GOLD CANYON -- A plague ravages the land, followed by a flowering in art and culture. Sound familiar?
Thousands of costumed characters — lords and ladies, knights, wizards, pirates, fairies and some time travelers from the 21st century thrown in for good measure — made merry at the opening weekend of the Arizona Renaissance Festival, which officially started on Saturday after a one-year hiatus.
Both performers — and there are hundreds — and attendees alike described the festival as a homecoming. For those who work or perform at the fair, the festival scene is how they make their living, but even many attendees treat events like the Renaissance Festival as more than just a hobby.
“It feels like you’re coming home again,” said Kayleigh Cobo, who is part of a group of around a dozen festivalgoers known as the “Pantsless Pirates” — the men wear kilts and the women wear skirts. According to Cobo, most of the pirates met at Arizona Renaissance Fairs past.
Several members of the latter group said their outfits were years in the making, slowly accumulating items at fairs, thrift shops or customizing family heirlooms.
“It was so hard last year not having it,” Cobo said. “This has been our thing for many years.”
AZ Ren Fair 2022
The "Joust to the Death" at the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a WWE-style duel between heroes and villains, culminating in a bloody swordfight. Mysteriously the fallen knights appear to rise from the dead once the crowd begins to head for the exits.
AZ Ren Fair 2022
The "Joust to the Death" at the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a WWE-style duel between heroes and villains, culminating in a bloody swordfight. Mysteriously the fallen knights appear to rise from the dead once the crowd begins to head for the exits.
AZ Ren Fair 2022
The "Joust to the Death" at the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a WWE-style duel between heroes and villains, culminating in a bloody swordfight. Mysteriously the fallen knights appear to rise from the dead once the crowd begins to head for the exits.
AZ Ren Fair 2022
The "Joust to the Death" at the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a WWE-style duel between heroes and villains, culminating in a bloody swordfight. Mysteriously the fallen knights appear to rise from the dead once the crowd begins to head for the exits.
AZ Ren Fair 2022
The "Joust to the Death" at the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a WWE-style duel between heroes and villains, culminating in a bloody swordfight. Mysteriously the fallen knights appear to rise from the dead once the crowd begins to head for the exits.
AZ Ren Fair 2022
The "Joust to the Death" at the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a WWE-style duel between heroes and villains, culminating in a bloody swordfight. Mysteriously the fallen knights appear to rise from the dead once the crowd begins to head for the exits.
AZ Ren Fair 2022
The "Joust to the Death" at the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a WWE-style duel between heroes and villains, culminating in a bloody swordfight. Mysteriously the fallen knights appear to rise from the dead once the crowd begins to head for the exits.
AZ Ren Fair 2022
The “Joust to the Death” at the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a WWE-style duel between heroes and villains, culminating in a bloody swordfight. Mysteriously, the fallen knights appear to rise from the dead once the crowd begins to head for the exits.
AZ Ren Fair 2022
Charles Newton, aka “Lord Charles Fig,” a member of the royal court, has been performing at the Arizona Renaissance Festival for over 30 years. After a two-year hiatus, Newton described the reopening of the fair as a “homecoming.”
AZ Ren Fair 2022
Gilbert residents Caitlin Bond and Andrew Byrd said they are "newbies" to the Arizona Renaissance Fair but hope to make it an annual gathering with their friends. Bond, a "handmaid fairy" and Byrd, a "pirate", exemplify a more creative and flexible costume scene at the fairs.
