Check out more photos from the Renaissance Festival in this slideshow.
Time travel is possible for those who opt to attend the annual Arizona Renaissance Festival and Artisan Marketplace. In the all-encompassing and fully decorated 30-acre medieval-style town, there seems to be no break in the entertainment and action.
In its 24th season of festivity, the Renaissance Festival offers its ever-popular turkey legs, competitions, medieval characters and atmosphere.
Packed with people, attendees of all ages enjoyed the pleasant weather and historical atmosphere. Though not all who attend chose to dress in medieval clothing for the festival, there was always a plentiful amount of costumes.
Actors and actresses in full Renaissance-era apparel wandered the streets and buildings of the festival, boldly shouting and interacting with festival-goers. Corsets, large feathered hats, ribbons and swords adorned many of the outfits worn by workers and also by those who attended the festival.
One colorfully dressed attendant, 17-year-old Flynn Stewart, came to the festival in head-to-toe traditional garb. Stewart’s costume featured a plaid kilt, chainmail, boots, wrist protectors, a belt with a sword and even a coyote skin atop his head.
Stewart traveled around the festival with his pack of theme-attired friends, all of whom stood out as particularly accessorized.
Stewart represented the creative passion that many festival-goers seem to have for the traditional Renaissance dress.
Though it would be entertaining enough to simply wander the grounds, the festival provides numerous shows and attractions for attendees to enjoy.
One of the most popular shows, the Joust Tournament at the King’s Arena, features a three-part performance of gouging, prodding and sword fighting that recreates a medieval joust to the death.
Although the tournament is one of the festival’s highlighted activities, there are several other shows that run periodically throughout the day. The shows vary in performers and themes — allowing plentiful opportunities to get a feel for the Middle Ages.
At the Fairhaven Theatre, an acrobatic trio performs four times daily and combines careful balancing and obscene comedy. Named Barely Balanced, the group is comprised of three hilarious and talented individuals: Jimmy “Large,” Cameron “Medium” and Margaret “Small.”
The Barely Balanced performers utilized audience participation and a wide range of jokes to gather and maintain a large crowd at their show by tactfully including humor for adults and children alike.
At the beginning of the show, Medium joked with the crowd, “All right kids, let’s activate our ADD!
“Parents, treat this like it is Spring Break 1599,” he added.
Though scripted, the performers added their own personal touches and improvisations throughout the show.
“Large, you’re like my step stool,” Small said while mounting the man who was in an awkwardly crouched position.
“Don’t step in my stool!” he responded. “That joke was for your inner 12-year-old,” he continued, as self-conscious giggles and outspoken laughter filled the outdoor seating area.
In between their shows, characters found time to interact with those wandering the streets of the medieval town. When approached, Cameron of Barely Balanced cracked witty jokes while he balanced on stilts.
Holding a goblet — a common accessory at the festival — Cameron wittily responded, “To be high and drunk … no way!” when asked about the goblet’s contents.
The festival also featured traditional medieval food and drink. Plentiful amounts of beer and other alcoholic beverages were served and carried around in large mugs and goblets.
The giant, smoky grilled turkey leg seemed to be the most popular food of choice for indulgent eaters.
Mesa Community college students Julia Speers and Becca Young admitted that the turkey legs are one of the main reasons they attend the festival.
When they weren’t eating or watching live shows, children and families waited in extensive lines for the Assault Catapult bungee jump that flung them into the air above the entire park.
Parents who waited with their kids for this attraction appeared unenthused about the line’s length, but the nearby offerings of beer seemed to make up for the wait.
With all the entertainment, games and feasting, the Renaissance Festival provides an escape for attendants. The medieval marketplace is open for enjoyment every Saturday and Sunday through April 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Reach the reporter at ejnicho1@asu.edu
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