Generally a reenactment takes place over a one to three day period. Most of them are over a weekend as folks have families and real jobs.
Reenactors get together and set up an encampment. They use reproduction tents, cooking and camping gear from the period they represent. During the day you can visit the encampment, talk with the reenactors and watch all kinds of demonstrations of everything that happened back then. Learn about open fire cooking, tomahawk and knife throwing, dance and music. You can also shop at the “sutlers camp”. You will find all kind of things from the era for sale. Some vendors simply lay out a blanket with their goods and others have canvas tents or lodges to sell from. You can find knives and all kinds of things related to the time, and of course, plenty of hides and clothes.
The highlight is usually a particular battle of historic event on which it is based. Spectators watch for a field or viewing area as the reenactors done their uniforms and weapons. There are no real bullets, but they do fire their weapons, using black powder so it gets pretty smoky and loud.
Men, women and children don their period clothing and you get to watch their activity. They demonstrate many of the things that happened in everyday life back then like a fashion show, colonial sewing circle, ladies tea or colonial sewing circle.
All reenactors must be properly dressed and all modern items must be kept covered with period appropriate covers like hides or quilts. At the end of the day, just before dinner usually the visitors are asked to leave camp and the rest of the evening is just the reenactors sharing a meal, playing music and singing, spinning yarns.