Hosted by the Barony of Blatha An Oir and a Consortium of Western Regional Baronial Family Members
Location:
The Hilton Bellevue
300 – 112th Ave. SE
Bellevue, WA 98004
Associated Hotel (Back-Up): Red Lion Hotel Bellevue – 11211 Main Street; Bellevue, WA 98004.
Registration Fees (Standard Kingdom): $30.00 for Adults, with a $5 discount for Members. PRE-REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED AS OF DECEMBER 15. Please note, though, that there will be a full Gate onsite, where you can pay by cash, check, or credit card. Thank you to everyone who pre-supported the event!
List of Local Amenities
Find a collated list of local amenities here: Amenities
***NOTE: IF YOU MUST CANCEL YOUR HOTEL ROOM, PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL THROUGH THE HOTEL! WE WILL LOSE THE ROOM FROM OUR BLOCK AND IT WILL BE ‘RESOLD’ AT THE HIGHER NORMAL RATE. IF YOU MUST CANCEL YOUR HOTEL ROOM, PLEASE CONTACT OUR HOTEL ROOM COORDINATOR, MISTRESS ETIENETTE, AT EVENTS @ ANTIR. ORG . WE WILL REASSIGN YOUR ROOM TO ANOTHER ON THE WAITING LIST FOR HOTEL ROOMS. THANK YOU!
***HELP WANTED – BENCHES FOR COURT: There are times when ceremonies and special moments in Court take a little bit of time to accomplish. Standing in front of the An Tir Thrones is an incredibly awesome experience, but it can be exhausting. Or detrimental especially to those with mobility issues. We would like to collect a number of medieval (Norse style? Or other similar?) benches that could be strategically arranged in the Court Room to be available as needed during Court activities and proceedings. If you can help in this regard, please contact the Twelfth Night Event Stewards, starting with Arontius at <arontius@comcast.net>. Your help in this would be greatly appreciated!
Food at Twelfth Night
The Bellevue Hilton has a single restaurant on site. As we’ve all experienced from past Twelfth Nights, the following usually applies:
* The Event Schedule is tight, so a large crowd of people is usually rushing the restaurant at approximately the same times. When 400+ people hit a restaurant at the same time, the service invariably slows down considerably!
* There are a large number of restaurants near the hotel. Many wonderful choices within a mile of the Bellevue Hilton; HOWEVER, the weather will be dark, cold, and wet. Walking to these locations will be undesirable. Also, how easy IS IT to round up any group of more than one and get them transported in any timely manner?
Because of these factors, I am encouraging the following:
1.) Pack some food to eat in your rooms when it is most convenient for you. This way you are not reacting to being in starvation mode or from low blood sugar.
2.) Door Dash / Grub Hub / Food Delivery Services are your friends. Acquaint yourself with the food available nearby and plan for delivery.
Remember that Outside Food is not allowed in the meeting spaces of the Bellevue Hilton (including Court, Meeting Rooms, etc.). This is per hotel policy.
If you have any questions, please contact Arontius of Bygelswade (see the bottom of this page for contact information).
List of Merchants
VidarLeatherworks: Leather goods and vintage leatherworkingtools/supplies
Reannag Teine: Period pottery
Silk Road Tea & Treasures
Sidhefire Arts: Ceramic wares. Pottery and primitive beads, buttons and baubles.
Bronzehammer: Hand cast Viking/Early Period jewelry and leatherwork
Child of Fortune: Plus sized garb
Redwolf Ltd: Brooches, pins, torcs, and other nice SCA jewelry.
Nordic Trader: Nordic Wares, Viking Age museum reproductions.
Walkingstick Designs
Luther Leather: Leather goods
Wild Woods: Mostly Ghana baskets, but also wood bowls and other small period items.
White Hart Pottery: pottery
The Crones Cottage
Tursi Art: Primarily Jewelry and Scribal supplies, almost all handmade.
Bear Mountain Forge: Handmade knives/swords
Vandy Hall Design: Glassworks
Red Troll Forge: Blades and Blacksmith Ironwork
Bustle and Bristle
The Winternight Bazaar: Furs
Pastiche: books, fabric, yarn, sewing notions, jewelry
Class Schedule
The class schedule is HERE. Please note that updates may happen even during the event. Please check the schedule frequently.
Classes are first come, first served. All class fees should be paid in cash to the instructor.
The Embellisher’s Guild of An Tir will hold a short meeting and guild challenges at 7 p.m. Saturday night. Join us from 7 – 8 pm on Saturday to chat about embellishing and see what others are making. You do not need to be a member to attend. We’re meeting in the King room.
Voices of Color invites 12th night attendees who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) to gather for a social hour in a safe space with hosts Nina (Genevieve), Gigi (Gianna), Jessica (Zahra), and Anela (Talia), from 6-7 pm on Saturday in the Kirkland room.
Youth Combat Marshalling class for Youth Marshals looking to renew, adults interested in supporting the program by becoming marshals, and families interested in learning about our kingdom’s youth combat program. This is a great opportunity to get information on background check procedures, sign off on authorizations for people who already have a current background check, share information about our programs that are currently running, and introduce new families to what the program is and represents in our kingdom. There will be handouts and samples of armor to see and discuss. I will have a few youth available for practicing armoring and armor checks. Saturday, 6:30 pm, Newcastle Room.
Carnival of Colors: A Venetian Masquerade
We invite everyone to come to the Ball Saturday, January 13th, 2024. We will begin dancing 1 hour after evening Court (hopefully around 7pm)
Friday, January 12th at 7pm we will have a dance practice to run through some of the dances that will be part of the Saturday evening ball.
Fashion Parade and after-party
After the dancing, at 10pm there will be a fashion parade of themed ensembles made specifically for this 12th night, modeled by their fabulous creators, after which there will be time for plenty of selfies, socializing with the BoD members, and a selection of drinks provided by the hotel at a cash bar for our convenience….so no one need pack extra food and beverage for a Saturday night to-do…..we are your one stop destination for all the social frivolity of an old Tudor feast hall when the tables get put away and the music starts playing!
Armored fighting practice
On Sunday, Fighting starts at 9am, across from the main lobby of the Hotel, in the covered parking area. Fighting continues until noon, or until everyone has had enough. No structure, just gear up and whack folks a lot. As always, volunteer marshals are welcome. Questions? Contact Sir Andras Truemark, or one of the event team.
Vigils
Please join in supporting Laurel Vigilants Gisella Lisabetta Venier, Cathyn Fitzgerald, and Eden the Mad, as well as Pelican Vigilant John de Percy, Friday evening as they sit in Vigil.
All four of these illustrious candidates will be found on the 10th Floor, so to ease your path in finding them and sharing your congratulations and words of advice.
Various snacks and beverages will be there for consuming as you join the celebrations, prepared with the care and love of their friends and family.
Earl Cathyn’s vigil is from 7 – 11 pm in Room 1049.
HL John de Percy’s vigil is from 7:30 – 11 pm in Room 1048.
HL Gisella’s vigil is from 7:30 to midnight in Room 1034.
Baroness Eden the Mad’s vigil is from 7 – 11 pm in Room 1052. I have been told various snacks prepared by the incomparable Baroness Erika will be available.
Please come, write your congratulations and well wishes for them in their vigil books, and share these celebrations!
Are you new to the SCA or Twelfth Night? This is for you!
Twelfth Night Celebrates the Coronation from the previous Royalty to the New! This event has Court, which is where awards are presented to participants, meetings for officers of the SCA, and classes and activities!
Pre–registration: This is NOT required for this event. We provide pre-registration to speed up the entry process and allow you to pre-pay electronically. You will still have to check-in at the entrance.
Hotel: An Tir has a number of what we call ‘hotel events’ where holding the event outside would be too miserable due to weather and ground conditions. You are NOT required to stay at the hotel where the event is being held or even stay at a hotel at all! You can drive over and spend the day(s), find crash space with a friend or local SCA participant, or stay at a near by hotel or b&b.
Food: The hotel has a restaurant and we may have scored a food truck! Typically hotels do NOT allow outside food or drink (other than water) to be consumed on premises. This is for legal reasons. There are a number of restaurants and faster food options near by and the now regularly delivery options (Door Dash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, etc) are also available in the area.
IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL NEED for food or non-water based drinks during the day, please contact the Event Crew before hand or have someone from Check-in Grab an Event Steward. We can make arrangements.
Garb:
The SCA encourages an attempt at pre-16th Century Garb. If you do not have Garb or feel that your attempts are not enough, you can borrow some! Gold Key will be available on site to borrow. If you have Questions or Concerns, please contact Lady Elizabeth North at blathaanoir.Chatelaine@antir.org and she will assist you.
What to bring:
- Chairs are provided! If you need additional support or wants to enhance your experience with a bench, rug, pillow etc, please do!
- Water. Hotel events are surprisingly warm and dehydrating even when we aren’t moving very much and we’ve turned the heat off in the Ballroom.
- Comfortable Shoes. There maybe some walking, there will definitely be some dancing!
- Food. Light snacks are generally a good idea especially if you are looking to attend multiple activities. Foods that are safe for you to eat if you have medical or allergy reasons.
- A small notebook or noteapp on your phone. One of the best reasons to attend 12th Night is to meet people who have a shared interest! A small notebook is less instrusive but a phone works in a pinch! Jot down the name of that person and their branch or contact info! That way you can follow up about their neat garb or your interest in learning to smith.
- Something to do! In the SCA it’s frequently referred to as handwork! This can be sewing a hem, finger-loop braiding, felting… Smaller projects that can be done with a chair’s worth of space and are relatively quiet. THIS IS NOT A REQUIREMENT but you will frequently see people in Court doing something and it’s a nice way to pass the time between cheering
Classes:
Many events in the SCA offer classes! Some classes require a pre-registration due to room constraints or supply costs. Some may have a fee for supplies. This information should be available to you PRIOR to the event. Keep an eye on the Kingdom Calendar post or the Facebook group for details.
Accessibility:
- The hotel has a bank of elevators that go to every floor, the main entrances are all stair free, and there are accessible bathrooms on every floor.
- We will have a schedule posted at Gate as well as one that you can scan to keep on a digital device or print at home. A limited number of printed copies will be available. Room specific schedules will be posted outside the doors. Please remember that the schedule is always tentative and subject to change.
- Signs will be posted with an activity and a symbol for easier navigation!
Frequently asked questions:
If I get called up in Court, do I need to kneel?
Nope! While this is tradition, we also understand physical comfort and limitations. There is always a cushion and An Tir also uses a fantastic bench so that you can kneel or sit on that and you can even just stand! The Crown will 100% understand and you do NOT need to apologize or explain.
I’m brand new and getting called up as a Newcomer. How do I approach?
There will normally be several of you! You can walk up with a group or an escort. If you are solo an escort may magically appear and offer you an arm, you are not required to accept their arm! Usually people will bow or curtsy at the end of the chairs or approximately 10 feet from the Thrones and then a second, smaller one as they reach their final standing point.
How do I volunteer?!
There will be a volunteer sign up sheet at Gate at the start of each day. Keep an eye out for updates on the Baronial website, Kingdom Calendar, or Facebook Group for opportunities as we draw closer to the event
I need a quiet space and do not have a hotel room!
We have you covered! We have set aside space in quiet area of the hotel for a quiet room. This room will have a variety of options for sitting and is near our staff room if you are in need of additional assistance. If you get turned around, look for signage or go to Gate for assistance.
Event Team Stewardship Leads:
Arontius of Bygelswade (Michael Aaron Rogers on Facebook, or arontius@comcast.net via e-mail): Overall Event Coordinator, Hotel Liason, and Event Reporting.
HL Kira Mikkelsdottir (Dawn Chronister on Facebook, or blathaanoir.exchequer@antir.org via e-mail): Financial Issues Liaison, Communications / Coordination between Blatha An Oir and the event.
HL Ciar ingen Fiachnae (Brandy Stier on Facebook, or ciar.ingen.fiachnae@gmail.com via e-mail): Activities Coordination and Scheduling within the event.
Mistress Genevieve Marie Etienette de Montagne (Stephanie Ray-Solum), Kingdom Events Deputy: Gate Coordinator and Chief Kingdom Collaborator, with assistance from HE Elewyn Verch Emrys (Susan Meyers).
PayPal Pre-Registration is tentatively scheduled to begin after September Crown. Our Pre-Registration Coordinator is HL Anne Mary Quinn (Patricia Bostick), who will be working with the Event Gate Coordinator. On-Site card / electronic payment will be through Zettle (the new on-site card service replacing the current PayPal process), and will be arranged closer to the event.
HL Xenos Makellares (Pete Lazzaretti) has volunteered to be the Marketplace (Merchant Room) Coordinator.
The Blatha An Oir Chatelaine, Lady Elizabeth North (Joni Sugar Shoemaker) will be working to organize a Chatelaine’s Table for Twelfth Night and provide information as desired by those new and fresh to the SCA.
Her Excellency Angharat verch Reynulf (Jonnalyhn Wolfcat Prill) is our Vigil Coordinator.
HL Ellisif Leifsdottir (Elisabeth Howard-Langmack) is our Event Royal Liaison (as well as coordinating Site Tokens).
HL Gracia Abrabanel (Grace Amundsen Barnkow) is our organizer of Arts and Sciences Displays.
Sir Andras Truemark (Andras Truemark in Facebook) is our Martiallate Coordinator for the Event.
We have a fantastic Decorations Team in the works, currently consisting of HL Francisca Rosil (Francisca Ossiander) and HE Elspeth Nic Grath (Beth Park)!
Lady Æffe Michælesdohtor (Lissa Dee on Facebook, blathaanoir.webminister@antir.org via email) is our Event Web-Minister and Social Media Point-Of-Contact, with Her Excellency Anne of Bearshaven (Anne Asplund) as her support.