This is no April Fools Joke! March 31 and April 1 are the final days of the 30th Annual Arizona Renaissance Festival and we have a few suggestions to help make your visit truly memorable!
First and most importantly, go to the Renaissance to PLAY, not to just to visit!
The fair vendors, actors and performers are truly here because they LOVE it! If you are willing to immerse yourself as they have, you will have a much more incredible experience! MyCrazy8 makes sure to dress up, however modest or inauthentic…it is, after all, the effort that matters most and trust me, the village performers will love you for it! Our boys have been knighted; our girls have been courted by his royal highness Prince Nicholas, himself!; our smaller boys have been trained by true knights of the realm on proper swordsmanship and fighting technique; and our younger girls and boys have had memorable encounters with wandering fairies and mischievous dragons! So heed this wise advise…dress up and PLAY with the characters you encounter at the fair!
A few of our favorite characters to encounter: Pirate Captain Drake (he taught us “the smolder”), Prince Andrew, Twig the Fairy and her Fairy Friends, Wiggins , self proclaimed “Man in the Funny Hat” (campaigning for Fairy Ambassador), and if you get there first thing in the morning, join in the revelry with the townsfolk as they teach you the Escargot dance (only performed once a day)!
Second, get a map and pay attention to the show ratings!
This is especially important if you are attending with younger children. Some of the humor and content of certain shows is not necessarily the best for a younger crowd. The shows earlier in the day are usually your best bet with the younger kiddos. But check the ratings first before popping down with your little brood! Some of our favorite family-friendly shows are the Birds of Prey, Mother Goose and her animal friends, the Mermaids, and of course the Joust! My bigger kids absolutly love Ded Bob and the Tortuga Twins (but definitely stick to the earlier shows for these guys as the afternoon shows can become a bit raucaus!). There are countless demonstrations throughout the streets of unusual musical instruments, magic shows, weapons training, blacksmiths, weavers and so much more! Take time to pay attention as you walk the streets…you never know what you might find!
Third, bring snacks and water but don’t mis out on the tremendous food choices in the fair!
Our favorites are the orange/strawberry slushes (these are a wandering streeet vendor so you might have to ask one of the villagers where they are on any given day), steak on a stake, bread bowls and of course, chocolate covered strawberries! Trust me, spend an extra buck and get the cup of strawberries and cream with chocolate…it is going to leave you with a smile on your face!
And Fourth, don’t impulse buy in the first few steps of the fair!
Take time to wonder back and visit all of the vendors in the fair as you will find some of the same items but with a variety of pricing a little further back. Plus, you will see incredible variety through their considerable talents. We are constantly blown away by the variety of skilled artisans. Just this year we discovered Knot Working, a Celtic Knotwork Jewelry artist! My fellow boy scouters were enthralled by his skill and dexterity and left not only with a few keepsakes, but with inspiration to try their hand at their own “knotworks”! There are so many incredibly talented artisans that attend the fair every year. Give them a chance to show you what they can do! The are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic to share their talent and experience! Ask them about their trade!
#azrenfest
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