There are several ways people begin participating in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), and there is no one single correct path.
You can find your local group and attend a local meeting – local meetings are free to attend and there are not requirements for historical clothing. Drop in and check out what people are up to. Our local meetings are where the local members gather together to practice, learn and plan for events they may attend or host.
You can show up to an event – new people and non-members are always welcome to attend any SCA event. Unlike local meetings, you will need some attempt at clothing from before 1600 CE, which is why we usually try to get people to local meetings first. We have clothing that is available to be loaned out and a lot of advice if you are interested in making your own clothing.
You can participate online with the various online communities – but remember that the SCA is something best experienced firsthand. Online might keep you up to date on events in your Kingdom, but it cannot replace the feeling of being there and the learning that happens around friends.
Local meetings are often the best place to start. Weekend or single-day events close to home are also good ways to first experience the SCA. We recommend that new members don’t try to attend longer events, called wars, without talking to members first. Attending Wars can often mean a significant investment in time, money, and energy, and we like to make sure that people get off on the right foot when they join us.