The Arizona Renaissance Festival and Artisan Marketplace
Huzzah! The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a jolly good way to spend a day with fun, food, and friends!
Where else in Arizona can Knights and Queens cavort around in terrific looking outfits? Dress up in your finest medieval threads and you’ll fit right in! Or not.
This is a “must see” happening.
It starts in February and runs Saturday and Sunday from from 10AM to 6PM.
See their website link below for exact dates that they are open.
It’s located just east of Mesa on the Superstition 60.
See map at the bottom of page.
What does your Royal Highness and m'Lady get at the Arizona Renaissance Festival?
There’s the free shows going on all day, all kinds of shopping for unique gifts, then the feasts.
If you want to go all out then there’s the Pleasure Feast for those of you with a larger coin purse.
The Pleasure Feast is a two hour dinner extravaganza. A new and wondrous experience with countless courses of fine cuisine awaits you! You sit down in a room with your crazy hat and then watch the Royal Entertainment for a couple of hours.
Tickets can be all sold out so your best bet is make reservations. Here's the phone number: 520-463-2700. Here's the website for tickets and more info:
http://arizona.renfestinfo.com/
The Pleasure Feast Dinner ShowThen there are countless shows to amuse you, m’Lord. Like the tournament jousting ( just like Excalibur in Las Vegas or Medieval Times in Anaheim Calif.) These shows are free with the price of admission.
Tarry a while at the outdoor theaters (12 in all) where you can see for example the outrageous antics of “The Ded Bob Sho.” Described as a “loose cannon,” Ded Bob may be ever so slightly risqué for kids. Come to think of it the parents should look out too. Go if you have the guts. He likes to pick on strangers and drag them up on stage. When it’s all over and you made it out unscathed at someone else’s expense you’ll know what I mean. Although you could feel slighted if you don’t get picked on!
One of our favorite shows is the Birds of Prey show on the grassy green next to the bird castle called “The Falconer’s Heath.” Birds that need help come here.
You get to see up close the awesome power of nature’s most exciting birds.
The time we were there they had a falcon tear through the air like a little winged thunderbolt. Hide your food or they can swipe it out of your hand!
Then there was a big black scary vulture that
cleaned off a whole chicken leg in just a few seconds. Like a piranha with wings.
Birds of Prey Show on the Falconer's HeathSay, that reminds me, the food is fabulous. Try the “Steak on a Stake.” Or the countless specialty deserts and adult beverages. There's lots of feast food to be had for all manner of princesses and knights at the Arizona Renaissance Festival.
Feast on Steak on a Stake
How to prepare for your adventure
The Arizona Renaissance Festival village is freshly painted and the grounds are kept very clean. You might even forget you are in the desert. Temperatures can vary quite a bit so you might get there and be cold until the sun warms things up. Clouds can make the day chilly.
Then you might get toasty in the afternoon sun so bring a hat. Just depends. So take a jacket just as a spare and leave it in the car, you can always go and get it later.
There’s lots of free parking on the dirt. Yes it gets crowded and yes there is a lot of hard packed dirt to tie up your mighty steed! And before you go, take a moment to admire the setting sun and the warm glow of the Superstition Mountains!
Sunset View in the Parking lot
Parking lot with Superstition Mountian ViewHere's a map of where the festivities are. You can't miss it because the traffic on the road slows to a crawl so watch out for stopped cars.
View Larger Map
