medieval festival site to be built in arizona

A national medieval entertainment company with ten locations across the country has announced plans to build a new 79,000 square-foot castle and arena in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament says it would like to see construction begin later this spring on a 10-acre site located at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stock on property within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Launched in 1983, the Medieval Times company emphasizes medieval-era jousting, sword-fighting, and games, feeding into a national fascination, particularly among members of the Millennial Generation, for all things relating to the medieval European era from the 5th to the 15th century.

The theater portion of the company’s offerings features elaborate costume presentations based on the story of a legendary European noble family.

The typical Medieval Times sites also include a gift shop and bar. The company, which is based in Irving, Texas, currently has locations up and running in Atlanta, Chicago, and Orlando, among other cities, with the new Scottsdale project being its first in Arizona.

Visiting a Medieval Times location in 2015, a reporter for the Nashville Tennessean noted: “If your brood forgets their manners, well, medieval table manners weren’t exactly up to Emily Post standards.”

Guests visiting a Medieval Times castle, in fact, feast on a multi-course banquet that they eat with their fingers.

Work on the Scottsdale Medieval Times site, with a planned 1,000-seat arena, is expected to be completed sometime in early or mid-2019.

By Garry Boulard

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