Activities at Canterbury Faire
[Archery] [Arts & Sciences] [Ball] [For Children] [Village Games] [Peasant Dance] [Half-Circle Theatre] [Market] [Equestrian][Combat] -- [Fencing/Rapier] [Fighter Auction Tourney] [Bardic Auction] [Juggers] [Siege]
Canterbury Faire includes a remarkably broad range of activities. Please check this page regularly if you want to keep up to date with what sorts of things are on offer, as some details may not be added or finalised until a few weeks before the Faire.
If you wish to
offer to help with anything noted
here, or have ideas for other possible activities, please contact the
Faire
Steward: Lady Sybilla and Lord
Dauid.
Village Football
Come one, come all!
Field Archery
Field archery this year is as varied as ever.
Arts & Sciences
A&S activities for this Canterbury Faire will involve up to 40 classes or workshops, plus an A&S display on Friday. This is not a formal A&S competition, it is an opportunity to display your work, show off projects both completed and underway and enthuse and get feedback about new things you are learning. Documentation is heartily encouraged, but is not required -- in your notes, please do at least mention who you are and the nature of your entry!
For more information, please contact Lady Mathilda, our A&S coordinator.
Ball
Lady Chunegund, invites one and all to the Ball on Friday night. A range of dances will be provided from the simplest to the most challenging, almost certainly accompanied by live musicians.
For Children
Apart from the Village Games (for all ages, 5-95) and Boffer Tourney (5-17), there will be other organised or semi-organised activities for children at the Faire. Generally they are in great part self-sustaining, with the older children entertaining the younger ones to a significant degree, as in a medieval village.
Please check out the requirements regarding supervision of children on site.
Combat
There will be plenty of combat-related activities, including heavy and rapier tourneys, field archery, war scenarios (all mixed) and woods battle (heavy only), along with our fort and possibly siege weaponry.
Fighter and Bardic Auction Tourneys
By popular request there will be both Heavy and Bardic Auction Tourneys at Canterbury Faire, that entrants might try their skill-at-arms on behalf of their patrons. Funds raised by the Auctions will used to offer a significant discount for first-time visitors at the following year's Faire.
In order to keep the auctions attainable to as many gentles as possible, Subtle and Clever devices will be employed to somewhat limit the amounts to be bid. In particular, you will be bidding not for a known individual, but rather for a personal motto which they have each selected from a prepared list just before bidding commences! Further, no patron may purchase more than one combatant in each of the auctions. Purchases must be paid for at the Auction, so bring your gold with you!
Prizes will be offered to the buyers of the winning entrants in each form, with first choice going to the winning entrant's patron, second choice to the patron of the second place-getter, and so on, until all prizes have been allocated (thus, it is possible, buth not guaranteed, that every patron may have a chance to choose a prize).
Donations or promissories of prizes for both tournaments are earnestly sought: please contact Master Bartholemew Baskin at your convenience, or prior to the Auctions at the Faire itself.
Equestrian Activities
After the success of equestrian activities at Canterbury Faire 2009, there will be more this year on the main field!
Fencing/Rapier
Monday: Gold Rush Format
4 team resurrection melee. The list is littered with small bags of gold which the teams need to take back to an area marked as their base. Opposing teams try to steal the bags and take them back to their own bases. The team with the most gold in their base at the end of the time period wins.
Tuesday: Baroness' Rapier Tourney
A display of chivalry, courtesy and prowess.
Wednesday: There will be held at Canterbury Faire a tournament of longsword on foot.
The tournament will be held at One O'Clock on the Wednesday - venue to be announced but as the main lists are free at this time this is the most likely venue. This will be run using sidesword rules and/or guild heavy combat (if insufficient sidesword combatants or a large number of interested heavies) The format will be 10 counted blows delivered and received - combatants to decide prior to entering the list who will receive first and advise the herald and Marshall upon entering the field. Blows to be counted by a corner judge after acknowledgement by the receiving combatant with the call of "good" Assumed armour will be civilian dress - pants, shirt and a stout jack sufficient to ward only the lightest of blows from a good sword ALL clean blows felt by the recipient are to be acknowledged as such as are unimpeded draw cuts and slashes The combatant who scores the most hit with his 10 blows in each bout will be declared the winner There will be a spare Longsword available at the event for use by those in need Hand and additional wrist protection above the sidesword minimum is strongly recommended for those competing.
Friday
Guild prizes, and if time, a Tavern Brawl - you,or someone you know, asked for it,so here it is!
Saturday: Viking Raiders Melee Defend the Sheep!
Viking raiders have sailed down the coast and are trying to steal your livestock. Protect them with your lives. A lighthearted tourney to finish off the fencing at faire.
Half-Circle Theatre
The right noble and virtuous Dramatikal Compagnie of Lord Lovel's Men doth array upon the stage The Half CIRCLE THEATRE, wherein shall be presented divers entertainments gathered out of the best approved players and musicians augmented with ne'er before seen interludes.
From the hour of seven on Wednesday.
Market
Merchants of good standing are welcome to display their wares at Canterbury Faire.
The Faire Market will be held from 2pm Saturday. All merchants are welcome and no Faire taxes are charged for any who have goods to sell. As space in the hall is limited, those who are willing to set up just outside among the eager crowds are encouraged to do so.
Should you wish to let Faire-goers know of your fine wares, we would be delighted to provide you with space in this venue to post your news and announcements. This may prove particularly advantageous for those travelling from far afield, to both whet the appetite of potential customers and, possibly, to provide a point of contact for any who wish to arrange a pre-order so you can be confident of sales.
Fabric Shopping (before or after the event)
For the benefit of travellers to Canterbury Faire, we have prepared the following guide to fabric shopping in Christchurch (600KB Word document). It shows the location of key fabric stores in Christchurch, mentioning what fabrics, discounts and other arrangements may be of interest to SCAdians.