Be our Guest

Interested in reenacting, but not sure if it’s right for you? Be our guest!

The NWTA welcomes non-members to guest with us at up to two events before deciding to join. The only cost to you will be your food, and getting to the event site.

What are you in for? Read our “What Re-enacting with the NWTA Looks Like.

How do you find a unit to host you?

  1. Our strong recommendation is to come to a scheduled NWTA event and meet us. Walk around camp and talk to individual units to get a feel for who they are. Odds are pretty good that you’ll find a group you’re happy to camp with for a weekend that share your interests.
    Let the unit know you’d like to guest with them at their next event. Or, if that’s out of your comfort zone, we can reach out to the unit on your behalf, although it helps if they remember who you are.
  2. Another option is to reach out to units via their Facebook pages found in our Field Guide. You won’t be meeting them in person this way, but you can get a grasp of who they are, and how they do things. Arrange to guest with the unit of your choice at their next event.
  3. If you just want to dive straight in, fill out our Request to Guest form. We will reach out to the organization as a whole and find out what unit is available to host you at the next event. While this option is the simplest, it also means you will be guesting with the first unit willing and able to host a guest, as opposed to finding the right fit.

Why find the ‘right fit’ unit?

The NWTA is an umbrella organization comprised of many different units. Each unit is an organization unto itself, with it’s own structure and culture.

Although it’s often an interest in a particular kind of unit that draws new members (such as artillery, cavalry, Scotts, Braunschweigers, rangers, line units, etc), it’s important to check out the “style” of each unit.

For instance: demographics. Some units are very family-oriented with whole families reenacting together and lots of kids in camp, while others may have a membership of younger or older participants that don’t have children. Some units have an even mix of men and women, while others are predominantly one or the other.

Or another example: focus. Some units really stress the importance of historical accuracy across the board, while others are very focused on a number of key elements, and more lax on others. Examples are clothing, cooking, weapons, gear, drill, battle and camp demonstrations, etc.

And then the obvious one: personality. There are quiet and reserved units, and then there are boisterous and loud units. Of course, most fall somewhere in-between. There are close-knit units that seem more family than friends, and units that simply love delving into history with like-minded people. There are units that get together often outside of events, and units that are happy to just go to a couple events a year.

Finding the ‘right fit’ unit right out the gate will help make your first time guesting great! If that doesn’t work out, you can always reach out to the Recruiting Department at recruiting@nwta.com and let us help you find a new unit to guest with next time.

Find the Recruiting Department at facebook.com/NwtaRecruiting & Welcome to Reenacting!