Knights jousting on real horses while you eat a four-course feast with your hands — Medieval Times is genuine theatrical spectacle. The horses are real Andalusians, the swordplay is trained choreography, and the crowd participation (cheering for your knight's colour) makes it irresistibly fun regardless of age. A classic Toronto family experience.
Neighbourhood: Exhibition Place · Address: Medieval Times Castle, 1 Austin Terrace, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON · Hours: Typically Fri–Sun evenings + select weeknights — check medievaltimes.com
Why Visit
You get to eat a feast with your hands while live horses, sword fights, and fully-armored knights put on an actual medieval tournament right in front of you. The immersive audience participation means you’re part of the action, not just a spectator.
What Makes It Unique
It’s Toronto’s only dinner theatre with real Andalusian horses and stunt choreography performed in-the-round. Unlike other dinner shows, the combination of full-scale jousting, detailed costuming, and surprisingly well-rehearsed combat sets it apart. You won't find another spot where cheering for your 'team' actually matters to the story.
If you want one of those very Toronto family outings that somehow manages to be ridiculous, theatrical, and genuinely exciting all at once, go to Medieval Times at Exhibition Place. It’s dinner and a live tournament inside a castle-like arena, and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: knights in full costume charging at each other on real horses while you tear into a four-course meal with your hands. It should feel cheesy. It does feel cheesy. And then five minutes later you’re yelling for your knight like your reputation depends on it.
The whole thing works because they commit completely. You’re seated in a section assigned a knight’s colour, given a paper crown, and from that point on the crowd turns into a pack of loud loyalists. Kids get into it instantly, but honestly adults are often just as worked up by the second joust. There’s something about being in that arena, hearing hooves thunder past, and watching sparks fly from sword fights that bypasses your inner cynic.
The horses are the real stars at first. Medieval Times uses beautiful Andalusians, and they’re not just background decoration. They rear, pivot, charge, and perform precise dressage moves with an elegance that’s kind of surprising when you’re also holding half a roasted chicken. Before the main tournament, there’s falconry and horsemanship on display, which gives the evening a bit more texture than just nonstop combat. Then the competition ramps up: jousting, swordplay, staged rivalries, dramatic entrances, the whole thing. The fighting is choreographed, of course, but it’s done well enough that it feels exciting rather than corny.
Dinner is part of the fun. You’ll usually get garlic bread, tomato bisque, roasted chicken, potatoes, corn, and dessert, and there are no utensils unless you specifically need them. Eating with your hands is half the joke, and kids absolutely love the permission to be messy in public. The food is better than it needs to be, which is probably the nicest surprise. It’s hearty, filling, and timed so you’re eating while the action unfolds instead of sitting through a separate meal first.
A few practical tips: get there a bit early if you want time to look around, take photos, and settle in before the show starts. The arena seating is broad and clear, but being relaxed and fed a drink before the lights go down makes the whole evening smoother, especially with children. It’s loud, dark in places, and very stimulating, so if you’ve got a kid who startles easily, that’s worth knowing. On the other hand, if they like horses, costumes, and cheering at full volume, they’ll probably talk about it for weeks.
I’d especially recommend it for families, birthday groups, or visitors who want something that isn’t another museum or observation deck. It’s the kind of place people think they’ve outgrown until they’re inside with a crown on their head, rooting for the red knight, and losing their voice over a horse sprinting past at full gallop. It’s campy, committed, and a classic for a reason.