Fair History
A Brief History of Fantasia Fair, so far...
Fantasia Fair has been with us for over 30 years. During this time, the Fair has grown and evolved. In some ways, the
character of the Fair has changed little - there is still the same warmth and camaraderie. In other ways, it has blossomed
into something larger than was originally envisioned.
In 1975, when the Fair was first conceived, it was in response to a "need for crossdressers and transsexuals to learn about
themselves in an open, socially tolerant environment." Provincetown was picked as the host city because of its reputation
for tolerance and it had become somewhat of a GLB Mecca. With some help from a couple of female impersonators who lived in
town, some doctors practicing on Cape Cod, a few cosmetic consultants and about 40 participants, Fantasia Fair went from an
idea to reality.
In the first years, the Fair was guided by
Ariadne Kane,
Betty Ann Lind,
and a few others from "The Cherrystones," a transgender support group from Boston. This
was an exciting time for the Fair, as it was charting new ground, since there really weren't any other transgender-related conference
to use as a role model. In fact, Fantasia Fair was becoming the role model for others.
By the early 1980s, Fantasia Fair was getting noticed - there was even an article about the Fair in Playboy Magazine! The Fair
had grown to be a 10-day event and really started bonding with our host city. At the "Town and Gown Dinner" many curious locals
attended wanting to find out about all these "men in dresses" strutting around town. Workshops were centered on wigs, makeup,
and scarf tying instructions. It was a time for big hair do's, mini skirts, custom corsets, and disco and nu wave music.
In these early days, registration to the Fair included not just the workshops and night events, but also accommodations at an inn.
Most fairgoers stayed at the "old Crown & Anchor" and all-night pajama parties were quite common.
Many of the workshops were "pay as you go", meaning a fairgoer would be charged an extra $10, $20 or more in addition to their
registration fee to attend some workshops. This led to one of the few complaints from fairgoers back then - the high cost of attending the Fair.
By the 12th Fantasia Fair in 1986, the presence of educators like
Niela Miller
was having an impact. The accent of workshops was changing from such topics as scarf tying and deportment classes to personal development.
Bud Heuer was there helping people
with their voices. There were whale watching cruises, a kite flying contest, two banquets, and the annual
traditions of the Fashion Show, Fantasy Ball, and Follies.
Each year, the Fair was attracting more and more people - some coming from as far away as South America. In addition to such notables as
Virginia Prince and
Holly Boswell, the Fair attracted many of the "movers and shakers" in the transgender community. These individuals
were helping to guide and shape the community's identity and helped keep fairgoers on the leading edge of things. In fact, by the mid
1990s, you could take workshops that range from "connecting to the Internet", through the latest in gender theory, to advances in
facial feminization surgeries.
Just as the Fair became more and more important to the professional and academic community, it had firmly established itself in the
lives of many fairgoers. Although drawing about 100 fairgoers each year, the Fair remained a personal and intimate experience.
Relationships were established and renewed, such as when Kathryn & Lauren Bode renewed their wedding vows during the Fair of 1995.
By this time, many of the traditions that we know today had become solid fixtures at Fantasia Fair. Andrea Susan was hosting the
Fashion Show,
Sandra Cole was presenting fabulous
seminars on growth within our community, and
Mariette Pathy-Allen was showcasing her photography
of the trans community. A few traditions had been relegated to the pages of history, such as the "Fantasy Ball" costume party and the
"Red Nail Run" - a foot race with runners proudly displaying their red painted fingernails.
As the 1990s progressed, the Fair was being attended by not just heterosexual crossdressers. Male-to-female transsexuals were
participating in considerable numbers as well as crossdressers that identified as gay or bisexual. Female-to-male transsexuals
and intersex individuals were appearing more and more frequently and the Fair was regularly drawing partners and significant others.
With Fantasia Fair 25, the Fair itself started to undergo it own transition of sorts. Long time Fair leaders,
Dottie &
Alison Laing, encouraged others to become more actively involved in organizing and running the Fair. Pamela Geddes stepped
in as Fair Director and helped usher in a number of significant changes. One of which was focusing on the activities and the programs of the Fair rather than
housing by letting each fairgoer book their own lodging. This helped drive prices down by letting the marketplace keep lodging prices low.
These and other changes led the Fair to a new management team headed by
Dallas Denny, and incorporating as "Real Life Experiences, Inc.,"
a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
Under the leadership of Dallas, along with
Miqqi Alicia Gilbert, Alison Laing
and a team of dedicated volunteers, the Fair expanded its offerings. Recent Fairs have had partners-focused programs, academic colloquiums, classical concerts,
voice training workshops, appearances from authors and filmmakers, and a wide variety of GLBTI-related seminars. Every October, professional
and academics from all over the world made the trek to Cape Cod to present in front of record numbers of attendees. In addition, each year fairgoers
raise money for local charities and for Provincetown itself. All this was accomplished while
reducing costs to the average fairgoer.
Although there have been changes over the year, Fantasia Fair is still a place for friendship, learning, and growth. The Fair is
considered to be in the forefront for personal and professional development, and its stature has only grown. It will be exciting to
see how the Fair grows over the next 30 years!
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