Arizona Renaissance Festival Top 6

Disclosure: My family and I were given complimentary tickets in exchange for our unbiased review of this event. All opinions are my own.

It is renaissance season here in Arizona, which brings the 31st annual Arizona Renaissance Festival to east Phoenix. Lords and Ladies come from far and wide to visit this medieval town — but for up to $27 a ticket — is it worth it?

This was our first Renaissance Festival that we have been to, so we didn’t have anything to compare it to. It truly is a representation of a medieval village!  They call it “Fairhaven” and you really do feel like you have been transported back in time.  And although we got complimentary tickets in exchange for media coverage, my husband and I agreed that we would have paid the price of admission because we had SO much fun. Here are our favorite things we did:

Top 6 things to see:

6. Artisans and Vendors

– Typically I don’t really like browsing through shops at fairs or amusement parks, but I loved seeing all the beautiful craftsmanship at the Ren Fest. Some of our favorite shops were of pottery, pewter mugs, wands, wooden mugs, swords, flutes, maps, and catapults! I won’t share how much money we spent on these things!!

5. Delicious Food

– If you know me you know I like a good snack. The Ren Fest has tons of delicious options to choose from that can please your whole family. We had chicken and chips, pork shank and mashed potatoes, and two brownie sundaes. Brownie Sundaes didn’t get photographed since they were eaten so fast haha.

Whenever we go back, I’d like to try one of the large pretzels, a scotch egg, and Steak on a Stake.

4. Stage performances

Although we didn’t get to watch very many (3 tired cranky kids), the ones that we caught sight of looked really fun. I especially liked all the authentic music pouring through the “town”.

3. Fun Activities

Throughout the festival there are tons of entertainments included in the price of admission. But there are also MANY fun games, activities, and rides there that cost a small fee. The ones we participated in were the archery booths and the kids dragon slide. The archery was only $3 for a large bundle of arrows and the use of a bow. We all got to give it a try! The slide was $2 a person (which is too expensive but my son really wanted to) and he loved it.

They also have a hilarious booth that you can throw tomatoes at a guy who is insulting you! $5 for 5 tomatoes or $10 for 12.

The rides were super fun to watch even though we didn’t ride them. Each one is “man” powered and has no engine, which means no loud noises or smelly fuel

2. Joust

This was the part we were most looking forward to in anticipation of the fest and were NOT disappointed! Medieval cheerleaders worked the crowd getting everyone excited for the main events — feats of skill, and the man to man joust. Everyone in the stands was yelling and stomping, which just added to the excitement. Our kids bought flags to wave their allegiance to the Green Night and the Order of the Stallion.  It felt like “A Knights Tale” in real life! 10/10 would do again.

1.The People!

My family and I would not consider ourselves “Renaissance festival people”, and there certainly is such a person. But despite that, we felt at home in the town of Fairhaven. Each of the vendors and just people walking around are so nice and welcoming. Many interacted with our kids and made their faces light up. You don’t have to dress up to have a good time at the Ren Fest, but don’t be afraid of the ones that do.

My son said it best when he said

“this is SO MUCH BETTER than I thought it was going to be! And I THOUGHT it was going to be awesome!”

True words of a 5 year old. And I agree! We thought it would be cool and it still exceeded those expectations.

I can’t wait to visit Fairhaven again.

For more information on the Arizona Renaissance Festival, click this link here!

To purchase tickets, click here!