For those of you who have not ventured into the mystical other-world that is the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, please allow me to blow your mind:

Ladies adorn themselves in velvet bodices and gowns, their bosoms bountiful and up to their chins. Men wear tights and tunics and carry a sword in one hand and a beer stein in the other. Wee little peasant children roll around in the mud, and dogs wear fairy wings and glitter. All frolic and stumble through a maze of shops, stands, grassy knolls and splendor.

It is, for me, heaven on earth.

While some cheered from the stands at Gustavus’s Homecoming Game, I cheered for the peasant in red at the “Men in Tights” competition this past weekend at the RenFest. Wanting to escape the crowd and noise that floods the campus, I thought I’d take myself and some lady friends back in time, away from the cars, the sea of black-and-gold and those thunder stick things. It was a wine, chocolate and romance weekend.

Walking from the “parking lot” (i.e. bumpy field next to the fairgrounds) through the festival gates is indeed like walking onto the set of Lord of the Rings or Tristan and Isolde (why do my Weekly articles always come back to James Franco? Swoon again!) Except there is no dropping character once the cameras stop rolling or fake backgrounds tricking your depth perception: it is the real deal.

But some historians on campus might say, “Oh Susan, what time period are you talking about here? What does Renaissance even mean?” And I will answer with a simple, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” I know what the term means in literature, and I know what it means in art, but when it comes to historical accuracy of replica Renaissance towns, I have no idea what that would actually look like. To me, the reality of this make-believe place existing is enough, and I will indulge myself in their creation.

Which is why RenFest is so great: anything goes. You can be anyone you want to be. Want to be a sweet fairy princess? Do it. Want to be a naughty fairy princess? Do it. Want to wear a giant codpiece? A kilt? Full-body armor? Do it, do it, do it. You can be a belly dancer, a beer wench, a knight, an artisan, a lord, a drunk. It’s Halloween in the daytime, an extravagant costume party. The broadness of the term “Renaissance” allows for a wide and hysterical array of costumes.

What accompanies these costumes, however, and what provides ample conversation starters are the real people who act in these characters. Just as my friends and I removed ourselves from our lives at Gustavus for the day, so have the other visitors to the Fest, the vendors, the entertainers. For all I know, that old hobo man is really a successful doctor, or the woman selling roses is a high school teacher. What real lives do these people have?

But what everyone shares when attending the RenFest, in costume or not, is a sense of humorous camaraderie. We’ve all freely chosen to enter this realm where societal norms are overturned, and if we’re going to enjoy ourselves we need to be okay with being uncomfortable and just laugh. Vendors will heckle you to buy a turkey leg; jesters will follow you; knights will approach you asking for phone numbers in homage to the king. You will not be able to avoid people. They will be everywhere, and they will have no apprehensions about making you feel ridiculous.

But just remember, if you choose to attend RenFest for its closing weekend or anxiously await next year’s, everything about the festival is ridiculous! It’s flamboyant, it’s loud, it may or may not be historically accurate. So fear ye not, it’s all in good jest. Now dress up and escape to the Minnesota RenFest!