Arizona Renaissance Festival
- Dates
- Feb 6 to Apr 4, 2027
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Village of Fairhaven, 12601 E. US Highway 60
- Price
- $38 to $39
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 22, 2026
The experience
What's special
The Arizona Renaissance Festival transforms a 50-acre site in the desert East Valley into the Village of Fairhaven each February and March: a 16-stage, non-stop medieval amusement park with three daily jousting tournaments, falconry, and a marketplace of over 200 artisan shops where glassblowing, blacksmithing, weaving, and other crafts are demonstrated live. Fantasy is embraced alongside history - fairies, mermaids, and friendly dragons share the lanes with knights and royalty - and each of the nine weekends carries its own theme, from pirate invasions and Celtic celebrations to a closing masquerade. Separately ticketed extras include the five-course Pleasure Feast dinner show and The Hops! guided pub crawl, and the 2026 season introduced limited-engagement guest acts for the first time in festival history. Parking is free, and admission includes all shows.
What people love
Attendees love the breadth of the show schedule - by common account there is too much to see in one day - and the way performers stay in character with guests, whatever they are wearing. The artisan marketplace and its live craft demonstrations draw praise, and regulars trade a well-developed folklore of crowd-avoidance: opening weekend, a certain famous football Sunday, and rainy days are prized as the quiet days when performers have more time for everyone. The recurring complaints are about getting there and getting fed on peak days: the two-lane stretch of US 60 backs up for miles, leaving can take hours after the last joust, concession lines stretch long at busy weekends, and phone service on site is unreliable.
Last time around
The 2026 season, the festival's 38th, ran through late March and introduced Limited Engagement Performers for the first time in festival history - six visiting stage shows, including a whip artist, an immersive Shakespeare game show, and a witch-trial comedy, each appearing for only part of the season - alongside new food, drink, and artisan additions. Attendee accounts describe heavy peak-Saturday crowds and event traffic on US 60, with the quieter days rewarding those who timed their visit.
Listen
No official playlist linked yet. Find Arizona Renaissance Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
Getting there
How do I get to Arizona Renaissance Festival?
By bus 1
Intercity coaches reach Phoenix and Tempe stops, but no scheduled coach continues east to Apache Junction or Gold Canyon, from the Phoenix-area stop you would still need a ~35-40 mile rideshare or rental car to reach the festival. Valley Metro's local transit network likewise ends in east Mesa (Route 184 serves Gateway Airport) and does not reach the festival site
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare 1
Two airports work for the festival. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (AZA), the southeast-valley airport served by low-cost carriers, is the closest at roughly 17 miles / 25 minutes west of the grounds, Uber and Lyft operate there, plus Yellow Cab Arizona and VIP Taxi at the curb. Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), the main hub, is about 40 miles / 45-60 minutes west; rideshare picks up from designated zones on the north curb of each terminal. Traffic on the two-lane stretch of US 60 near the festival backs up badly on peak Saturdays, so build in extra time for the return pickup
Book / info →By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Use the airport transfers or shuttle options above.
🅿 Parking
On site parking available. Cost Free, courtesy of Bashas' and Food City stores. Prepay via No prepay, event parking is free. Attendees consistently report long US 60 backups arriving on peak Saturdays and slow exits after the final joust, arriving at opening or visiting a quieter weekend day is the community's standard advice
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire
The realistic option for most fly-in attendees: no transit, rail, or coach reaches Gold Canyon, parking at the festival is free, and both PHX and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (AZA) have on-site rental car centers, AZA is the closer pickup at about 25 minutes from the grounds
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Village of Fairhaven, 12601 E. US Highway 60
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Arizona Renaissance Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Budget stays 2
Mid-range hotels 2
Luxe hotels 1
Airbnb & private camping
Gold Canyon and Apache Junction have a healthy stock of vacation rentals (many golf-community homes and casitas), and February-March is peak Arizona snowbird season, book early, as festival weekends overlap the busiest rental period of the year in the East Valley
Search Airbnb →The festival offers no on-site camping, but the Superstition Mountains area around Gold Canyon is strong camping country: Lost Dutchman State Park (named on the festival's own accommodations page, about 20 minutes north) takes tents and RVs, and private-land Hipcamp listings plus large RV resorts in Gold Canyon and Apache Junction sit within 10-20 minutes of the grounds
Search Hipcamp →Pricing
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