A question about the current status of reenacting.

Joined
Oct 26, 2018
Location
Norway
Hello.
A question about the current status of reenacting in the USA.
I attended a couple of the big ones in the 90's, but I understand the hobby have been reduced some since then and it's become divided between authentic, mainstream etc.
I am thinking about travelling to the states again for reenacments now that my son is big enough to come along and attend.
So my question is, is there any big events anymore? Or whats the attendance on the biggest ones these days?

Thanks. :smile:
 
Thanks. If that's the largest one these days and a national event, I would probably attend the next one maybe. Too bad I can't bring my horses. hehe :wink: Any idea of the appx number of participants?
Next year's Gettysburg event will be July 5-7. I don't know what the final number was last year but it was much bigger than the previous few years. Being it was the 155th they were making a big deal over it, they try to make every 5 years a big one. The year before I remember the 2000 number floating around for reenactors, I would expect about that next year. Down here in Florida we have Olustee in February which is usually a pretty big one, somewhat of a national event, usually about 1500 reenactors.
 
Next year's Gettysburg event will be July 5-7. I don't know what the final number was last year but it was much bigger than the previous few years. Being it was the 155th they were making a big deal over it, they try to make every 5 years a big one. The year before I remember the 2000 number floating around for reenactors, I would expect about that next year. Down here in Florida we have Olustee in February which is usually a pretty big one, somewhat of a national event, usually about 1500 reenactors.

Thanks for the reply. I guess no more 10-20.000 plus anymore then. The 1995 Tennesse Campaign is some of the most awning experience I have ever had in my life. But Olustee and Gettysburg sounds nice, so i guess those are on my list now. :smile:
 
Thanks for the reply. I guess no more 10-20.000 plus anymore then. The 1995 Tennesse Campaign is some of the most awning experience I have ever had in my life. But Olustee and Gettysburg sounds nice, so i guess those are on my list now. :smile:
No I don't think you'll ever see those kind of numbers again but there's still some very good events going on. On a positive note I think those involved for the most part are putting alot more effort into their impressions and there's so much good info and availability of quality gear online now if you're a quality over quantity kind of person it's not necessarily a bad thing.
 
No I don't think you'll ever see those kind of numbers again but there's still some very good events going on. On a positive note I think those involved for the most part are putting alot more effort into their impressions and there's so much good info and availability of quality gear online now if you're a quality over quantity kind of person it's not necessarily a bad thing.

So i understand and it is still a little bit sad, since participating in those massive formations and battles is really something. Yeah, people have become much more attentive to details, and thats a good thing, especially for small events. But when seeing hundreds of men in formations, its no so important if the fabric on uniforms is not 100%. Guess that makes me a little mainstream. :wink:
But I am very strict on correct cut and type of uniforms depending on the area, unit and place of time. And equipment of course. :smile:

Anyone have an idea why interest for reenacting have come to such low points? I guess recruiting is a factor, considering young peoples need for screens and games. :smile:
 
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So i understand and it is still a little bit sad, since participating in those massive formations and battles is really something. Yeah, people have become much more attentive to details, and thats a good thing, especially for small events. But when seeing hundreds of men in formations, its no so important if the fabric on uniforms is not 100%. Guess that makes me a little mainstream. :wink:
But I am very strict on correct cut and type of uniforms depending on the area, unit and place of time. And equipment of course. :smile:

Anyone have an idea why interest for reenacting have come to such low points? I guess recruiting is a factor, considering young peoples need for screens and games. :smile:
If you go back and look at some pictures and YouTube videos of this past Gettysburg event I still feel there was plenty of troops to make for a good show. There's lots of reasons it's slowed down that have been discussed here ad neusium. It's hard to get young kids into it, it's expensive and getting more so all the time, some of the young guys are getting into WWII and WWI reenacting, people in general seem so darn busy these days it's hard to get them to stop for a weekend, and the political climate with threats made to certain events sure doesn't help. I'm an eternal optimist though and there's still enough of us out there to put on a good show.
 
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If you go back and look at some pictures and YouTube videos of this past Gettysburg event I still feel there was plenty of troops to make for a good show. There's lots of reasons it's slowed down that have been discussed here ad neusium. It's hard to get young kids into it, it's expensive and getting more so all the time, some of the young guys are getting into WWII and WWI reenacting, people in general seem so darn busy these days it's hard to get them to stop for a weekend, and the political climate with threats made to certain events sure doesn't help. I'm an eternal optimist though and there's still enough of us out there to put on a good show.

I will do so. Thanks again for your replies. Those are the reasons i figured.
WWII reenactments here are not big. It's to early due to our history, aka portraying Germans dressing up in SS uniforms for instance, would create havoc and instant headlines. except for some few in private areas. Although portraying US soldiers with authentic military vehicles is quite popular as static events or parades.
But again I appreciate your responses, so now I know a little more about what to check out when i plan a trip to the US. Maybe next year. :smile:
 
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...Anyone have an idea why interest for reenacting have come to such low points?

WW2 and to a lesser extent, WW1 reenacting is more to the liking of younger reenactors, and yes, in part due to the several digital games of that genre. The older WW1 and WW2 reenactors tend to have spent some time as CW reenactors earlier on, but have now put it past them (cots and gas heaters are nice).

The younger men and women of WW1 and WW2 reenacting see no additional appeal in exploring the CW genre. For one thing the World Wars are a richer venue for women to legitimately portray an impression (Soviet combat squads, Axis or Allied medical units, WASPS, WAVES). Also WW2 provides scenarios for ethnic asian men and women. The younger set perceives better social opportunities as well (mixing, USO dances and getting dates). And, no surprise, young men like the more sophisticated faster-firing weapons to play with.

These are observations from the field, not as I would have it. I will say as an aside that, for some reason, younger reenactors seem also to fill out the the ranks of French-Indian to Revolutionary war reenacting, a smaller but persistent niche.
 
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I'm actually thinking about getting back into the hobby after 15 years, as the immersive events really interest me. The obsession with detail and accuracy is very attractive to me. I'd like to actually teach the public something accurate about the common soldiers life and not some outlandish Hollywood "costume" impression.

Do you look like a 30 year old anymore? Or is it time for hair color? To me that's one of the biggest inauthentic tip-offs there is, even before beer-belly. I realize there's nothing that can be done up close, but isn't reasonable to look a bit more historically viable on the field? I mean, compared to having the right stamps on your gun. As it is, nearly everyone in the unit claims the "grizzled veteran" impression. The public thinks the war was completely fought by grizzled old veterans.

Also, if teaching the public is a sincere goal, the other big inauthentic tip-off unfortunately (among Confederate impressions especially) is post-war Lost Cause rhetoric. Impressionable kids are preyed upon, there being no effort to present the context and let them decide. Just sayin'
 
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