Sunny Arizona Plays Host to Ostriches, Knights, and Dragon Boats
Tempe, Ariz. – Do ostriches, dragons and turkeys automatically come to mind when planning a trip to Arizona this spring? No? If you’re looking for a trip that’s out of the ordinary, they should.
While Sunny Arizona is known for well, sunshine, this spring it’s also the quirky events that attract visitors from across the U.S. and Canada. The collective cities of Chandler, Mesa and Tempe, Arizona really know how to throw a fun party and celebrate the unusual, including ostriches, dragon boats and a Renaissance festival filled with classic events like jousting and food typical of the era – turkey legs.
Did you know that Chandler’s rich farming history includes everyone’s favorite flightless fowl? The 22nd Annual Chandler Ostrich Festival, March 12-14, honors these bizarre birds with plenty of ostrich-themed activities. Enjoy a walk through Ostrich Alley where one can purchase ostrich-inspired wares including feather dusters, leather goods and ironically, delicacies like ostrich burgers. Also, see the ostrich races, complete with jockeys, and go on a carnival ride or too.
Visitors will also enjoy nationally known musical groups and some of the most popular local and regional talent in the Southwest. The Chandler Ostrich Festival is owned by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce and produced by Universal Fairs. For more information on the Ostrich Festival, please call 480-963-4571 or visit www.ostrichfestival.com.
Visitors to Mesa each spring have always carved out time in their packed itineraries to enjoy the unpredictable medieval mayhem served up at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. Held each spring on 30-acres in the lush Sonoran Desert just east of Mesa, this European country fair is replete with royal knights, fair maidens, jesters, jousters and endless displays of wackiness.
Starting Feb. 6 and continuing on weekends through March 28, the Arizona Renaissance Festival features a cast of more than 2,000 actors, dancers, characters and talented musicians; more than 200 artisan booths and stores for unique treasure hunting; and 150 daily performances on 12 stages throughout the fair. Not to be missed is the ever-popular roasted turkey legs the size of your arm, the six-course Pleasure Feast, and the full-contact armored jousting events which always pack the largest crowds. For more info, visit www.renfestinfo.com.
Here’s something that you don’t see everyday – a lake in the middle of a desert college town filled with Chinese dragon boats cheered on by enthusiastic fans. The 7th Annual Arizona Dragon Boat Festival will make a splash at Tempe Town Lake, March 27 and 28. Visitors can celebrate Asian culture in the Wild West with two days of dragon boat races, performances by martial artists, musicians and dancers and food booths. The beautifully decorated dragon boats are manned by teams of up to 20 paddlers. One team member pounds a drum to keep the paddlers’ oars in sync; the drum represents the heart of the dragon. For more information, visit www.azdba.com.
For more information about these and other signature Sunny Arizona events, go to www.VisitSunnyAZ.com or call 800-283-6734.
February 2, 2010
Posted in: United States SouthWest