h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A renaissance faire is a historical re-enactment of the Renaissance times. These are usually set in England during the reign of Elizabeth I. For those of you planning on working a Renaissance faire (especially the big ones) be prepared to do your homework.
First you have to register, then take workshops where you learn about what it was really like back then and how to properly speak Elizabethan, you will required to have a period costume, you will need to find someone to work for or with. If you have a talent you may want to try to get in with one of the performing groups, you can join a guild(they have the enviromental areas), or you can work for a booth(more like a job that anything else). For most people this is a hobby. And like hobbies, they are expensive, but a lot of fun. So if you can't afford it, you may want to work for a booth. And when you do have a group to be with and all of the above has been completed (which usually takes about a month before the faire even opens) then you can party.
As far as the things mentioned in the article, some pertain to the particpants, some pertain to the customers(or lovingly know as Turkeys). And we can tell by the picture who are the later ones. And for after hours, yes it is true, you can find those things, except for the sheep, but it is all about who you know and always remember the laws of the land still apply, but not as strictly as they do in real life. If you are looking for drinks and songs with your new best friend or if you are looking for a bunch of naked people inside a giant bouncy castle, you've come to the right place. The biggest attraction to working the Renaissance Faire is the non-judgemental, open-minded people that you can become instant life-long friends and of course that old phrase, "If you can't get laid at Faire you just not trying." See ya there and don't forget to wear your rain coat.

Actually, all three of the gentlemen in the foreground of that picture are "participants". Gamers, to be precise. Gamers are those who run entertainment booths at the Faire, such as archery, knife throwing or the carousel. The picture was taken in front of the carousel. The guy in the middle runs the pillow fight game (called the "King of the Log"), and the other two are "pushers", or "push monkeys" (guys who run the hand-powered carousel).

The guy in the kilt is known as the "goddamn silverback, baby".

At least that's what he keeps saying.