The minute families land at Harry Reid International Airport for their weeklong vacation, there’s one show that’s always on their list: Tournament of Kings, easily the longest-lasting family-friendly show on the entire Las Vegas Strip, and for good reason: It checks all the boxes. Not only is it a highly polished production full of hand-to-hand combat, jousting and fire-spewing effects, it’s also full of audience participation and topped off with a delicious meal you eat with your hands.

Set in medieval times around the era of King Arthur and the Round Table, TOK’s arena features several separate seating sections, each a specific color and representing a specific country, in this case Austria, France, Hungary, Ireland, Sweden, Spain and Romania. Each country corresponds with a “knight” from that country, and depending on which section you are seated in, you then root for that specific competitor. You’ll be surprised how much you get into this aspect of the show, complete with hoisting your tankard and shouting, “Huzzah!”

To get a sense of how much effort goes into each TOK show, consider these numbers:

• 15 million-plus: Number of Cornish game hens served to guests over the show’s 30-plus-year history.

• 75,000: Cubic feet of wood shavings used each year inside the venue’s horse stables, ensuring each equine is as comfortable as possible (all the horses live on-property in 19 stalls).

• 150: Weight in tons of hay consumed by the show’s horses each year.

• 50: Weight in tons of soil added to the Tournament of Kings arena every year.

• 47: Number of people who are responsible for bringing each and every performance to vivid life (20 crew including audio, pyrotechnic, lighting, wardrobe and stage technicians, and 27 cast members including King Arthur, Merlin, riders, fighters and dancers).

• 20: Battle props used during each performance (13 swords, four short swords, two ball and chains, and one axe).

• Six: Lance tips sheared off during jousting in each performance.

More than anything else, TOK taps into the spirit that makes this era so infinitely fascinating for generations. And once you’ve experienced it, you can’t wait for that return visit to Vegas.

Excalibur, 702.597.7600. excalibur.mgmresorts.com

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