How to Work at a Renaissance Faire

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: December 10, 2022

Renaissance festivals are an event held in the United States that mimic the Renaissance time period. Fairs include the sale of arts and crafts, Renaissance food, jousting and plays – all relative to the time period. If you'd like to work at a Renaissance festival, there are many places to work. You may obtain employment in concessions, selling food or merchandise, or as a member of a guild. If this type of work sounds exciting to you, working at a Renaissance festival might be a great job.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Attending Orientation

1
Research local or state Renaissance festivals. Do you already have a Renaissance festival that you would like to join in mind, or do you need to do some research? Once you decide that you want to work at a Renaissance fair it’s important to start researching potential festivals to work at early and often. Many Renaissance festivals do their hiring way ahead of time, so you need to make sure you start looking at least six to eight months before the festival.
- Start by doing an internet search for local or state Renaissance fairs. Navigate to their website and look for potential employment opportunities. A lot of them will allow you to apply for certain entry-level jobs directly from the website. However, it’s a good idea to attend the festival orientation before you apply.
2
Attend the pre-fair all-purpose orientation. This is the first step that you need to take once you find your festival. ^{[1]
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Research source} The orientation will allow you to get your foot in the door, potentially make some connections, and start to figure out what you may be suited for.
- At the orientation, you will discover what employment opportunities are available and you’ll be given an overview of the Renaissance festival. This is a great way to gauge if you really want to be employed at a Renaissance festival. If so, you need to figure out what type of work you should be doing.
- The pre-faire presentation will include a description of job requirements^{[2]
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3
Find the Renaissance festival job posting board after the orientation. If you don't know where the job board is located, ask one of the facilitators at the orientation for directions.
- The orientation will help you understand the details of each job, so you’ll be able to make an informed decision. Apply for a job you think you’ll be good at and enjoy.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Choosing and Applying for a Job

1
Sign up for an entry-level job. You could work at a concession booth, games and rides, or in the kitchen. Concession booths are owned and operated by the booth owner, sometimes independently of the festival. ^{[4]
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Research source} You will need to find the owner and fill out an application. When you look for a job at a Renaissance fair, you may fill out more than 1 application to ensure you obtain employment.
- Working for concessions may require you to have previous customer service experience. You’ll also be dealing with crowds and money all day, so you should be asked to perform well in a high pressure environment.
- Most entry level jobs will pay an hourly wage.
2
Sign up for a guild. If you have acting talent, you may want employment as a performing artist. If you are a musician, sign up for the music guild, and if you are a dancer, sign up for the dance guild. ^{[5]
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Research source} Other guilds may include the Irish guild, the peasant guild, or the court guild.
3
Consider being an artisan. If you currently woodwork as a hobby, you might be able to turn that into a full time profession. Leather working, clothing design, glass blowing, and welding are all potential craft careers^{[6]
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- The upside to being an artisan is that you are your own boss and you can work your own hours, sell your crafts to people at the fair, and enjoy your hobby while making money. The downside is that your costs will be high and you have no safety net. If no one buys anything that you’re selling, you’ll be stuck. There is no hourly wage for artisans.^{[7]
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4
Find week work. Even if you don’t land any of the jobs that you applied for you still may be able to find some work if you go to the fair and make connections. Talk to artisans that you would like to work with and see if they’ll pay you a small sum to help out through the course of the festival. It isn’t hard to find work if you are industrious.^{[8]
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- You can also do basic work like bookkeeping or security. ^{[9]
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5
Go to the audition or interview. When working at a Renaissance trade fair you may have to audition for a part.^{[10]
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- Similarly, you may get an interview to work for an entry-level job in the kitchen, for games and rides, or cleaning. If that’s the case you should bring a resume that shows you have the skills to work that job.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Preparing for the Festival

1
Determine what workshops you need to go to. Generally, all new Renaissance festival employees will be required to attend a language and costume workshop^{[11]
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2
Take the language workshop. When working at a Renaissance trade fair, you need to learn basic Elizabethan speech. Generally, all employees are required to learn Elizabethan speech. ^{[12]
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Research source} Even if you are working with the kitchen staff there is a chance that you may interact with someone visiting the fair. In that situation you need to be able to speak in an Elizabethan dialect.
- Elizabethan English is the type of English that was spoken during the Elizabethan time period. This is the type of English that Shakespeare used. There are 24 letters versus the modern 26.
3
Go to the costume workshop.^{[13]
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Research source} Dress during the Renaissance time period reflected the status of the individual. For instance, a peasant would dress differently than a noble person. When you have a job at a Renaissance fair, you must dress according to the part you play. Once again, even if you are working in the kitchen staff you need to wear period appropriate clothing on the way to and from your post.
4
Get your costume approved. At most Renaissance fairs you need to provide your own costume. Before you begin your job at a Renaissance fair, you must have your costume inspected by your employer. They will determine if it is an appropriate outfit for you to wear given your position.
- If your employer does not approve your costume make sure you ask for helpful advice. They should give it to you unprompted. However, make sure the instructions are very clear so that you are prepared next time.

Community Q&A

Question

How old do I have to be?

Community Answer

The youngest I've seen is around 16 years of age to 18, but the general age is in the later teens. It also depends on the area.
Question

How much do I get paid?

Community Answer

It depends on the area, but 6 to 7 dollars per hour is probably typical. You might get more on the weekends as well.