Hundreds of attendees of all ages played archery games, enjoyed food and rode swings pushed by men while dressed up as elves, mushrooms and other woodland beings at the 2023 Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire Cottage Core-themed weekend.
Cottage Core, the aesthetic movement based on the picturesque fields found in the English countryside inspired several of the outfits seen at the fair. Attendees visibly poured hours of work into their outfits.
The themed fair was held on May 6 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Santa Fe Recreation Area in Irwindale, California and despite the warm weather, guests stayed committed to their extravagant and layered attire.
According to the box office worker Carolyn Wheeler, while the fair is used to large crowds the attendance this time was higher than on a usual weekend.
For those who didn’t come to the event in costume, stands with props and outfits for sale were spread throughout the fairgrounds, including a booth dedicated to selling flower crowns.
The crowns were even decorated to fit with the weekend’s theme, as mushrooms were woven into the traditionally all-floral crowns, a motif that is especially popular in cottage core styles.
“I had never heard of the term (cottage core),” said flower crown maker Marty Kuhne, “but we’ve been sneaking in mushrooms, they’re supposed to be poisonous.”
Ren faire attendee Laine Hunkler works for Cirque du Soleil as a makeup and wig artist and used her talents to cultivate her own costume and face paint.
She and her friend have driven out from Las Vegas to California every year for the past 8 years to attend the fair as a birthday tradition.
Hunkler was dressed in an intricate costume complete with a dragon puppet she named Sage. She built her own staff but pieced together the outfit through pre-existing items.
When compared to a completely handmade costume she made last year for the fair, people seemed to like this one better, according to Hunkler.
The Original Pleasure Renaissance Faire closes on May 21 with tickets ranging from $21-42. Those interested in purchasing tickets can visit renfair.com/socal/tickets.