Monday, October 1, 2012

Princess and Knight Party Ideas from a Renaissance Faire

Princess & Knight Party Ideas from a Renn Faire
This weekend we headed to the local Renaissance Faire for some jolly ol'England fun! I just love the theme-- so many costumes, decorations and thespians having a good time. The faire is also great fodder for ideas for a Princess and Knight Party. I couldn't resist snapping a few shots and sharing some ideas.

Dried Flower Decorations
Dried flowers were everywhere. They make beautiful wreaths, and garlands to hang on the door or as a centerpiece on a table. Also, very popular are dried flower headdresses, with long flowing ribbons. You could hot glue gun dried flowers to a headband, or create a circle from wire, and wrap tightly with floral tape (so no wire is showing or poking through). Now, hot glue dried flowers to the circle, and tie ribbon on it! The girls will love these crowns.

Medieval/Renaissance Signage
The Renaissance Faire is full of signs reminiscent of what may have been seen in England back in those days. Hanging signs like these around your party space will evoke that same feeling. You can make up pretend pub names, or hotel names, or simple iconic images to represent a type of shop.

Ribbons, and more
Ribbon flowed everywhere at the faire. By far this seemed to be the most popular decoration, and also very simple to recreate. Create ribbon garland by tying string to either end of posts. Cut many ribbons at approximately 12" long. Now, tie the ribbons one by one along the string, evenly spaced. Voila, a simple garland, that flutters in the wind. Another popular ribbon decoration was ribbon tied to hoops, and hung. An embroidery hoop would be the perfect thing to use to achieve this festive look.

Archery and Sport Activities
Depending on how active you want to be, there were loads of sports at the faire that could be done at a party as well. Archery was a hit for my kids. The bullseye were painted on burlap and hung on a hay bale. The archer then could shoot at it without damage to anything around. There are plenty of kids archery sets available online that use "nerf darts" and are not harmful.

Other activities included cross bow, fencing, ax throwing, etc. Perhaps some of these are too much for a party (ha!)-- but one could substitute one of these potential weapons with less harmful items and still have fun. For instance, cut an axe shape out of a sponge. Have the kids throw wet sponges at a piece of dark paper to see where they hit! A great game too when it's hot!

Crafts and More
There are many crafts that could be set up at your party as well that were scene at the faire. Braiding seemed very popular. You could hire a stylist to braid children's hair, or provide lots of yarn for kids to learn how to braid themselves. Another idea is to make a princess hat, or soft felt, simple plushie. Lastly, if you are more ambitious and have an older crowd, you could make your own candles.

I hope your Royale Faire is one that will be remembered for a long time! Huzah!

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