Louisiana Renaissance Festival

Louisiana Renaissance Festival

An actress (Kimberly Stockton), playing Queen Elizabeth I, knights a young visitor
Genre Renaissance fair
Dates November - December
Location(s) Hammond, Louisiana
Inaugurated 1999
Attendance 25,000 (average)
Stages 7
Website
www.la-renfest.com

The Louisiana Renaissance Festival (abbreviated LARF) is a renaissance fair near Hammond, Louisiana. The festival takes place on a location that emulates a historical 16th century village (Albright) in England during the 1565 fall harvest festival. Renaissance fairs began in the 1960s in California. The Louisiana Renaissance Festival started in 2000 and it explores subcultural movements in the Renaissance art, crafts, music, and theatre.[1] Cast members are dressed as people would have been dressed during the 1560s.

The local cast at LARF is composed of enthusiasts from all over southeast Louisiana. The cast members regularly interact with the patrons of the faire and have been known to try to marry them, dance with them, bring patrons into random shows, and other mischief. The cast members dress in renaissance inspired clothing. Females wear an underskirt or peticoat with and outer skirt and accessories such as collars. Males wear knee length trousers, stockings, and a shirt.[2]

LARF features seven stages with interactive entertainment all day. There are over 100 merchants offering hand crafted wares.[3] These merchants also provide renaissance clothing, perfumes, ceramic horns, jewelry, and other distinct 16th century gift options.[4] The festival includes lots of food, drink, treats and spirits—both modern and historical. Foods such as jester chips, bread bowls, turkey legs, and gourmet mushrooms are served.[5] There is also a large "living village" reenactment with live cast members ready to show visitors a glimpse of preindustrial life.

While still small in comparison to other older renaissance festivals, including the neighboring giant, Texas Renaissance Festival, whose open season partly overlaps LARF. The Texas Renaissance Festival is the biggest in the United States and people travel from all over to come see the festival that has run for 40 years. The Texas Renaissance Festival is held in Todd Mission, Texas, about 50 miles outside of Houston, Texas.[6] LARF enjoys a reputation of hospitality that has built a strong base of loyal visitors from all over the country.

LARF was opened in 1999 to become Louisiana's first public annual renaissance festival. It is only open from the first weekend in November and runs for the following six weeks, including the Friday after Thanksgiving. LARF is also last renaissance festival of the year-long season and closes the season with a closing gate jam and firework display over the lake.

In 2002 LARF received an award for best New Event of the Year Division,[7] and it has been selected for two years as one of the Southeast Tourism Society's TOP 20 Events in the Southeast.[8]

LARF is a sponsor of the Renaissance Living History Center.

See also

References

  1. ↑ McCallister, Kathleen (2012). "Well Met: Renaissance Faires and the American Counterculture". Library Journal. 137 (17): 93.
  2. ↑ Joost-Gaugier, Christiane (Spring 2002). "Renaissance Clothing and Materials of Memory". The Sixteenth Century Journal. 33 (1): 238–239.
  3. ↑ http://www.la-renfest.com/festival/shops.asp
  4. ↑ "Louisiana Renaissance Festival". NewsBank. American Press (Lake Charles, LA). November 23, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Louisiana Renaissance Festival". NewsBank. American Press (Lake Charles, LA). November 23, 2007.
  6. ↑ Martin, Betty (October 21, 2013). "Largest Renaissance Festival Brings Old-Time Fun to Texas". Xinhua News Agency.
  7. ↑ http://www.la-renfest.com/
  8. ↑ http://www.escapetothesoutheast.com/top_20_oct_2007.asp#nov
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