About the Venue
The Tournament of Kings is an on-going event that is held at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino, a luxury facility located in the heart of Las Vegas. The unique dining show has received positive reception from fans and critics and is known to bring in audiences from all over America. Las Vegas Review Journal critic, Norm Clarke has described the show as being “a non-stop, magnificent medieval melee.. with a banquet and brewskies”. Not only does the show promise to satisfy the audience’s desire for adventure, it also satisfies their appetite with a three course meal. Take the entire family to a dazzling spectacle that will present dancing maidens, invading armies, sparkling fireworks and riveting battles.
With a Camelot theme, the show’s host facility, the Excalibur Hotel & Casino was inaugurated in 1990. Based on over a hundred thousand square feet of land, the facility provides almost four thousand rooms. Currently owned by the MGM Resorts International, the hotel has been named after King Arthur’s mythical sword. Undergoing renovations first in 2000 and then 2007, the hotel produces permanent shows namely the “Tournament of the Kings” and “Australia’s Thunder from Down Under”. Witness one of these permanent shows as tickets for the forthcoming spectacle are now available.
The Main Show
The Tournament of Kings takes place in an indoor arena with seating place all around a performance area in the middle. The seating area is divided into seven main sections, with each section representing a king from a country. Audiences that are seated in these sections are supposed to cheer for the king and the knight from their country as they step into battle. One of the seven sections consists of the “dark knight section” and audiences seated in this section are supposed to cheer for the evil wizard “Mordred”. As the night begins, the audiences are served with their first meal, named the “dragon’s blood” which is basically hot tomato soup. To present the complete medieval experience, the audiences are not provided with utensils and are supposed to dine with their bare hands. After the first course is served, servers make their way to the sections to inquire about drinks orders.
With this the magnificent sorcerer, Merlin takes on the main stage and entertains the crowd with his magic spells and tricks. He also introduces three cheering methods that the audiences are supposed to follow. As Merlin leaves the main arena, a loud drum processional begins and King Arthur makes his way into the arena followed by knights. The knight and king for each section are announced and with friendly competition are set into motion. During this time, the audiences are served with their main course and active interactions take place as audiences raise their glasses and make toasts to their respective kings.
Lastly, as dessert is served the knight champion is decided and as he is being honored the evil Mordred appears and tries to seize the kingdom. A battle begins and a happy ending prevails, as the evil wizard is defeated.
A Little More about the Show
With costumes designed by Michel Fresnay, the Emmy Award winning designer, the Tournament of Kings provides lavish, wholesome entertainment for the family. Apart from tomato soup, the audiences are served with roasted Cornish hens, biscuits and steamed vegetables. The dessert includes a wide range of sweet assortments that the diners can choose from. Since the shows inception in 1990, the Tournament of Kings has served over 6,700,000 Cornish hens. Treat yourself to a meal fit for a King and become witness to this exhilarating spectacle and get thoroughly entertained.