Genre Renaissance faire Inaugurated 1962 Stages 11 | Dates April - May Attendance 250,000 (average) Location Irwindale | |
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The Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California (RPFS), is the first, original modern Renaissance faire; it opened in 1963 and has run yearly since that time. Presently owned by Renaissance Entertainment Productions (REP), it is a commercial re-enactment of a 1580s market faire at Port Deptford, a water front town located in Elizabethan England. The fair is generally open from the first weekend in April through the weekend before Memorial Day.
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History
Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California (RPFS) began in tandem with the Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Northern California (RPFN) in 1963 in the Spring and Fall respectively by Ron Patterson and Phyllis Patterson and the non-profit organization Living History Center (LHC) as the first renaissance faire in America. RPFS was first staged at Agoura Hills, moved to the Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore, California, surrounding most of the lake, moved to the opposite shore, and most recently, has been moved to the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale, California. RPFS has also experienced new ownership starting with LHC (1963), then to Renaissance Entertainment Corp (REC)(1993), a for-profit corporation, and finally to Renaissance Entertainment Productions (REP), also a for-profit corporation. Some believe the faire has, under the new management, become more family oriented.
Attire
RPFS's actors portray the dress found in the Elizabethan era, or more precisely during the reign of Elizabeth I, 1558-1603. All actors' costumes go through a rigorous approval process ensuring authenticity. Generally there are five types: Yeoman Class, Merchant Class, Gentry, Nobility, and Military. There are also other cultures represented such as the Scots, Italians, Germans, Spaniards and various Arab cultures, as well as various other performance groups such as mongers, Puritans, adventurers and inventors. These are organized into guilds. Visitors, commonly known as patrons, are encouraged to dress up as well but Elizabethan "garb" is optional.
