They'll be able to tell you such things as whether mediaeval clothing is expected. Types of Event Feasts Feasts are the thing which do most to bring the diverse participants in the SCA together. Not everyone wants to fight or to embroider or to carve, but almost everyone enjoys dining in style. The chatelaine may be able to help you with this. You are also normally expected to bring your own drinks and bread.
Feasts always require mediaeval clothing.
And a final point about feasts - as you can imagine, the cooks are generally fairly busy and are sometimes under considerable stress. If you don't enjoy fighting, or watching fighting, you can still have fun socialising with other spectators. Tourneys tend to be held in publicly accessible areas, so there will often be non-SCAdians present. They're a good choice for a first event. Personally, I'm mystified as to how one can judge a bottle of mead against an Elizabethan gown.