Renn Fayre is an annual three-day campus-wide celebration that occurs at Reed College, a

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

located in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. The festival began as a one-day Renaissance Fayre, held during the spring semester in an attempt to recreate the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

era. The event begins with a parade of senior students, who march from the library to the registrar's office to mark the completion of their theses and to be congratulated by the institution's President. The event includes a variety of activities and forms of expressions.

Description

Renn Fayre is an annual three-day celebration that occurs on the campus of Reed College in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. The festival was originally a one-day Renaissance Fayre, held during the spring semester for the purpose of recreating the

era. On the final days of class instruction, seniors march from the library to the registrar's office to celebrate the completion of their theses and to receive congratulations from the institution's President. The parade of students begins a weekend festival that has featured a variety of activities and forms of expression, including a fire show, fireworks, food, a giant slide and skate ramp, handicraft, lube wrestling, nude students covered by blue paint known as "Picts", Glow Opera, and other sports.

Drug use and controversy

In 2008, ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' reported on the tolerance of drug use during the festival. The article "inflamed" students and faculty, generating hundreds of comments, some of which were critical of the publication. ''Willamette Week'' revisited the story in 2009, concluding that little had changed, with similar activities taking place and a continued tolerance of drug use. In response, the school's spokesman stated: "We have a moral, legal and institutional responsibility to report serious violations. If we didn't see it and nobody points it out to us, we can't do anything. We've taken it seriously in more instances in the past year. We've gotten the Portland PD involved more." The spokesman also insisted that the college improved crowd control by limiting the number of festival participants and examines its alcohol and drug policy on a "pretty regular basis".

References

External links

* {{Reed College Annual events in Portland, Oregon Reed College