Everywhere there is a joustling throng--patrons in garb and out; players in courtly fashion and others garbed as peasants, merchants, clerics or knights; performers juggling, throwing knives, eating fire; actors, troubadors and entertainers reciting their lines, singing bawdy ballads, performing comedy routines on the stage or in the street--all thrown together in the dusty lanes between quaint Old English shops, with a few horses and carriages tossed in for "flavor"!

The sounds of bagpipes skirling, dulcimers playing and drums beating rises above the noise of the crowd. Here there is the thunder of hooves, the clash of steel and the breaking of lances as knights meet in the Lists; or the roar of the cannons as the Pirates fire off a cannonade at noon; or the cheery "Good Den, m'Lord. How may I serve thee?"of a smiling, buxom young servingwench at one of the many pubs and taverns.

Faire is also a riot of color and a feast for the eye: flags, banners, exotic costumes, splendid armor, caprisoned horses and colorful pavilions. It is the feel of real wood and ceramic, leather and metal, velvet and lace offered in shops wherein are gathered the Treasures of Ind and the Riches of Far Cathay. Succulent scents drift down the wind: woodsmoke and turkey legs roasting, Scottish eggs frying and the heady scent of mead in the air. Fie on manners, then! An thou'rt hungered, let the juices dribble down thy chin and wipe them off with thy sleeve! Be thou parched? Toss back an ale (with a salute to the Queen, of course!) and live--for this be Faire!

Nor are any two Renaissance Festivals exactly alike...

A small Faire such as the Excalibur Medieval Fantasy Faire, for example, simply cannot be compared favorably to a large "corporate" Faire such as the Texas Renaissance Festival; but that does not necessarily mean that Excalibur is any the less enjoyable for those who play or attend! Verily, each Faire has its own unique character, individual "flavor" and personal merits. For that reason, Ryleh does not (nor ever will) compare Faires, one with another, within these pages. Rather, he has tried to evoke the spirit and capture the "feel" of each Festival--with words, with pictures and with sounds herein. Mayhap, an he has been successful, these few sounds and images will serve to convey somewhat of the color, richness and pageantry which is the real Renaissance Festival Experience!