Medieval Times

Medieval Times is a privately held dinner-theater and live-entertainment brand operating castle-style venues in the United States and a theater inside the CNE Government Building in Toronto, Canada. Its core offering combines a staged medieval tournament with a four-course meal served to guests seated in sections associated with competing kingdoms. The theatrical program features mounted horsemanship, jousting, sword fighting, falconry, pageantry, and a narrative conflict among fictionalized or historically inspired medieval rulers. Guests generally watch the performance without conventional table utensils, reinforcing the deliberately immersive character of the experience. The concept originated in Spain rather than North America. In the late 1960s, Jose Montaner developed medieval-style dinner shows at family-related venues in Mallorca and Benidorm. The productions drew on jousting traditions, Spanish medieval imagery, and stories connected with Montaner's family history. The company later adapted the format for the North American tourist and family-entertainment market. Its first United States venue opened on December 16, 1983, in Kissimmee, Florida, near Walt Disney World. A second location opened in Buena Park, California, in 1986, close to Knott's Berry Farm. These early venues established the brand's castle architecture, arena seating, costumed cast, equestrian stunts, and fixed-format dinner service. The chain expanded during the following decades into major tourism and population centers, including the New York metropolitan area, Chicago, Dallas, Myrtle Beach, Baltimore, Atlanta, Scottsdale, and Toronto. By 2025, the network comprised ten venues: nine in the United States and one in Canada. The American locations are generally purpose-built castles, while the Toronto venue occupies an adapted exhibition-building setting. The business serves tourists, families, group events, birthday parties, and corporate or celebratory gatherings, positioning itself between themed dining, live theater, and attraction-based entertainment. Medieval Times has periodically refreshed its theatrical productions rather than treating the show as a fixed historical reenactment. Productions have typically changed at intervals of roughly six or seven years. A show introduced in 2017 made a female ruler the leading character for the first time, reflecting audience feedback calling for women to receive more prominent roles. The company described the equestrian and performance preparation for the role as substantial, including training on an Andalusian horse. A newer production introduced in late 2024 centers on a king and queen who lead separate kingdoms before forming an alliance, updating the dramatic structure while retaining the tournament format. The company has also appeared in popular culture. Its Buena Park venue was used for a major sequence in the 1996 film The Cable Guy, and the chain was featured in the 2004 film Garden State and in television programs including Friends, Cake Boss, Hell's Kitchen, The Celebrity Apprentice, Close Enough, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Saturday Night Live. In 2013, producers reportedly obtained rights to pursue a feature-film adaptation, but no completed film adaptation has been identified in the supplied reference material. The company faced financial and legal pressure in the 1990s. In 1997, the Florida and California franchise operations sought bankruptcy protection after an adverse tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service involving deductions for royalties, loan interest, and management fees. More recently, labor relations became a prominent issue. Employees at the New Jersey venue sought a union election in 2022, and workers at Buena Park voted to join the American Guild of Variety Artists later that year. Buena Park employees began a strike in February 2023 over pay and safety concerns; the union announced in November 2023 that it would end the strike and return to work while negotiations continued. Since 2016, Perico Montaner, Jose Montaner's son, has served as president and chief executive of the private company.

Medieval Times developed from a Spanish entertainment concept created by Jose Montaner in the late 1960s. Montaner adapted a family-farm barbecue restaurant into a venue for food and staged medieval spectacle in Mallorca and Benidorm. The shows used costumed performers, mounted combat, and stories inspired by the medieval kingdoms of northern Spain and southern France, including Aragon, Navarre, and Perelada. The format was not intended as a literal historical reconstruction; it blended family storytelling, pageantry, stunt work, and dining. Tino Braña, associated with the jousting scenes in the 1961 film El Cid, was reported to have helped stage the Spanish productions from 1978 onward. A Spanish investment group known as Manver opened the first United States Medieval Times location on December 16, 1983, in Kissimmee, Florida. Its proximity to Walt Disney World placed the business within the region's established tourist and family-entertainment economy. The second American venue opened in Buena Park, California, in 1986, near Knott's Berry Farm. These locations established the recognizable operating model: a castle-like building, an arena surrounded by tiered seating, competing knights, trained horses, theatrical combat, and a meal served during the performance. Expansion continued through the 1990s and 2000s. Venues opened in Lyndhurst, New Jersey; Schaumburg, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Toronto, Ontario. Later additions included Baltimore, Maryland, in 2003, Atlanta, Georgia, in 2006, and Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2019. The Toronto site differs from the American venues because it is located inside the CNE Government Building rather than in a purpose-built castle. By 2025, the company had ten operating locations, nine in the United States and one in Canada. The chain encountered a major financial dispute in the 1990s. In April 1997, the Florida and California franchise operations sought bankruptcy protection after losing a tax case involving the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS argued that the operations had improperly deducted royalties, loan interest, and management fees for the 1987 and 1989 tax years. The Buena Park operation was required to pay $7.5 million and the Orlando operation $2.5 million in back taxes. The bankruptcy filings were described as a means of preventing the IRS from immediately seizing assets. Medieval Times periodically replaces its show to maintain audience interest while preserving the brand's central tournament formula. Productions have generally changed every six or seven years. The production that premiered in 2017 was significant because its principal ruler was a queen rather than a king. The company linked the change to guest feedback requesting more substantial female roles. The show also required extensive equestrian preparation, including training the performer to ride an Andalusian horse. The production introduced in late 2024 further revised the narrative by presenting a king and queen who lead separate kingdoms and ultimately create an alliance. The brand's cultural visibility expanded through film and television appearances. The Buena Park castle served as the setting for a prominent sequence in the 1996 film The Cable Guy. The chain was later featured in Garden State and in programs such as Friends, Cake Boss, Hell's Kitchen, The Celebrity Apprentice, Close Enough, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Saturday Night Live. In 2013, entertainment companies reportedly acquired rights to develop a feature-film adaptation, but the supplied sources do not establish that a film was produced. Labor relations became another important chapter in the company's recent history. New Jersey employees filed for a union election in May 2022 with support from the American Guild of Variety Artists. The company subsequently sued the union over alleged trademark violations involving the Medieval Times name and logo; the case was dismissed. Buena Park workers won their union election in November 2022 by a 27–18 vote. They began a strike in February 2023 concerning pay and safety issues. After approximately nine months, the union announced in November that employees would return while negotiations continued. Since 2016, Perico Montaner, the son of Jose Montaner, has been identified as president and CEO. The company remains a private operator centered on themed dining, equestrian theater, and destination entertainment.

• 2024

  New king-and-queen show premieres

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  The latest production introduced rival kingdoms led by a king and queen who eventually form an alliance.

• 2023

  Buena Park strike concludes

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  After roughly nine months, the Buena Park union announced a return to work while negotiations continued.

• 2022

  Union elections and trademark dispute

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  Workers in New Jersey and Buena Park pursued union representation, while the company filed a trademark-related lawsuit against the union.

• 2019

  Scottsdale venue opens

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  The company expanded its United States network with a location in Scottsdale, Arizona.

• 2017

  First queen-led principal production

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  A new show made a queen the lead ruler, a change the company associated with guest demand for stronger female roles.

• 2016

  Perico Montaner becomes president and CEO

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  Jose Montaner's son, Perico Montaner, assumed leadership of the private company.

• 1997

  Florida and California operations seek bankruptcy protection

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  The franchise operations filed for protection following a tax dispute with the IRS concerning deductions from earlier tax years.

• 1993

  Toronto location opens

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  The chain entered Canada with a Toronto venue located in the CNE Government Building.

• 1986

  Buena Park venue opens

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened its second United States venue near Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.

• 1983

  First United States venue opens

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  The first American location opened in Kissimmee, Florida, near Walt Disney World.

• 1960

  Spanish medieval dinner-show concept developed

  [1]Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org

  Jose Montaner developed early versions of the medieval-themed food and entertainment format in Mallorca and Benidorm during the late 1960s.

An immersive family and tourist entertainment experience combining live theater, equestrian spectacle, themed dining, and destination attraction design.

• Dinner theater · 1983

  Dinner & Tournament

  The brand's principal experience is a staged medieval tournament presented while guests eat a multi-course meal. Audience sections are associated with competing kingdoms, and the performance combines scripted narrative, mounted jousting, sword fighting, horsemanship, music, costumes, and theatrical audience interaction. The format is designed as an immersive family and tourist attraction rather than as a conventional restaurant or a historically exact reenactment.

• Live entertainment · 1983

  Jousting and equestrian spectacle

  Mounted combat is the visual centerpiece of the show. Riders perform choreographed jousts and other equestrian stunts with trained horses, supported by extensive instruction in riding, combat sequences, and acting. The program also incorporates swordplay, pageantry, and other medieval-themed stage effects.

• Themed attraction · 1983

  Castle venue experience

  Most United States locations are designed as castle-like buildings containing an arena and tiered dining sections. The architecture and pre-show atmosphere extend the theatrical concept beyond the performance itself. Toronto provides the same general experience in an adapted building rather than a purpose-built American-style castle.

• 2023

  Buena Park labor strike

  Unionized Buena Park employees conducted a strike focused on pay and safety concerns. The union announced a return to work after approximately nine months while negotiations continued.

  Source

• 1997

  IRS tax dispute and bankruptcy filings

  Florida and California franchise operations sought bankruptcy protection after an IRS dispute over deductions for royalties, loan interest, and management fees connected with the 1987 and 1989 tax years. The assessed back taxes were reported as $7.5 million for Buena Park and $2.5 million for Orlando.

  Source

Read more

• 2013Feature-film adaptation development

  United States

  Benderspink and Broken Road Productions reportedly secured rights to pursue a feature-film adaptation of the Medieval Times concept.

  Outcome. The project was reportedly offered to major studios, but no completed adaptation is identified in the supplied reference material.

  Source
• 1996The Cable Guy theatrical promotion

  United States

  Medieval Times collaborated with selected Sony movie theaters around the release of The Cable Guy, a film that included a major scene filmed at the Buena Park venue.

  Outcome. The film appearance generated publicity, and the company reported increased ticket sales at some locations, including a 30 percent increase at the Lyndhurst venue.

  Source

• 2024

  Launch a king-and-queen alliance narrativeGeneration change

  Background

  The company periodically replaces its productions, with shows generally changing every six or seven years.

  Action taken

  A new production premiered with a king and queen leading separate kingdoms before forging an alliance.

  Aftermath

  The show refreshed the storyline while preserving the central dinner, tournament, and equestrian spectacle.

  Source

• 2022

  Challenge union use of the Medieval Times identityOther

  Background

  As employees organized with the American Guild of Variety Artists, the company disputed the union's use of its name and logo.

  Action taken

  Medieval Times filed a trademark-related lawsuit against the union; the suit was later dismissed.

  Aftermath

  The labor dispute continued, including controversy over the removal of the union's TikTok account after intellectual-property complaints.

  Source

• 2017

  Introduce a queen as the principal rulerGeneration change

  Background

  The company was revising its recurring theatrical production and cited audience feedback seeking more substantial female roles.

  Action taken

  Medieval Times launched a show in which a queen, rather than a king, filled the lead role.

  Aftermath

  The change broadened the narrative role assigned to women while retaining the brand's tournament and equestrian format.

  Source

1. 1Medieval Timesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Medieval Times official websitemedievaltimes.com