What Is It, And Why Does The Internet Love It?

Although Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament had its start in the United States in 1983—when the first North American castle opened up in Kissimmee, Florida—this unique dinner and show experience is currently having a major social media moment. Across platforms like Instagram and TikTok, videos showing the 11th-century jousts, feasts, and real-life animal feats have gone viral.

Yet, this is far from the only dinner and show (including themed dinners and shows) out there, so what is it about Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament that has the internet so obsessed?

Medieval Times Gets Audiences Genuinely Invested

One of the most impressive aspects of Medieval Times is the immediate buy-in it gives audiences. Even if you walk in feeling a bit silly with the colorful cardboard crown atop your head, it won’t take long for the energy in the arena to have you vehemently rooting for your color—even before the knights come out on horseback.

In fact, therein lies what really makes Medieval Times work: You’re not just there to watch a joust; you have a side you’re rooting for. As guests enter, they are assigned a specific knight based on color (blue knight, yellow and red knight, green knight, etc.), and they are given a crown and a flag to match.

The seating within the arena is sectioned off according to the same colors, which essentially means that guests filter into their seats and are immediately facing their opponents. The narrative of the show, wherein the knights hold a tournament before the king and queen (and, spoiler alert, one of the knights turns out to be a traitor), only increases audience investment.

The show also doesn’t have an “everybody is a winner” approach. One knight wins the tournament, and the winning knight’s color changes every time, so guests really go into the show hoping that their knight will win—and, having now attended one of these tournaments, I can attest to the fact that it really is that serious.

The Knights Are A Major Draw

The aspect of Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament that seems to have garnered the most attention online is the knights themselves. In one viral TikTok audio, influencer Brittany Broski encouraged her followers not only to check out Medieval Times but also to specifically go and flirt with the knights.

While that might seem odd to an outsider, there is actually a reason that dinner-goers are trying to get the knights’ attention. Namely, the knights acknowledge guests at multiple points throughout the show with gifts like flowers and special honors.

Twice during the dinner, the knights go to their respective sections and toss carnations to specific people in the audience. One lucky person is also selected to be the “Queen of Love and Beauty” at the end of the show. Clearly, those and other offerings have motivated attendees and gotten plenty of attention, as several videos about the dinner and show have views in the millions.

Of course, beyond the appeal that these knights have to people who may want to go and try to catch a flower, they are actually pulling off some pretty cool stunts. While they’re obviously not actually stabbing one another with swords (although, arguably, the stunt work in and of itself is commendable), they are riding around on real horses and completing various challenges.

Knowing it’s staged also doesn’t really detract from the fun, not only because the knights lean into the performance, but also because, again, audiences actually don’t know what the outcome is going to be. The knights may not really be fighting, but the stakes end up feeling high for audiences regardless, because you want your knight to be the victor.

Medieval Times Is Just Plain Fun

Ultimately, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament really is just good plain fun. In addition to the festivities mentioned above, there is a range of features and elements that make Medieval Times a standout, even among other themed entertainment attractions like it. Among the most famous is the fact that there are no utensils at Medieval Times—yes, really.

Although guests are served tomato soup, roast chicken, corn, potatoes, and toast, there isn’t a fork, knife, or spoon in sight. Instead, guests have to eat the chicken and other food with their hands and drink out of the soup bowl.

While some in the audience may be taken aback by that, it genuinely adds to the experience overall (even if you can still get a light-up plastic weapon or a fancy adult beverage all at the same time). It’s worth noting, too, that Medieval Times accommodates this by passing out wet wipes after dinner is served and by cleaning the food up before the joust begins.

There are also myriad other experiences available before, during, and after the show, including the ability to buy an actual sword from the gift shop, get knighted, or meet and get photographs with the knights from the tournament. During the show, there are also additional non-knight-related segments.

For example, at one point, a falcon flies throughout the arena and over top of the guests’ heads, and several small horses do tricks at various times throughout the show as well.

All in all, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament proved itself to be more than just another viral trend, which makes sense given that it’s actually been around for decades. From the jousting, flower-throwing knights to the policy that guests must eat their food with their bare hands, this unique dining experience really is fun, and it makes total sense that the internet has become obsessed with it.