Huzzah! Arizona Renaissance Festival returns to Valley this weekend

PHOENIX — Practice your medieval jargon and prepare to eat lots of turkey legs: The widely popular Arizona Renaissance Festival returns to the Valley this weekend.

Starting Saturday, families can roam the 30-acre village alongside hundreds of medieval characters or catch a show on one of the 13-stage theaters.

Families can also explore unique shops, eat a turkey leg or enjoy a Renaissance-era jousting tournament.

“They can expect to walk onto a recreation of a 16th Century marketplace complete with crafts, foods and entertainment that you might’ve found in days of yore,” said Terry Foy, who has been performing his “Zilch the Tory Stellar” show for more than four decades.

Foy’s show is one of dozens at the Renaissance Festival. Other shows include the acrobatic comedy show Barely Balanced, the Don Juan and Miguel sword-fighting comedy show and the Wyld Man, who performs covered in mud.

The Renaissance Festival will run every weekend through April 2 and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is located about seven miles east of Apache Junction on U.S. 60.

Visitors are advised to wear comfortable shoes, a hat and sunscreen. They can also join in the fun by wearing their own Renaissance-themed costumes or rent one right outside the festival grounds.

“There’s nothing like it in the entire valley,” Foy said. “This is unique entertainment.”