It was a cold and wintery weekend in Battle Creek, Michigan and Spirited Seas Renaissance Festival was upon us! A three hour voyage in an F150 + baby trailer led us to our final destination at the Battle Creek Masonic Center where we took up residence on the second floor hallway to display our wares and wait for eager travelers ready to spend their hard earned gold.
But, alas, we were left disappointed as there were scant few voyagers coming into our port or sampling our wares.
So, its January and the furthest from the usual summer renaissance festival season that you could possibly get which is why I was originally so excited to attend and vend at this festival. Originally scheduled for November 2022, the newly chosen date of late January posed a bit of a winter weather conundrum (who likes moving stuff in and out of a trailer in the cold?) but we came in hopeful.
Overall, it was a poorly attended festival. This was the second (or third?) year of the Spirited Seas Ren Faire and that is probably why the attendance was so lacking. As faires mature and word of mouth grows, the bigger the crowd in subsequent years becomes.
The venue for this festival was a masonic center where the vendors were spread out on multiple floors and different rooms. I think our spot was overall good but there is such a thing as being too close to the bathroom, if you know what I mean.
The weather was also probably a big factor as it was snowy both days of the festival which always leads to people staying home vs venturing out for weekend activities.
I would really like to see this faire grow in popularity as the venue is unique, the time of year is open on many calendars (especially for year round Michigan vendors) and I could use something to look forward to during the dog days of winter.
Pros: Indoors
Cons: Poorly Attended, Snowy