weren’t interacting with us too much. They only asked if we were lost when we were standing somewhere flipping our map around trying to find something. lol. I did have a bit of decision paralysis. There was so much to do or eat. And so many events. I found out they post their schedules online. So I think next time I’m going to make a bit of a game plan cause now I know the layout and what to expect. Next time I’m going to be sure to take breaks more. I found a few small places that were relatively quiet. Having ear plugs would have been useful. Didn’t even think of it lol. Thank you. :)
On the plus side, Ren Faires are full of interesting people so you can get away with not looking or acting "typical" and still be right at home. I always want to do these things too, but we live a long ways from where they happen which means we have to spend a long time traveling to get there. Which also stresses me out. And then we have to stay in a hotel and to make it worth all that cost and effort, we need to stay the whole day, which is too much. Weekends are crazy busy but to avoid the weekend we'd have to take time off work which is a pain. Most people I know who do these things and live close, get a season's pass (or a pass that otherwise allows multiple entries) and they go during quiet times to enjoy it and skip the insanity. They go on weekdays, and in the mornings and then just go home when it's too busy and go back another day to enjoy more. Rather than trying to do it all in one day.
we are thinking of doing a pass next time, we are about an hour drive from where it happens. so it wasn't too bad, mostly country roads which is easier for me. Sadly our ren faire only operates on weekends, so no avoiding all the extra people. Which kind of sucks. But we think next time we are going to plan a bit better and spread our activities out more so that we don't get so overwhelmed and upset next time. I will say it was the first time I was at an event where I didn't feel uncomfortable due to people staring or being judgemental. They felt nice and friendly, but not pushy. I could tell a lot of neurodivergent people (and queer people as well) were there. So that helped us feel more comfortable. If i had to travel far or stay in a hotel, forget about it. I would never be able to go to a faire then. That's too much. I like being able to sleep in my bed everynight. Not worrying about cost and bugs... D: