How to survive your first Renaissance Festival

The first rule of Renaissance festivals: Don't be afraid to wear a costume.

Sure, when a Renaissance festival first-timer sees the cool outfits and swords and furry and leathery apparel participants will be wearing at this weekend's Age of Chivalry Renaissance Festival, the thought of showing up in less-cool costumes can be scarier than a dragon with acid reflux.

But festival regulars say that dressing up in your medieval — or pirate, or fairy, or barbarian — best will put you in the proper mood and make your visit one for, well, the ages.

The 22nd annual Age of Chivalry Renaissance Festival runs Friday through Sunday at Sunset Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Day-of-show three-day passes are $30 for adults and $20 for seniors and children, and day-of-show single-day tickets are $15 and $10 respectively. Children age 5 and younger are admitted free. For advance tickets and package pricing, visit www.lvrenfair.com.

Don't worry if you've never experienced the elaborate drama that is a Renaissance festival. Picking up on the basics is easy.

Understand, first, that the idea is to re-create the vibe of the European Renaissance period through costuming, music and period-friendly activities from jousting tournaments to parades. Note, however, that at many festivals — including this weekend's — the Renaissance is just the beginning.

In fact, the Age of Chivalry Renaissance Festival's participants will re-create a broad swath of real and imaginary history, bringing to life everything from a 6th century English militia company to an Elizabethan-era tavern, to Norsemen of 937 A.D. to the 1600s to, well, a whole bunch of pirates.

The people re-creating all of this history belong to groups called guilds, which can hold differing views about hewing to strict historical accuracy. For instance, Matt Nelson, guild master of the Las Vegas-based Dogs of War guild, says that while his barbarian-themed guild strives to be as accurate as it can in depicting the historical doings of Mongols, Huns, Vikings, Celts and Goths, "we are more of a guild that tries to convey the classic barbarian image rather than be very historically correct."

But, he adds, "there are many guilds that take their history very seriously, and they make a great effort to be as historically accurate as possible, down to the tools they use and the materials in the costumes and that kind of thing."

"I would say that about half the guilds, everybody has at least one foot in history, but some are more fantastical, some are taken from literature," Nelson says, and most "really try to provide a slice of history from the time period for people to experience."

Brian Saliba, Clark County Parks and Recreation program supervisor for special events, says at least 37 guilds are scheduled to participate in this weekend's event. (Visit www.LVRenFair.com for guild bios and a breakdown of activities each will offer at the fair.)

So, when you arrive, make it a point to visit the various guild camps, where you can get a close-up peek of members' costumes, weaponry and accessories, and learn about the era the guild is re-creating. "A lot of people who have never been to the fair don't realize they're allowed to go into the areas," Nelson says.

Dogs of War's encampment, for example, is "designed to look how we think a barbarian war camp" would have looked circa 700 A.D., Nelson says, adding that "every guild loves it when you walk into their encampment, and if you're in costume, that's even better."

Which brings us to that wear-a-costume advice. Wearing a costume makes you "feel you're part of the show," Nelson says.

A guild member typically will create a bio and name for the character he or she is portraying — Nelson's is "Wulfgar, and he's kind of a powerful Viking raider" — and guild members enjoy interacting with costume-wearing guests.

"If we see a young boy as a knight or a girl as a fairy or a princess, anyone in these costumes, we will definitely interact off of that and try to talk to them in character and make them feel special," Nelson says. "And don't worry. There's no such thing as a wrong costume."

Then, because the fair is designed to be a family-friendly event, be sure to check out activities for children. For instance, Saliba says, kids can attend gladiator school and learn gladiatorial skills by wielding a foam sword and shield, and participate in games and contests.

Be sure to check out the entertainers, too. This year's festival will include jugglers, minstrels, magicians, singers and other performers, as well as musical groups performing Celtic, traditional and other styles of music.

As guild members, "we have a lot of responsibilities back at our camp, but we always make it a point, especially in the evening, to listen to the music and the entertainment," Nelson says. "The entertainers are artists, just like us, but they craft music instead of costumes and objects."

Check out vendors and merchants, too, Nelson says, who "have fantastic stuff and treasures for you to buy, unique things that you can't get anywhere else."

Be sure to sample the food as well. Saliba says more than a dozen food vendors are slated to be at the festival, and all have been asked to serve at least one fair-appropriate food.

Besides, he adds, "you cannot have a Renaissance fair without turkey legs."

One nugget of advice that's new for this year, Saliba says: Download the festival app by texting the word "royalty" to 99629.

The app will offer guests "the most up-to-date information" about the fair, Saliba says. "It's the first time we have launched a mobile app for any Clark County event, so it's really exciting."

Those are the Renaissance festival do's. And don'ts? "There aren't many," Nelson says. "The Renaissance fair is a very welcoming place."

But, he says, "don't grab someone's weapon or pick up a valuable artifact that's sitting on a table. Most of the guilds prefer you look, not touch."

Don't be rude to performers. "Anything that could get you into trouble in a theme park, just don't do it there, either," Nelson says.

Above all else, have fun. Nelson says the appeal of Renaissance festivals is the chance to "create something new and to create something for other people to see and enjoy."

But, he adds, it's also "an escape from the hustle and bustle and stress of everyday life. For a brief, short time, you can step out of your normal life to be something wonderful and unique, a character of your own creation, almost like pretending to be a hero of some sort."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280 or follow @JJPrzybys on Twitter.