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> Renaissance fairs don’t really exist in Europe. We have them in Slovenia. In the summer local castles will put on a fair for the tourists and kids. Sometimes

by Swizec 1y ago

> Renaissance fairs don’t really exist in Europe. We have them in Slovenia. In the summer local castles will put on a fair for the tourists and kids. Sometimes multiple! Typically you get a visiting troupe or two from Italy, they like to do flag twirling shows. There’s always a group of folks from Czech who put on an armored fighting competition. I’ve seen jousting tournaments too. And then you have a slew of local artisans selling wares roughly inspired by the time period. There’s often an outdoor play or two, maybe belly dancing. It’s all great fun.

A_D_E_P_T 1y ago
There were at least a dozen this past summer. There was one in Žovnek Castle two weeks ago. A couple of weeks before that, in Ptuj. Before that, in Celje. Before that, there was a Roman-era festival in Ptuj, which was seriously cool. And the best medieval-themed festival was in Žužemberk. I went to all of them because I have young kids and they love that stuff. It's a fun day out. Also gives us an excuse to wear all of the arms and armor we've collected, lol. There are lots of these in Austria, too, BTW. There was a two-week-long joust fair/festival by Millstätter See in early August! In truth, these festivals are all over Europe. They're just not well advertised, so you have to look for them. The next one in the region, by the way, is the medieval-themed Advent festival at the castle in Friesach. (Austria.) I'll be there for sure.
- Swizec 1y ago
  > In truth, these festivals are all over Europe. They're just not well advertised, so you have to look for them. Considering how crowded they feel, I’d say the advertising is plenty sufficient. They’re local events with limited space.
  - A_D_E_P_T 1y ago
    That's true of some of them. Some of the other ones -- usually the ones in out-of-the-way castles (but also, surprisingly, both of the events in Ptuj) -- could have been twice as busy, and they'd still have plenty of room. Ah, anyway, it's nice that there's always something to do on a Summer's weekend...

by Swizec 1y ago

A_D_E_P_T 1y ago

There were at least a dozen this past summer. There was one in Žovnek Castle two weeks ago. A couple of weeks before that, in Ptuj. Before that, in Celje. Before that, there was a Roman-era festival in Ptuj, which was seriously cool. And the best medieval-themed festival was in Žužemberk. I went to all of them because I have young kids and they love that stuff. It's a fun day out. Also gives us an excuse to wear all of the arms and armor we've collected, lol. There are lots of these in Austria, too, BTW. There was a two-week-long joust fair/festival by Millstätter See in early August! In truth, these festivals are all over Europe. They're just not well advertised, so you have to look for them. The next one in the region, by the way, is the medieval-themed Advent festival at the castle in Friesach. (Austria.) I'll be there for sure.

Swizec 1y ago
> In truth, these festivals are all over Europe. They're just not well advertised, so you have to look for them. Considering how crowded they feel, I’d say the advertising is plenty sufficient. They’re local events with limited space.
- A_D_E_P_T 1y ago
  That's true of some of them. Some of the other ones -- usually the ones in out-of-the-way castles (but also, surprisingly, both of the events in Ptuj) -- could have been twice as busy, and they'd still have plenty of room. Ah, anyway, it's nice that there's always something to do on a Summer's weekend...