Photo Courtesy of Laurel Housden
EDUCATIONAL GUIDE
Additional guides can be ordered in advance or purchased at the window upon arrival for $4. This 50-page booklet is a useful resource in educating your class on the Middle Age curriculum. Please refer to the welcome section of the manual for expectations and guidelines. Feel free to share and print any or all of the electronic guide.
Additional guides can be ordered in advance or purchased at the window upon arrival for $4. This 50-page booklet is a useful resource in educating your class on the Middle Age curriculum. Please refer to the welcome section of the manual for expectations and guidelines. Feel free to share and print any or all of the electronic guide.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
WRISTBANDS
If you paid in advance, your wristbands will be mailed to you. Student bands are green, chaperone bands are red and guest/children 4 and under are gold. Please confirm that you received the correct number of wristbands, which are your passes into the Faire. The wristbands must be worn and visible at all times. Notify us if there are any discrepancies, and make sure that you ordered a free band for your bus driver. If you selected to pay at the Faire, your wristbands will be available for pick up at Check In.
We recommended writing the phone number of the chaperone onto the student band in case of accidental separation.
ADDITIONAL BANDS/REFUNDS
If you need to purchase additional wristbands upon arrival, you simply need to present the confirmation letter when you go to purchase your additional bands at the ticket window to receive the school discount.
To receive a refund for unused bands, you will need to provide the refund request form along with the unused bands to the event office at Hoggetowne Medieval Faire, PO Box 490, Sta 30, Gainesville, FL 32627. Refunds will be processed after February 10th and may be issued to a credit card or by check. Refunds by check may take up to 30 days. Contact andreisv@cityofgainesville.org for a request form.
CHECK IN
If your group will be paying upon arrival, your designated contact will need to pick up your packet at the ticket window and provide this confirmation letter along with payment. Groups are expected to collect the fees from their participating families and distribute the wristbands; families are not able to pay for their individual registration at the ticket window.
If a member of your group is late and unable to check in with the rest of your party, you may leave their bands in an envelope with their name on it at the ticket window. They will need to provide ID to claim their bands.
We recommend that you pay in advance to avoid long lines the day of the faire. Please make checks payable to the City of Gainesville and mailed to PO Box 490, Station 30, Gainesville, FL 32627 or you may call (352) 393-8536 with your credit card information. Payments must be received by January 10th for wristbands to be mailed.
FAIRE HOURS
Faire hours on School Day are from 9am to 4pm. Parking opens at 8am and ticket windows open at 8:30am. We suggest you arrive before the gates open because all the entertainers will be at the entrance to welcome you with an exciting show at 8:45 a.m. Also, if you arrive early you will avoid traffic delays and long lines.
PARKING
A designated section of the parking lot will be reserved for school groups. Buses will be directed to specific parking spaces, to ensure the safety of students exiting the bus. To ensure an efficient entrance, please have your drivers display or present their School Day sign to the parking attendant at the gate and turn on their hazard lights.
CHAPERONES
Students and chaperones must stay together. Chaperones are responsible for monitoring the behavior of their students. If any member of your group is misbehaving, the police will escort the entire group to your bus.
LUNCH
You may return to your bus for lunch or choose to picnic anywhere within the fairgrounds. Your wristbands will allow your group to leave and re-enter the Faire without additional charge. There is a food court in which individual vendors offer fish and chips, kettle corn, pizza, funnel cakes, hot dogs, turkey legs, and more. Prices for full meals average $8.00, individual items average $4.00, and most drinks are $2.00.
PAID ACTIVITIES AND SOUVENIRS
Please encourage your students to bring money. There are many activities for students to enjoy, including human-powered push rides, face painting, pony and camel rides, and medieval games such as archery, axe throwing, fencing and winding mazes. The average price for games and rides is $5.00 - $7.00. More than 100 artisans selling and demonstrating medieval wares and trinkets will provide students an opportunity to purchase authentic memorabilia and gifts such as jewelry, swords and shields, face painting, Henna body art, hair braiding and more. We recommend around $25 for students purchasing lunch, activities and a small souvenir.
ROYAL PROCESSION
The Royal Procession, held twice daily, is a spectacular parade of all of our cast members as they process from the King's Pavilion to the tournament field. Please instruct your children to step back out of the path of the procession and cheer on the King and his court.
Please ask your students to be respectful of the two 9’ tall medieval puppets, Punch and Judy as well as our newest friend, Skippy the Dragon. There are actors inside of the puppets who enjoy interacting with the students, but do not enjoy being poked with sticks and swords.
EDUCATIONAL DEMONSTRATIONS
Craft demonstrations will occur throughout the medieval faire at various merchant booths and in the SCA Craft Village. A list of locations will be included in your packet.
KINGS QUEST
This free activity is a mystery game that students can play throughout their stay at Hoggetowne. With their quest card, students engage with the Faire’s colorful characters to determine who stole the King’s favorite sash through the process of elimination. Free game cards can be picked up at Guest Relations (located at the entrance) or at the Information Booth (located in the food court).
If you have any questions or special needs or if you need to make any changes to your School Day reservation, please contact Faire Coordinator, Sunny Andrei at andreisv@cityofgainesville.org or 352-393-8536.