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July 2023 by Fiorella M.
5/5!!! 10/10!!! It was my first time going and I had so much fun! They have a variety of activities for all ages. They also have great shows. The food was delicious! I love how friendly staff are. I also did enjoy how it felt like we were back in Renaissance times. So much to do and so much to eat. I recommend the bread bowl soups, turkey legs, and chocolate covered cheesecake. Worth every single penny! I will be returning next year
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April 2023 by Tom B.
Traffic in and out is tragic but the event is great! Do not plan on buying any of the goods they sell here they are overpriced by about 200%The food and drink is reasonable but no healthy options for sure and the environment and people watching is spot on!
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April 2023 by Trevor 2.
Pleasure Feast! It was my first renaissance festival but my wife had gone several times and I wanted her to enjoy something she's never done so I got us tickets to the pleasure Feast. $100 per person and that includes your admission fee plus you get a nice ceramic goblet to take home. The table side entertainment was outstanding but the five course meal was definitely not worth it but I'm glad we tried it once. Everything else however was great. Tons of shopping but remember most businesses are cash only! Lots to do and see. My favorite was the Hey Nunnie Nunnie OMGosh if you get the opportunity to see them they are absolutely hilarious. I'm looking forward to next year.
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March 2023 by Karen S.
The good: It is a lot of fun. The costumes are great. Atmosphere is great. There is a ton to do. The site is very attractive with permanent buildings. The privies are in permanent buildings and are kept very clean. There are some inexpensive food choices ($5 stuffed baked potato). Entertainment is plentiful and some of it is great. My 6-year-old granddaughter had a blast. Parking is free.The bad: TRAFFIC. Oh, the traffic. My husband had me check ADOT to see if there was an accident when we encountered a massive back-up 10 miles from the entrance to the festival. No, just "normal" traffic, according to ADOT. It took 40 minutes crawling in traffic to get to the parking lot. Once we arrived, we parked in the south 40 and hiked to the entrance (no trams). Lines were insanely long at the privies until late in the day. The joust was so crowded the 4 of us could not sit together. There are TOO. MANY. PEOPLE. This was my first time at the Arizona Ren Fest. I have attended many, many Ren faires in So. CA. This one was nearly 3 times as big as So. CA's biggest Ren Faire and much nicer. Instead of temporary shacks, this is a permanent installation. The grounds are well-kept and clean. I was very impressed with the privies. Instead of porta-potties, they are in buildings with 9 stalls and were kept well-stocked and very clean. I had bought a child's ticket online because it was $5 cheaper that way but waited to buy our $32 senior citizen's tickets at the gate since they aren't offered online. It only saved $1 each but still...! The line to buy tickets was not bad. Getting in was fine. But once we got inside, the amount of people was astounding. The grounds cover 50 acres which is huge, but you still had to weave through walls of people just about everywhere.Due to the traffic backup, we arrived at the Festival at 12:30 p.m., 2 hours after it opened. That left us 5.5 hours. That was not even remotely enough time. There was much of the festival we did not get to see, and we only watched two shows. Sadly, much of our time was spent in line: for the privies, food, beer, rides. I would have loved to get chocolate-covered strawberries, but the line was too intimidating.The first thing we did was eat. The food line (unlike the beer line) moved quickly. My stuffed potato was only $5 and the bratwurst was $6. My husband didn't like his brat, but my granddaughter did. Next GD went on the swan swing. She waited in line 15 minutes. After that we worked our way to the Tournament Arena, stopping at a couple of shops along the way. Arriving at the tournament area 15 minutes before the 2:30 p.m. joust, we were lucky to find ANYWHERE to sit, as it was PACKED. GD and I squeezed in a small space in the front row and my husband had to sit several rows behind us. When GD's other grandfather caught up, he tried to sit in the aisle next to us, but was shooed away by the aisle police. The 3 of us ended up squeezing together on the bench.The joust was fun - GD liked it - but I learned later that the 5 pm joust is better because it is "to the death". After the joust GD got her hair braided ($18, plus tip). Then we bought her fairy wings (an astonishing $50, omg). She did the pirate boat ride. We watched the HILARIOUS "Hey Nunnie Nunnie" show at Middleshire Stage (they were GREAT). Then we saw the Living Mermaids and the Fool's Medicine show at Carnevale Stage (so so). The finale was Dragon Tail Tower slide and then we hurried out at 5:45 to try to beat the 6 p.m. mass exodus.Getting out wasn't as horrible as getting in, though it was backed up. Traffic control could be so much better.Overall, we had a great time. I just wish we could have seen more of the festival. We barely went into any shops and saw only a couple of shows. The time spent waiting in traffic and lines really ate up our day.
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March 2023 by James N.
This was my first time to a Renaissance Fair and I must say I really enjoyed it. I though the $33 admission price was fair considering it is 50 acres in size, offers nonstop entertainment, and offers countless merchants and food stands. Gotta love those Turkey legs and soups in a bread bowl. The food is cash only-that's important to remember-but there are ATMs scattered throughout that charge a $3.50 convenience fee. There was quite a bit of traffic coming in as the fair opened, but when we left around 2p the line was minimal. Parking lot attendants were super efficient. Not something I'd do on an annual basis but had a good time with the family.
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February 2023 by Kristay S.
Coming up on our 5th year in AZ, we finally made it and we were not disappointed! The costumes, shops and child centered activities were alone worth the visit. We did not take in any performances but we will be back and will be sure to make time for that too!
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February 2023 by Philip B.
This is a place that is full of weapons but dos not support the American constitution. I do not support companies that are openly bias. The fair itself offers little entertainment. I thought they would have jousting and sword fights. They have a few shows but nothing I thought was very entertaining. Plenty of overpriced nick nacks was more entertaining watching goofy people dress up like Halloween and prance about.
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February 2023 by Kelly B.
Went Opening Day 2023, but can't give it five stars because I thought a lot of the food items at the fest were sorely lacking for the price. ***See CONS below on food topics. Altogether, I think the Arizona RenFest is a great five star event and love the festivities, entertainment, folks in character and shops. The fest is really a great opportunity event for family to meet and enjoy a sense of good natured fun without electronics (even cell service is overwhelmed so don't count on it). The entertainment is always fun to watch and we particularly liked the Fire Whip show and Jousting but I have yet to see a bad performance. The fact that the performances are live and often include animals (mice, cats, etc) you never can anticipate what might take place but that's part of the fun. Performances are rewarded on donations (passing the hat) at the end of each show so a few dollars is always well received. It's always interesting to see those dressed in character to participate in near period dress, but you can see almost anything from knights to elves and witches to angels (good and bad) that just reinforces the positive aspect of the overall atmosphere. Although we didn't frequent the shops, they always appear to be well stocked with many period items of interest that are pricey but you gotta expect high prices at an event such as a RenFest. For CONS. Stick to the higher price food items if you want anything decent. Many in our group wanted something fast as they dashed from one show to the next which is not the way to go. Items like kids pizza, chicken strips & fries, jerky and my choice of worst item (root beer float) should be bypassed if at all possible. The Root Beer float is essentially crushed ice with what appeared to be root beer flavoring or perhaps a dash (hint) of some cheap root beer soda in a 6 oz cup. Buy a full soft drink for kids vise the slush drinks and floats and avoid my mistakes. Beer and mixed drinks were pretty good from past experiences (designated driver this time), but I understand they have non-alcoholic beer that I didn't try. I'll spend more on upscale food and drink next time and perhaps miss a show or two. Lesson learned.....
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September 2022 by Jose C.
This place is awesome!!! It's a great time for all ages. Food is great drinks are great and it's an all around great vibe.
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April 2022 by Steve C.
My son and his family have attended many times, pre-Covid. This was my first time and from the way they handled traffic to the fantastic shows, I was impressed. I'll be back next year.
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April 2022 by Jeshenia A.
I have been coming to the Renaissance festival since 2016 and I love coming here every year! This year I went on April 2, 2022. I had so much fun! Their food (sadly forgot the take pics thsi year) is my all time favorite. Along with the amazing shows they put on. There is soo so much to see and walk. They have a Petting zoo, a mermaid, sword swallower, a whip show and etc. I personal love their sorbets! Every year I get a lemon sorbet and a strawberry sorbet. This year, they had a coconut and wow! Blew my mind, absolutely delish. However, everything you buy is cash only so be prepared and take cash. They do have ATMs though but there is a fee. Also, if you are allowed to bring water but it must be a sealed water bottle. They also sell water bottles for $2 each and if you purchase a Soda, they will give you a small cup of ice complimentary other wise you gotta pay $3 for a cup of ice. If you go next year, wear comfortable clothing and shoes, a hat and glasses. An umbrella is highly recommended and sunscreen is a must! Also, there are places to sit but they are mostly occupied all the time so dont expect to find a seat easily. Fun to enjoy for family of all ages. Cannot wait for it to return next year and get some more turkey legs, sausages and sorbets. I also really want to try their soup bowls! They looks soo good.
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March 2022 by Kim K.
This place is amazing! Kudos to the event organizers. I've been to other Ren Fairs, and this one was top notch. Vendors were almost all unique and special, with many performing their craft right in front of you. There were people glass blowing, looming, leather working, blacksmiths.... just incredible. Most vendors are in permanent buildings as opposed to temporary structures and tents. There's different shows on every stage running all day long. Place has a very medieval Disney-like vibe. Definitely need more than a day or 2 to take it all in and experience everything.
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March 2022 by Mia D.
I absolutely love the Renaissance Festival. I took my fiancé for his first time to the festival on Sunday 3/20/22 and he was thrilled. I make it a point to see Tartanic. They are amazing with their bagpipes and drums. I also enjoy browsing in the exquisite shops. This visit the festival was packed. It could be because of it being a themed weekend. Or possibly because of it being closed down due to Covid for a couple years. All in all the experience is something one needs to have at least once in their lifetime. When I purchased tickets online quite a while ago for the Pleasure Feast I did not recall reading that a person needs to bring their Covid vaccination card. I'm not saying the info wasn't listed, just that I do not recall reading about it. Well, I had switched purses and put my necessities into my smaller backpack style purse. I didn't transfer my wallet into the smaller purse, just my i.d., some money, and lip gloss. Something told me to grab my vaccination card and I'm glad I did. If I had not I would not have been able to enter the feast. I suppose my only gripe about the festival is due to not having a reminder sent to my phone about providing the vaccination card in order to attend the festival. My phone was blown up with messages prior to the event to let me know about the festival coming to town and the price of the tickets. I just think a text reminder would have been wonderful as well. Many people drive many miles and spend more money just to attend the Pleasure Feast so I cannot imagine being denied entrance if they forgot their card.
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March 2022 by Samantha K.
This would be 5 stars, but the woman monitoring the unicorn killed it. She was terribly rude, and had no charisma. there was absolutely no sign regarding letting the unicorn, but she spoke to everyone as if there was one. She sat the entire time, and complained. It really ruined the magic of the unicorn. (March 19, 2022) Everyone else was great., and made the trip magical!
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March 2022 by Lisa R.
I have been going to Ren Fest for 20 years now and every year I look forward to taking my family. As everyone knows, the past 2 years they have been closed due to COVID. We were beyond excited to hear they were opening this year. Figuring that we wouldn't be the only people with these thoughts, we decided to wait until mid March to go in hopes the crowds would not be as bad. BOY WERE WE WRONG! I have NEVER seen this place so crowded. I guess bc it's an outdoor venue there aren't any capacity limits. The absolute worst part about the experience is the fact that it took 1.5hrs just to leave after they closed. There did not appear to be anyone directing cars to allow for better flow. It was just a free for all! This was beyond frustrating that it did not appear like the business cared if you got out of the lot safe and with any flow. It really felt like they were just worried about making it a cash grab (while you were inside) and you were thrown into the deep end and needed to figure out swimming (exiting) on your own. Overall, very disappointed in the experience and will highly question returning for future years. They had 2 years to get this right and they fell flat on their faces. Bring water and snacks in your car if you plan on staying until close. You'll need it for the wait while trying to get out.
