There’s this thing I like to do: Once a year I pack suitcases with, among other stuff, some black dresses, a couple of grey granny wigs, dark glasses, and the lyrics to “Leaning on a Lamppost.” This year I also packed a tattered lace wedding gown and a plastic skull. The first four years I packed for three of us – my husband, our son, and myself. This time, it was just my husband and I, as the boy couldn’t go. I left the mammoth and the dodo behind, too – luggage allowances and all. You’d be amazed at how much room a froufrou wedding gown takes up in a suitcase.
My family and close friends know that this bizarre ritual is part of our trek to the Fforde Ffiesta. Not all of them understand why we go, but they accept it. They accept that the rest of the year we don’t go out much, we don’t visit often, because we’re always saving our money so that we can instead spend a weekend in Swindon, a smallish nondescript city in England, most noted for its Magic Roundabout. But, Swindon is also the literary home of Thursday Next, heroine in a series of books written by the extraordinary Jasper Fforde. And therein lies the allure.
Jasper’s books are difficult to describe. They’re a riotous genre-defying amalgamation of fantasy/sci-fi/fast-paced mystery thriller filled with wit, social commentary, and literary references. The Ffiesta is a literary festival celebrating all things Fforde, organized by a small, but brilliant group of Fforde fans – the Fforganizers. Attendees are passionate about the books. They’re a friendly lot, fun and full of words, and just a little insane – but in a good way. Having been at all five of the Ffiestas now, I am happy to number them among my friends. There is something exhilarating about spending a sleep-deprived weekend amongst like-minded souls who totally get your dorkiness and even embrace it. How can you not make friends with that?
The weekend was jam-packed with non-stop goodness. There was the Friday evening pub quiz; hunt the lobsters; cipher-solving group puzzles; a village fete; a rousing game of Lobster Space Invaders; croquet (it is, after all, England); a bus tour of Swindon with Jasper as tour guide and Derek (a Fforganizer) as the mustachioed ice cream peddler; Nanowrimo hours; literary karaoke; Royal Angst poetry writing competition; Hamlet soliloquy speed-reading competition (for which the plastic skull was needed); Name that Fruit; a murder mystery performed by the Fforganizers; formation of the Danvers Clone brigade (53 members this year – a record!); fancy dress parade in which participants dressed up as characters from Jasper’s books. And throughout the goings on Jasper was everywhere. Reading from his latest not-quite-yet-in-print book; talking, answering questions; presiding over competitions; auction-erring; and at the end of it all, awarding prizes. That’s a lot to pack into a weekend. And, yet, we were all a bit sad when it was time to leave. There’s talk of extending the time a few extra days next year, for those who can, with a group road trip. Itinerary as yet to be determined.
And I, my friends . . . I am SO there.
A Wilderness of Words 
So glad to have a slight clue or two about what it’s all about…been puzzled too long.
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Now you know. It’s all fun, plus Bob and I get to see a little more of England while we’re there.
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Wow, that sounds like great fun! Oddly I was just thinking of you today too. I wonder if my mother has read this stuff? Sounds like it’s right up her literary alley (there isn’t much that isn’t, though!). I’ll have to ask her.
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Thanks for commenting, Jennifer. The funny thing is, I was thinking of you the same day! If your mother likes to read, I think she probably would love the books. They’re really wonderful!
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Well, I told her about it. I think I pretty much had her at “festival in England.” 🙂
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What an absolutely crazy, wonderful, tradition!
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It is, indeed. It’s also the kind of thing you have to experience to really get the full measure. You should read one of Jasper’s books – THE EYRE AFFAIR is a good place to start. His books are a pretty good indicator of the kind of crazy the Ffiesta is.
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TY, wondering where to start! And, Jane Eyre has been one of my favorites since I was eight, so, it *must* be a sign that I have to read these books. Well, that and the fact that your desciption of the series made it, quite literally, irresistible (be certain to use your powers of compulsion only for good…
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I love reading about your adventures in Ffiesta land. Couldn’t help thinking how positively ‘you’ the activities seemed; you know, funny, and quirky, and thoughtful, and brilliant all at the same time? What a delightful experience. Yeah. Positively ‘you’.
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You’re too kind. I don’t know how much ‘me’ that really applies to, but it IS an apt description of the Ffiesta with emphasis on the quirky and brilliant.
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– and here I thought it was about travels up a Norwegian fjord…
Sounds like you had ffun as usual. Great! Like the ffotos too.
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My ffotos are nothing compared to others. There’s one person in particular who’s also a five-timer – his pictures are brilliant. http://www.flickr.com/photos/steeljam/sets/72157630048559104/ This will give you a true idea of the zaniness.
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That looks awesome! More books to add to my to-read list…
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Fforde’s books ARE awesome. A really enjoyable read. Enjoy!
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So greatly relieved to finally not to have to ask the ‘stupid’ question of you that I’ve been planning for years. Thank you for clearing the mystery and making me incredibly jealous! What a brilliant tradition.
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Yes, Barb, I thought it was time I let my friends in on the big attraction this event has for me. On the face of it, it does look a bit bizarre, but if you know the books and meet the people involved, it’s amazing and fun.
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After hearing about all of your fantastic adventures at the Fiestas, perhaps I should add this to my bucket list….
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You should come some day. It would be right up your alley – dressing up in costume, making puns, laughing a lot. . . .
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