Stories from the places that host the festivals, and honest guides to the festivals themselves.
Planning
Fifteen medieval festivals in ten countries from September 2026 to August 2027, in date order: which are free, which are ticketed, and who each one suits.
Wren Ashdown · 11 min read ·
Festival Guide
Nobody in a camp wants to hear huzzah. How to talk to reenactors, what not to touch, when to photograph, whether to dress up, and the one rule behind all ten.
Tom Saxby · 8 min read ·
Festival Guide
The turkey leg is not medieval and the roast pork is. What people ate before 1500, what to drink, which festival stalls are impostors, and what to queue for.
Elke Brandt · 9 min read ·
Planning
What a day at a medieval festival actually contains, what it cost in 2026, how it differs from a renaissance faire, and which one to try first.
Wren Ashdown · 9 min read ·
Planning
No festival on our list makes you dress up, but some gates charge less if you do. Boots, layers, wool over polyester, the £30 costume, and what goes in the bag.
Tom Saxby · 7 min read ·
Planning
The two Christmas markets in Europe that are actually medieval, with 2026 dates, the five merely held in medieval squares, and how to tell which you're standing in.
Wren Ashdown · 8 min read ·
Planning
Five festivals and three living-history sites across seven countries in September and October 2026, in date order, with confirmed dates and which are free.
Wren Ashdown · 8 min read ·
Planning
About 1,400 armoured fighters restage 15 July 1410 on the original field in Poland, free, at 15:00 on a Saturday. The 2027 date, where to stand and how to get there.
Tom Saxby · 9 min read ·
Planning
Landshut re-stages a 1475 ducal wedding with 2,500 townspeople in costume, 25 June–18 July 2027. What's free, what needs a ticket, and why you book on 9 January.
Tom Saxby · 8 min read ·
Festival Guide
Portugal's biggest medieval recreation runs twelve days under a real castle 30 km from Porto. When it runs in 2027, what a day ticket costs, and when to arrive.
Tom Saxby · 8 min read ·
Festival Guide
Free entry, a 1471 battle fought twice, a river meadow that behaves like one: when Tewkesbury runs in 2027, where to stand, where to park and where to sleep.
Tom Saxby · 8 min read ·
Festival Guide
When Visby Medieval Week runs in 2027, what is free and what needs a ticket, how the ferry works, and why the bed is the real problem.
Tom Saxby · 9 min read ·