Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California


The Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California is a Renaissance faire that takes place in Irwindale, California. It opened in the spring of 1963 and has been an annual event since then. Presently owned by Renaissance Entertainment Productions, it is a commercial reenactment of a 1580s market faire at Port Deptford, a waterfront town in Elizabethan era England. The Faire is generally open from the first weekend of April through the weekend before Memorial Day.

History

Created by Ron Patterson and Phyllis Patterson, the radio station KPFK, and the nonprofit organization Living History Center, the first Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California was first staged at Agoura Hills in the spring of 1963. The first Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Northern California occurred in the fall of 1967.
In 1989, RPFS was moved to the Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore, California; and finally in 2005 to its present location, the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale, California.
In 1999, RPFN was moved to the Nut Tree in Vacaville, California and later was relocated again to Casa de Fruta in the Hollister/Gilroy area south of San Jose.
In 1993, RPFS was purchased by Renaissance Entertainment Corp, a for-profit corporation; and later by its current owners, Renaissance Entertainment Productions , under whom the Faire has become more family-oriented.
2020 saw the COVID-19 pandemic as grounds for cancellation; the 58th was deferred to 2021.

Attire

The costumes worn by official RPFS's actors are styled after those of the period of Elizabeth I of England and must pass a rigorous approval process ensuring their authenticity. There are five general classes of attire: Yeoman, Merchant, Gentry, Nobility and Military. Other cultures represented include Scottish/Irish Highlanders, Germanic Landsknechts, Italians, Spaniards, and various Arabian cultures. There are also performance groups such as mongers, Puritans, adventurers and inventors, which are organized into guilds. Patrons are encouraged to wear Renaissance-inspired costumes, but are not required to adhere to the Elizabethan period. They are also welcomed to participate by dressing up to join the fun on various themed weekends. Recent themed weekends include categories such as "time traveler weekend" which suggest patrons attend in costumery from any time period and any location in the world. While this broadens the scope of potential patron interest, it may detract from the Elizabethan tone of the setting.