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| Arizona Renaissance Festival |
It is tyme for the 26th Annual Arizona Renaissance Festival, and new this year is the Steam Pirate Airship Ride!
(BTW, clockpunk, which is similar to steampunk, portrays Renaissance-era science and technology based on pre-modern designs. Obviously, Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine is wildly popular.)
I wonder if my buddy Ded Bob will want to go for a ride with me?
Longing for childhood days of make believe? Mythic heroes slaying dragons, steel clad warriors jousting atop mighty steeds and knights in shining armor saving damsels in distress...this can all be found at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. There is definitely something for the children and the kid in all of us to be found at the faire.
Arizona's annual festival is one of the largest in the nation, held on weekends in February and March in its fanciful European style village constructed on a 30-acre site just below the foothills of the Superstition Mountains, east of Phoenix and northwest of Tucson. This is where you’ll find theater, circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament, people-powered rides, and a feasting – all rolled into a non-stop, day long family adventure!
Merchants hawk their wares, selling everything from clothing to custom ceramics. Observe in awe at the demonstrations displaying skills of black-smithing, jewelry making, glassblowing and pottery throwing. More than 200 artisans are housed in the market lanes filled with story book shops.
There are 13 open-air stages where you can listen to raucous music and roaring comedy. Catch the swordplay and wordplay of festival favorites Don Juan and Miguel. It’s hard to miss the wild antics of The Tortuga Twins (three unrelated men in tights), and more than amusing to decipher Zilch the Tory Steller (the misspelling, like his miss-speaking, is intentional). On or off the stage you are bound to rub shoulders with delightful characters. Don’t miss the newest attraction - The Living Fountain!
A variety of food and drynk is available to satisfy your appetite; bread bowls, stews, steak-on-a-stake, roasted chicken, and so much more. In the midst of this enormous feast you'll find the King of festival foods - the huge roasted turkey leg. Tempt your diet plan with desserts from the Monk’s Bakery, the Cappuccino Inn, or the Chocolate Shoppe. Pubs serve beers, wine and soft drynks to quench your thirst.
And kids love this place! Dozens of activities bring out their smiles. A Festival favorite with children is Mother (and Father) Goose brought to life, with costumed ducks and geese, Maggie, Mimi and Matilda. Kids will cheer for their favorite knight at the 5,000 seat jousting arena or try their hand at archery. Children delight in the return of a falcon, the King of sports, at the Falconer’s Heath. Kids also, love riding the people-powered Da Vinci’s Flying Machine, the Swan Swing, Christopher Columbus’ “Voyage to the New World,” the Slider Joust, as well as, the Piccolo Pony, a rocking horse bigger than an elephant. In addition to the people-powered rides, the Festival offers interactive games like the dragon climbing tower, the castle siege, Jacobs’ Ladder, a maze and an archery range. Kids will surely be asking for a hat, wand, garland, wooden sword, shield, or to have their face painted, or to make a sand dragon, or perhaps purchase a pet gorgi or drabbit along with other interesting items available for purchase at the Festival. What’s more, kids will marvel at the
Arizona's annual festival is one of the largest in the nation, held on weekends in February and March in its fanciful European style village constructed on a 30-acre site just below the foothills of the Superstition Mountains, east of Phoenix and northwest of Tucson. This is where you’ll find theater, circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament, people-powered rides, and a feasting – all rolled into a non-stop, day long family adventure!
Merchants hawk their wares, selling everything from clothing to custom ceramics. Observe in awe at the demonstrations displaying skills of black-smithing, jewelry making, glassblowing and pottery throwing. More than 200 artisans are housed in the market lanes filled with story book shops.
There are 13 open-air stages where you can listen to raucous music and roaring comedy. Catch the swordplay and wordplay of festival favorites Don Juan and Miguel. It’s hard to miss the wild antics of The Tortuga Twins (three unrelated men in tights), and more than amusing to decipher Zilch the Tory Steller (the misspelling, like his miss-speaking, is intentional). On or off the stage you are bound to rub shoulders with delightful characters. Don’t miss the newest attraction - The Living Fountain!
A variety of food and drynk is available to satisfy your appetite; bread bowls, stews, steak-on-a-stake, roasted chicken, and so much more. In the midst of this enormous feast you'll find the King of festival foods - the huge roasted turkey leg. Tempt your diet plan with desserts from the Monk’s Bakery, the Cappuccino Inn, or the Chocolate Shoppe. Pubs serve beers, wine and soft drynks to quench your thirst.
And kids love this place! Dozens of activities bring out their smiles. A Festival favorite with children is Mother (and Father) Goose brought to life, with costumed ducks and geese, Maggie, Mimi and Matilda. Kids will cheer for their favorite knight at the 5,000 seat jousting arena or try their hand at archery. Children delight in the return of a falcon, the King of sports, at the Falconer’s Heath. Kids also, love riding the people-powered Da Vinci’s Flying Machine, the Swan Swing, Christopher Columbus’ “Voyage to the New World,” the Slider Joust, as well as, the Piccolo Pony, a rocking horse bigger than an elephant. In addition to the people-powered rides, the Festival offers interactive games like the dragon climbing tower, the castle siege, Jacobs’ Ladder, a maze and an archery range. Kids will surely be asking for a hat, wand, garland, wooden sword, shield, or to have their face painted, or to make a sand dragon, or perhaps purchase a pet gorgi or drabbit along with other interesting items available for purchase at the Festival. What’s more, kids will marvel at the
acrobatic antics of Clan Tynker. Those bolder of heart may feed the dragon or play King of the log.
We deal with the 21st century every day. Now the Renaissance is back, offering an opportunity to relax and escape to the amusements of a much simpler time. You can meet all these colorful characters on weekends, Saturdays, Sundays, and Presidents’ Day Monday, Feb. 8 through March 30. For more information contact the Festival at 520-463-2700 or on the web at www.renfestinfo.com.
We deal with the 21st century every day. Now the Renaissance is back, offering an opportunity to relax and escape to the amusements of a much simpler time. You can meet all these colorful characters on weekends, Saturdays, Sundays, and Presidents’ Day Monday, Feb. 8 through March 30. For more information contact the Festival at 520-463-2700 or on the web at www.renfestinfo.com.
I LOVE the Arizona Renn Faire. Ded Bob and the Tortuga Twins are fabulous! Have you sat to watch the glassblower? His demo is fabulous! The mac n cheese on a stick is to die for delicious. The falconry exhibit is great too. Sadly, Gramma Enne no longer winters in Arizona. :( Won't get to see it...however, The Pennsylvania Renn Faire is also one of the greats in the country. :)
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