As a lifelong nerd, I’ve loved visiting the local ren faire wherever I’ve lived since my early teens. Here in AZ, we’re blessed with beautiful weather and an early ren faire season, in contrast to most states’ summers. I’ve been to the Arizona Renaissance Festival every year for the past four, so I felt like it was time to share my tips and tricks for maximizing your visit.

The logistics

You can absolutely wake up one morning and simply decide to go to the ren faire (as long as it’s a weekend in February or March). But it’s a much better experience if you have a little information going in.

You can buy tickets online, at certain local grocery stores, or in person. I recommend skipping the line and buying online, unless you’re looking for a senior or military discount—those have to be done in person.

Parking is free, to compensate for traffic being a nightmare. Whatever your nav guide tells you, expect to spend at least 20 minutes sitting in traffic once you get close.

The supplies

I love dressing up, and people’s outfits run the gamut from casual athleisure to a member of the Bristish aristocracy in the 15th century (with plenty of pirates, fae, hobbits, and elves in between). They have costume rental services and clothing for sale around the faire.

The weather is likely to be sunny, and there’s limited shade. I recommend sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen if you’re planning on a full day trip.

Be aware that this will involve a fair amount of walking on unpaved dirt ground. I highly recommend wearing comfy shoes you don’t mind getting dusty.

For their policies on bags and prop weapons, check their website. Generally, bags are allowed but you’re not allowed to bring in food and drinks aside from water.

Aside from shopping with artisans, this is a cash-only event. They do have ATMs, but I advise bringing cash so you can skip what usually ends up being quite the line on a busy day.

The refreshments

The relatively low prices were a pleasant surprise the first time I attended. Most food items are priced around $6 to $10, with drinks around the same. I always plan to have lunch here when I visit. The event itself does a bar crawl, which I haven’t tried, but I will update this post if I do someday.

After trying most of the available options, I highly recommend the barbecue pork with mashed potatoes and the mac and cheese. They do all the classics: giant turkey legs, mediocre pizza, funnel cakes, excellent giant pickles. I’m unsure why their bread bowls are so popular but you may disagree with me on that.

Drink-wise, they don’t serve shots or a full bar but they have a lot of options. There’s a curated selection of beers, a handful of mead options, and several cocktails, including some frozen ones. Keep an eye out for the mimosa cart for a cheap glass of bubbly.

There are also a lot of non-alcoholic options. There’s a full coffee shop towards the front of the faire, which also does flavored lemonades.

Fun fact: if you tip an employee, they are required to say “huzzah for the tipper” and usually do so quite enthusiastically. I highly recommend tipping.

The shopping

Artisans are selling wares all around the event. The goods range from handblown glass goblets to jewelry, intricate woodwork to period clothing, books to fairy wings, weaponry to flower crowns. Most vendors take card and will hold your purchase so you don’t have to carry it around all day.

If you’re into the cottagecore, steampunk, fantasy, or medieval/renaissance aesthetic, there’s something unique and handmade for you here.

The bookstore is full of genre fiction and often has local authors present and signing their books. Most performers also have cool merch, often in the form of pins or charms. While it can get expensive, the event is a great place to shop if you like feeling connected to the people who made the product.

The entertainment

I tend to spend my time people watching and attending shows, with a sprinkle of shopping, but they also have activities. There are a few man-powered rides geared towards kids, small escape rooms, classic carnival games, and the chance to try archery or knife throwing, all for small additional costs.

It’s hard to list the “best” shows. So many are entertaining, with a general penchant towards the silly. If you’re a fan of America’s Got Talent, you may have seen some of the acts on tv before. You can always check online to see what you’re most into. It’s impossible to see everything in one day, but plan to go to at least one or two shows. Walking between them is a great way to see the faire.

Some of my favorites are Tenacious DnD (a can’t miss for DnD fans), the sword swallower, and Supernova the strong woman. The trained cats and rats show is huge for kids, but fills up quickly. The world music shows and glassblowing demonstration are also great.

My only must-see for everyone is the end of day “joust to the death.” This is popular, so get there early for a seat in the shade! Fortunately, the stadium lets you bring in drinks and snacks. (This is the key time to have a giant pickle if you haven’t already.) Choose your section, root for your knight, and enjoy seeing the performers joust on horseback and fight with swords. It’s the perfect way to end the day.