Faire from p 25 there’s more to feast on than the requisite turkey legs. More than a dozen different food and drink stands are set up through- out the event and offer a wide variety of options, from appetizers to desserts and everything in between. The biggest stands (both in size and of- ferings) are the King’s, Queen’s, and Joust kitchens, as well as the Pirate’s Kitchen & Pub. Each features an enormous menu of items like sandwiches, bread bowls, fish and chips, chicken strips, pizza, and cal- zones. There’s plenty of heartier fare, includ- ing a variety of roasted meats and sides, not to mention various items served on a skewer of some sort (such as sausage, chicken, and steak). Smaller stands and booths like The Mediterranean Fare, The Cottage Crepe Shoppe, and Ye Olde World Sausage Maker offer more specific menus and items. When it comes to beverages, drinks both soft (soda, lemonade, iced tea) and hard (beer, wine, cider, mead) are available for purchase. Where Can I Get Water? Patrons can bring in a 16- or 24-ounce bottle of water as long as it’s factory-sealed. You can also purchase bottled water from food and drink booths. A total of eight drinking fountains are lo- cated at various points around the festival (usually close to privies). You’ll need to drink lots of water while traipsing about the festival. Lots. Dehydration has been known to afflict plenty of festival patrons over the years. What’s the Entertainment Like? A cornuco- pia of live entertainment takes place across 13 different stages each day of the festival. That includes a variety show-like mix of music, comedy, dancing, and other perfor- mance artistry. There are perennial favorites, of course, like Don Juan and Miguel, Ded Bob, The Tortuga Twins, Hey Nunnie Nunnie, and Zilch the Torysteller, all of whom have been around since the festival’s earliest years. Other popular acts include the “Ancient Art of Falconry” shows (which are held throughout the day and feature birds of prey and other noble feathered creatures), as well as the mud-caked buffoonery of The Wyld Men and the attention-grabbing spectacle of Adam Crack’s “Fire Whip Show.” Elsewhere, you’ll encounter musicians and minstrels (Bathos the Muse, Lady Prudence), comedy acts (Mother Re- dempta and Sister Philomenia), daredevils performing feats of skill (Gypsy Geoff, Barely Balanced), and dance troupes (Jamila Lotus, Fairhaven Morris Dancers). There’s also Cirque du Sewer, a troupe of acrobatic rats and cats, which appeared on “The Gong Show” last summer, and a living sculpture known as Statue Comedius de Marbleous. Various street characters roam the grounds and interact with patrons, includ- ing sword-fighting bandit Daniel the Fox, the curious beast Fireflicker the Dragon, and a ginormous walking tree known as Green Man. What’s the Shopping Like At the Festival? One of the many draws of the Arizona Re- naissance Festival is the sheer number of shops and artisans selling handmade items and wares at the event, much of it created on-site. More than 200 different artisans ring the festival grounds, offering such expertly made goods as garb and costuming items, soaps and exotic oils, period weaponry, pottery, glassware, jewelry, sculpture, art- work, tapestries, leatherwork, headwear, furniture, and much more. Are There Games and Rides? Contests of skill and fun distractions are found in abundance. If you’d like to make like Robin Hood, for in- stance, there’s an expansive archery booth on the premises. If that doesn’t suit your fancy, the festival offers the chance to hurl battle axes at targets or tomatoes at insult- spewing vulgarians. You can also storm the castle (in a sense) via the climbing town. And there’s a collection of people-pow- ered rides at the Ren Fest that young and old alike can enjoy, including longtime fa- vorites like Da Vinci’s Flying Machine and Voyage to the New World. What’s the Jousting Like? Arguably the most action-packed attraction at the festival is The Arizona Renaissance Festival is back. Arizona Renaissance Festival this thrice-daily spectacle of knights engag- ing in chivalrous combat and competition inside a jousting arena. The events take place daily at noon, 2:15 p.m., and 5 p.m., and follow an ongoing plot that builds through- out the day and culminates with the show- stopping Joust to the Death. A word to the wise: Seating tends to fill up quickly at each event, so try arriving as early as possible to stake out your spot. So There’s A Drum Circle At the End of the Day? One of the highlights of the Ren Fest (in our opinion) is the uproarious drum cir- cle that develops during the last hour of each day. Starting at about 5 p.m., musicians will gather toward the entrance of the festi- val grounds and launch into a free-form and improvisational drum circle that keeps go- ing until the final cannon goes off. All manner of drums, ranging from tablas to congas to timpanis, are banged upon dur- ing the jam-session-like affair, which typi- cally features patrons and cast members dancing like nobody’s watching. 27 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES FEB 10TH– FEB 16TH, 2022
