There are tons of cool things to do in the areas surrounding campus in Pasadena! Plenty of shops to check out, museums to walk through, and events to attend. Recently, a fellow admissions ambassador, Ankita Nandi, and I went to a Renaissance Fair. This was my first time going to a renaissance fair, which was really exciting. The fair was called The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire and was located in the Santa Fe Dam Recreational area. According to their website, the fair “begun in 1963 in Agoura, near Malibu, to create “living history” for school children and their families. The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire has grown into an annual interactive playground and gallery for over 200,000 participants and guests. It has given birth to an industry nationwide, and this year it is more fun and exciting than ever.” We bought tickets for a “cottagecore” themed weekend and dressed up to fit the theme. Ankita sported a stylish, monochrome, green fit (gnome) and I looked like a lovely, yellow puff pastry (flower? fairy?).
When we arrived, we parked near the entrance and scaled the rock dam to enter the park. This was unnecessary, but we were excited and impatient. This feat was particularly difficult wearing flower crowns and a dress, but where there’s a will there’s a way. Once inside, we gave our tickets to the worker at the entrance and headed inside the gated park area. I don’t know what I thought a Renaissance fair would be like, but it blew away all my expectations. Everyone was dressed up and in character. You could see elves, ogres, fairies, princesses, soldiers, and more. For the remainder of the day, Ankita and I walked back and forth across the camp watching performances, trying on accessories, and buying little treats. We started our day off clapping along to a traditional celtic dance. Then, we made sachets of herbs and dried flowers to put in our rooms. We went ziplining across a field and grabbed some fish and chips after. While we tried on different headdresses and tasted some of the honey on sale, the queen’s procession passed by us with a band and chanting. The day ended with candle making, and we got to bring home our finished product. Sweaty but satisfied, we headed back to campus, thankfully only a 15 minute drive away.
If you choose to attend to fair, I have some tips for your trip. First, bring some cash. There will be ATMs, but there is a surcharge for withdrawals and most stores take cash only. Second, get there early, as it can get hotter as the day goes on. Make sure you know when the events you want to see are happening- we accidentally missed the first Maypole dance because we weren’t paying attention to the schedule. Lastly, bring comfortable walking shoes! Trust me, you’ll be walking a lot.
Students are often concerned that there will be no time to go out and do activities off campus. It can be hard, but there are resources for time management, which is really important once you start classes. If you make time, you will be able to do all of the things you want to try.
There are so many people here with different interests and amazing backgrounds. You’ll definitely find people willing to try new things with you, like Ankita was for me. The fair typically runs Saturdays and Sundays, April 6 to May 19, 10 A.M. – 7 P.M., so you should definitely check it out should you choose to matriculate to Caltech!
