Every local group in the SCA has a variety of meetings each month. Fighter practices of all types, arts and sciences meetings of various sorts, dance, heraldry, you name it! Some of these meetings are larger than others, but there is always a monthly “business” meeting commonly called Populace or Moot, where the entire group gets together.
Outside of regular meetings, the SCA also particpates in events. Typically events are held on a weekend, and are sponsored by the local group, with visitors coming from nearby groups, all over the kingdom, or even from outside the kingdom. Everyone attends events in garb, wearing medieval clothing, and attempts to ignore the modern world for the duration of the event. There may be a well-structured series of tournaments and competitions of all types, encompassing heavy fighting, rapier fighting, archery, art ” sciences, bardic performance, and much more, or the event may be more focused on just the arts, or may even be more laid back, featuring many medieval games!
As events commonly span a weekend, camping at the event is a popular thing to do. Modern tents and chairs and such are certainly allowed, although many longer participants have “upgraded” to a more medieval-style tent, complete with luxurious furniture!
One of the highlights of many events is “Court”, where the local nobility or even the Kingdom’s royalty may sit in state. A herald will open the court with a period legalistic turn of phrase, and court business will then ensue. Court business often includes words from the event stewards, awarding of prizes won in the competitions earlier in the day, presenting awards from the Crown to various hard-working individuals, and occasionally a spot of entertainment.
Food at events cannot be overlooked! While many events assume you will feed yourself for breakfast and lunch, taverns are occasionally found serving breakfast and/or lunch. There is commonly an evening meal known as feast, wherein a great deal of delicious food often based on medieval recipes is served to the crowd.