Medieval Times debuting new show to coincide with Arizona location’s 5-year anniversary

PHOENIX – Five years ago, medieval knights, kings, queens, princes and princesses stormed into the valley and built a towering castle in Scottsdale.

Since then, The Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament have taken Arizona families back to the 11th century by providing dinner shows that display jousting, sword fighting and a four-course feast for the audience.

Coinciding with the five-year anniversary, the company announced on Monday that a new show will debut at the castle on Friday.

The Medieval Times’ first new show since 2017 will focus on a king and queen, who each conquer their own kingdoms, uniting to bring a time of peace. The show will feature a range of new experiences from stunts, characters, to plot twists.

“We’ve been working on this new show for the past two years and have conducted extensive knight and horse training to pack as much action as possible into the storyline,” Jim Collins, director of stunt choreography, said in a press release. “We’re excited to bring it to life and have no doubt it will have our guests on the edge of their seats.”

Along with the new elements, the show will showcase new upgrades to the production itself. Improvements have been made to the sound and light effects along with a new musical score and custom-designed hand-sewn costumes for the human actors and the show’s horses.

“The process of rolling out a new show is an exciting time inside our castle. We have hundreds of performers and backstage personnel, 24 horses and two falcons who will all participate in learning new routines to deliver a high-quality production for our guests,” General Manager Kevin Gadbery said.

Medieval Times said guest feedback was heavily influential in creating the new story.

“Producing a new show is a huge undertaking, from creating a new script, to choreographing each scene and perfectly synchronizing the timing of music and lighting, along with food service,” Collins said.

Medieval Times has nine locations across the country and one castle in Toronto. All ten castles will premiere the new show as it also coincides with the franchises 40th anniversary.

The Arizona castle, located at 9051 E. Via De Ventura in Scottsdale, is the newest location for the chain, opening in September 2019. The current show is the longest-running Medieval Times show and will continue to be performed until Wednesday.

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