A Royal Good Time At The Arizona Renaissance Festival!

If you had asked me a few years ago if I ever saw myself going to a Renaissance Festival, I would have laughed. If someone had told me I would not only go, but dress up for it, well I’d just have to have that person committed. I thought only freaks and geeks went to those things. But boy was I wrong! Or am I really just a freak or geek? Hmm…

Anyway, here I am again, attending my second Renaissance Festival. The one I went to was the Texas Renaissance Fevistal, the biggest Renaissance Faire in the country. It was pirate weekend and we were the Pirate Family!

This year, we are living in Arizona and of course we had to check out the Arizona Renaissance Festival to see how it matched up. It didn’t hurt that my daughter won a contest and got free tickets.

We just happened to go on another pirate weekend. I guess you could say I was a pirate maiden/hussy/wench (or something like that.) My daughter decided this year she didn’t want to be a pirate. She wanted to be a maiden as well. Is she trying to grow up on me?

As we entered the faire, I began to worry that we would not last long, as both sons went into cranky mode.

We wandered around and came upon a scene of bagpipe players. The music was quite pleasant.

And soon, my oldest son found a reason to smile. A fellow pirate had a sword that captured his attention. The man was kind enough to give him an up close and personal view of it.

Another pirate gave him a necklace. That set his mood for the rest of the day. He was one happy camper!

As we walked around we saw other cool things that the kids enjoyed. Some ladies were cooking over an open fire. We also saw weapons being made.

 

We passed by a fairy who turned bubbles into marbles to give to the children. This festival may be smaller than the one in Texas, but the players were much more interactive, making it a truly fun experience for the whole family.

Another hug from the friendly fairy

My son would lose his marble a short time later. A meltdown in the middle of the Ren Faire was at hand. We turned around and searched the dusty ground in desperation, knowing the rest of the day would be ruined. Alas, it was found in his sleeve. Crisis averted!

Soon it was time to head over to the Royal Pavilion. As part of winning the contest, my daughter got to meet the royal family and was chosen to be the King’s scribe. Although I have no idea where the King was, since he was absent. Perhaps he chocked on a turkey leg and needed medical attention. Anyway, it was a very cool experience and I think I was more excited than my daughter. They really made an effort to make her feel very special.

As if meeting the royals was not enough, she was also presented with a quill pen that the prince said William Shakespeare had used to write with. Good heavens! I later had to tell her he really hadn’t used that pen (but only because she asked).

Then the royal court invited all the children up to be knighted and to have their picture taken with the royal family.

There were people outside of the Pavilion doing authentic dances from that time period. Although my 3-year-old said they weren’t dancing. They were just walking around.

 

As we were leaving, we came across a man holding a rope. He kept saying pirates don’t like ropes as he caressed it. I sensed something sinister in his eyes. I asked my daughter to take a picture of me and dad, and the dastardly gentleman bombed our picture! I reckon we shall stay away from those parts indefinitely.

Our last stop was at the living fountain show. The kids were mesmerized at the statue coming to life, right before their eyes.

After the show ended, the kids had reached their limits and the crankiness returned. I was just happy we made it past noon! A jolly good time was had by all, and I very much enjoyed this year’s Arizona Renaissance Festival. It certainly is a fun thing to do if you’re in Arizona. And since I’m in geek mode, I might have to go all the way with it and check out some Civil War reenactments. Nah, I think I’ll stay a pirate hussy. For now…