Event - Castlefest 2022

augustus 09, 2022

After a few cancelled editions the most festivalish of the Dutch fantasy fairs has finally returned and it was huge, super-dusty and big fun.

Before sharing my afterthoughts a few links:
The 100 pictures that won't fit on this sample-page or on the Facebook page are on my Flickr (for free),
On Clapper and Instagram will shortly follow a few short videos (on Clapper you can also find the videos from previous events, but it's best accessed via the free app)

* Clapper mini-video 01 - A call to arms
* Clapper mini-video 02 - Bring out the dead
* Clapper mini-video 03 - Release the T-Rex
* Clapper mini-video 04 - Where your fantasy becomes reality

Afterthoughts: Sunday was a good day to visit. Probably the best day. The end.

Details?
Everyone should fill in the positive & negative points of an event for themselves and not force their view upon others. Views & opinions are very personal things. De gustibus non est disputandum, the Romans would say.

So let me simply list some eyecatchers of mine:
* Loads of toilets, excellent.
* A huge festival terrain so there's something for everyone, yet you have to go far over the 10k steps to visit all. (And we missed a few spots that we did find during our last CF) A new festival layout is a reason to explore, not to complain.
* All ages are gathered which is one of many great things about fantasy events. However, somebody told me Once you're over 25 none of the cosplay photographers will take your picture, I beg to differ.
* Great food but don't complain about the prices & sizes because restaurants are using the same techniques to counter the fast rising prices.
* Not all roads were easy for those less mobile & the dust is still coming out of my nostrils. But the organisation did what they could with walking boards near the Medieval village, excluding the horror path & wetting a part of the forest road.
* Helpful crew members have always been a positive item on Castlefest lists. It still is. Gracias!
* The info stand was at the heart of the festival. Good. A central location you might say. Indeed, alas when entering the festival with a camera you must find it first thing to get your photo pass. Maybe having the booth with guestlists, photo passes and such near the entrance might be a possible upgrade.
* The waiting lines for food & drinks were excellent moments to chat or make a picture. People here are kind enough to let you leave the line for a photo and return to the same spot. And the mead was only 1 coin, I can live with that. Toss a coin to your witcher.
* Plenty of shopping possibilities everywhere. Some might not have found what they were looking for. I found nice stuff even without looking for it.. That should be a negative point, says my bank account.
* Special places for the smokers. Super idea! Yet I did notice cigarette butts elsewhere on the ground. So dangerous with this drought.
* Continuing on those butts: I was so nice to see the cleaning crews at work all day long. It's something I always admired at music festivals like Shankra and should be the standard, not the exception. So: well done Vana Events.
* Good music. Damn good music, just like for example on Trolls et Légendes.
* Obviously these are remarks are from Sunday, the only day I visited.
* More items might be added later. It's too hot to think now..

Since we had structured our Castlefest Sunday around the concert of the Ye Banished Privateers the pictures are more pirate-centered than usual.. but that's not a bad thing because pirates are Stoer and party hard.
And this partying is the reason I see Castlefest more as a festival with costuming than a fantasy costume fair like Elfia for example. You can out your inner self on both, yet one is more focussed on music, partying & the pagan lifestyle, the other puts more focus on the costumes and their grandeur. for me both are needed for a full Summer costuming experience.

Some photographers probably prefer the costume-focussed events. I had fun making pictures of the kind people in pretty outfits. It amused me to make 95% of the pictures where-ever I found such cosplayers-larpers-pagans instead of luring them to a nice spot. And I simply continued hiking over the endless festival grounds instead of hijacking a good spot and camping there in wait for passing costumes. Admitedly you make better and more pictures by carefully selecting locations. Let others make those 1000 better pictures, at least I had fun, had some nice random chats with people from so many different countries, eat 2x garlick bread and drank some sweet mead.. and ow-yes: I made a Disney princess climb on a table. Win.