Hear ye, hear ye, it’s that time of year again – the Arizona Renaissance Festival with kids is a great day trip for families to enjoy the themed music, shops, and fun.
As you enter the festival grounds, the options are plentiful! Be sure to grab a map to navigate your way and for all the details of the shows, locations of games, and a list of all the food and drink options. There are loads of food options with a few of our favorites being the giant turkey legs, the bread bowl soups, and chocolate-dipped fruit!
Note that outside food or drinks are not allowed into the festival grounds but you can get stamped for re-entry if you want to pack food like we did and have a car picnic! Another important note is that they only accept cash for food and drinks so either plan to bring cash or there are several ATMs available on site.
Part of the fun of the Renaissance Festival is people-watching and checking out all the costumes and characters as you walk. We saw cute, funny, and a few costumes that were a little scary. It’s a fun opportunity for kids to dress up as princesses, fairies, or knights if you bring costumes from home! One of our first stops was the petting farm. Our daughter loved checking out all the animals from pigs, chickens, goats, ducks, and even a unicorn! We were also lucky to see two very cute 3-day-old baby goats!
The sword and weapons shops are a favorite stop for our son. There are all kinds of artisan shops with jewelry, sun catchers, clothing, wands, stuffed animals, and more. It’s always fun to watch or play various games, like archery, axe throwing, and Jacob’s ladder.
Entertainment options are at every turn whether you want to observe the action, try your hand at a game, check out the shops, or watch one of the many shows!
Use the Schedule of Events within the map to check out all of the different shows and showtimes. Most of the shows are family-friendly and they note any shows where parental guidance is suggested for more mature content. Once again, there are so many options from glassblowing demonstrations to concerts to circus-like shows. A couple of our favorites are the Fire Whip Show and The Jousters!
You can expect to spend most of the day at the festival if you want to explore all it has to offer so we recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes and bringing sunscreen. There are also some nice shady areas to take a break from the sun. Privys (restrooms) are available at several locations but lines can sometimes be long so try to plan ahead for potty breaks.
Getting to the festival from Phoenix or Tucson is pretty easy! Located in Gold Canyon, the drive from Phoenix is about 45 minutes and it was about 90 minutes for us from Tucson. Regular parking is free and unless you pay extra for VIP parking it can be a bit of a walk to the entrance, but thankfully strollers and wagons are welcome for those with little legs.
The festival is open from 10 AM to 6 PM on Saturdays and Sundays through March 31st and tickets are $34 for adults and $22 for children 5-12 (4 and under are free). Check out their website for more information and have fun!
Read a part review here, with more info and details about this festival!
