First: What is Wicked Faire? And why was I so excited to vend there?
From the webpage: “The Wicked Winter Renaissance Faire is a miniature explosion of entertainment and activity, wrapped up in a fresh-baked Renaissance Faire exterior, filled to the brim with big tasty chunks of well-seasoned festival, spiced with a bit of convention, then dipped in a sauce of unconvention, and served at a terribly low price during one fantastic frenetic weekend every year. Only not so much with the “miniature” part. There are so many madly diverse fun things going on at any one time that, in general, if you come looking to find a good time, you are damn likely to find one.”
That's a pretty good description. The event takes place in the Doubletree hotel in Somerset, NJ. Every conference room in the hotel has vendors, or panels, or workshops, or some type of performance (musicians, magicians, burlesque, dancers, and more). They're all filled, all day, every day of the con. Frankly, there's almost too much to do. And even if you don't want to do anything, the people watching is pretty great. A lot of people come in costume, and since this isn't an anime or fandom convention, the costumes run the gamut of genres and genre-bending creativity.
It's also 16+, and while it isn't as risque as it used to be (the creators of Wicked have started some new cons specifically for the kinky and risque) it's still NOT a kid's faire. The entertainment, panels, and costuming is definitely adult-oriented.
I've attended six out of the nine Wicked Faires. Wicked was also my very first ever vending gig. So it has a pretty special place in my heart. Being accepted to vend again was a huge deal for me.
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| My First Booth: Wicked Faire 2005 |
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| Wicked Faire 2014 |
