First Annual Swords and Sabres!

The day started out raining hard. There was thunder grumbling almost constantly and the rain was icy cold. I wasn't so sure about the rain but got ready for the first ever Swords and Sabres festival in the hopes that it would clear up. After jumping out of the shower I put on my full length, black velvet renaissance dress with it's burgundy ribbon decoration. I had bought it when I was in Grade 10 and my highschool took my grade to Quebec on it's annual french excursion. Since then I've worn it almost every Christmas and for a couple Hallowe'ens but I've been wishing for ages to attend a Renaissance fair! I thought I'd have to travel to Illinois or New York to find one.

While I had been in the shower the rain had stopped which was wonderful. However by the time I arrived at Coronation Park the sun had come out and everything was a steamy, humid mess. I was really regretting wearing my dress, velvet is heavy! But the weather was really mercurial and quickly cooled off into a perfect spring day for an outdoor event.

One of the few photos of myself I've been able to find so far. Thanks to Holly Halftone for her photography skills!

I met up with the Drawn and Plastered crew in front of Raven's Comics booth. They had laid out a wooden platform to walk and pose on which was brilliant as a few hours in the grass had been churned into muck. Somewhere along the way the crew had acquired a Captain Jack Sparrow who, in the six hours that I was there, never broke character once! He was so popular he became a mascot for every child under the age of 8, tugging on his arms and demanding pictures. I think the parents were incredibly happy that he kept his pirate language PG for the kiddies!

Some of the D&P Crew, plus miscellaneous pirates!

The way the booths were set up was a little bit like comic con though everything had a piratey steampunk theme. Even more impressive than the booths was the entertainment. The Illuminari bellydance troupe had their own tent and did a lively performance (which Captain Jack crashed and 'drunkenly' joined in!) There was also a fire eater and his bellydancing companion. Last but not least there were two historical reenactment groups: The Barony of Castle Rouge and The Vikings Vinland. The Barony (which is run through the University of Manitoba) had a booth focusing on period clothing and a recipe book of meals that would have been commonly prepared. The Vikings took their reenactment one step further and set up a battle ground with men (and women) in full armor and wooden shields duking it out in true warrior fashion.

Some badass peeps! All photos found on the Swords and Sabres Facebook page and copyrights to their photographers.

Despite the fact that I've only been able to find a couple pictures of myself at the festival, Meg and I were being stopped every few steps so people could take photos of us. I absolutely loved her costume which included a waist training corset (she'd nipped in her waist by almost 7"!) and a gorgeous bustle skirt by Retroscope Fashions. Don't try tightening your own corset by that much at home, boys and girls! With all the corset related questions she was asked Meg was a little like an infomercial for them. Waist training takes dedication and needs to be done slowly and with the proper tools to avoid injury. If done properly there's no damage, permanent or otherwise, and when the corset is taken off the body goes back to it's original proportions. (I'm really inspired to start waist training myself ... but that's another post.)

And last but not least, thank goodness for the hotdog stand! He really must have made a fortune because all the excitement really stokes the appetite. ;-)  If you missed out on this years festival fear not! It was a rounding success and I have much faith that this will become an annual tradition. Hopefully we'll see you out next year!

Saucily yours,
Miss Scarlet