Jousting tournaments in Europe

Al Bundy at da.wikipedia · CC BY 3.0

Jousting & Tournaments Living History & Museums

Middelaldercentret (The Medieval Centre), Nykøbing Falster

Nykøbing Falster, Denmark

Middelaldercentret is an experimental living-history museum on the Guldborgsund opposite Nykøbing Falster, where a reconstructed Danish market town of around the year 1400, Sundkøbing, is populated by costumed staff who stay in character all day. Its season runs from early May to late September with daily trebuchet firing, jousting and craft demonstrations, plus an autumn-holiday week in October and a Christmas market.

On now until 20 Sep

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Chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Jousting & Tournaments Castle Events

Tournoi de Chevalerie de Carcassonne (Knights' Tournament and Falconry Show)

Carcassonne, France

Every summer the lices between the double walls of the Cité de Carcassonne host a daily knights' tournament, a 45-minute show of mounted combat in armour, billed in 2026 as 'Tournois de chevalerie et spectacle de fauconnerie' after a falconry display was added. The 2026 season runs from 12 July to 27 August with three performances a day, every day except Saturday.

On now until 27 Aug

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Horsens Medieval Festival

Horsens, Denmark

Horsens Middelalderfestival turns FÆNGSLET, the town's former state prison, into a medieval town for two days at the end of August, with knights, craftsmen, musicians, a market and hundreds of costumed participants. Run by the municipality since 1995 and free to enter, it calls itself northern Europe's largest medieval festival and draws around 100,000 visitors.

28–29 Aug 2026

Free Family

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England's Medieval Festival

Nutley, England

England's Medieval Festival is a three-day jousting, living-history and market festival over the August bank holiday weekend, with camping, evening entertainment and a large 'Kid's Kingdom'. Founded in 1993 at Herstmonceux Castle, it moved in 2023 to The King's Grove at Pippingford Park in the Ashdown Forest, East Sussex.

29–31 Aug 2026

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Jornadas Medievales de Ávila (Mercado de las Tres Culturas)

Ávila, Spain

Ávila's Jornadas Medievales turn the walled UNESCO city into the 'Market of the Three Cultures' for four days on the first weekend of September, with more than 300 stalls, around 150 free shows, nine mounted tournaments and a grand parade recalling the town's Christian, Jewish and Muslim past. Held since 1997 and declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest, it drew about 130,000 visitors in 2025.

3–6 Sep 2026

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Setmana Medieval de Montblanc

Montblanc, Spain

Montblanc's Setmana Medieval de la Llegenda de Sant Jordi turns the walled Catalan town into a medieval fair over the two weekends around Saint George's Day (23 April), with a free daily market and camp, parades, a night-time dragon show projected on the 14th-century walls and an open-air staging of the Saint George legend, which local tradition sets in Montblanc. Founded in 1987 and declared a festival of national tourist interest, it reached its 39th edition in April 2026.

Expected Apr 2027

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Královské stříbření Kutné Hory (Royal Silvering of Kutná Hora)

Kutná Hora, Czechia

The Royal Silvering of Kutná Hora recreates a visit by King Wenceslas IV and his court to the silver-mining town around the year 1400, with a costumed procession from the Italian Court to St Barbara's Cathedral, mounted tournaments, period music, crafts and a torchlit evening programme in the park below the royal mint. Held on a weekend in late June since 1992, it reached its 32nd edition on 20–21 June 2026.

Expected Jun 2027

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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Landshuter Hochzeit 1475

Landshut, Germany

Every four years about 2,500 costumed citizens of Landshut restage the 1475 wedding of Duke Georg the Rich and Princess Hedwig of Poland over three and a half weeks of processions, tournaments, camp life and plays. First performed in 1903, it is Europe's largest historical costume festival; the next edition runs 25 June–18 July 2027.

25 Jun–18 Jul 2027

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Christophe Degryse · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Ommegang of Brussels

Brussels, Belgium

The Ommegang is Brussels' great historical pageant: more than 1,400 participants in costume, with horses, giants, stilt-walkers, crossbowmen and flag-throwers, process from the Sablon to the Grand-Place on two evenings in early July to recreate the 1549 entry of Emperor Charles V and his son Philip. Its roots go back to a 1348 procession of the crossbowmen's guild; it was revived in 1930 and has been on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2019. The 2026 shows were on 1 and 3 July.

Expected Jun–Jul 2027

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Dark Avenger · CC BY 3.0

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Kaltenberger Ritterturnier

Kaltenberg, Germany

The Kaltenberg Knights' Tournament is a professionally staged jousting spectacle with horse stunts and pyrotechnics in a 13,000-capacity arena at Schloss Kaltenberg, surrounded by a large medieval market and five stages. Founded in 1980 by Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, it runs over three weekends every July and draws around 120,000 visitors.

Expected Jul 2027

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Visegrád International Palace Games

Visegrád, Hungary

The Visegrád International Palace Games are Hungary's largest medieval festival, held on the second weekend of July around the Royal Palace and Solomon Tower on the Danube Bend. Since 1985 they have recreated the court of King Charles Robert, host of the 1335 congress of kings, with jousting, royal processions, torchlit parades, falconry and a kilometre-long medieval fair.

9–11 Jul 2027

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Lacobrigo · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Mercado Medieval de Óbidos

Óbidos, Portugal

The Mercado Medieval de Óbidos takes over the castle grounds and lanes of the walled town for about 11 days each July, with a themed market, mounted tournaments, parades, street theatre and ticketed royal banquets. Organised by the municipality, it draws around 150,000 visitors a year.

Expected Jul 2027

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Fête des Remparts de Dinan

Dinan, France

The Fête des Remparts is a biennial two-day medieval festival in the walled Breton town of Dinan, with a large market, knights' tournament, camps, parades and a tavern stage of medieval music. Founded in 1983, it drew about 110,000 visitors for its 25th edition in July 2025; the next is planned for 24–25 July 2027.

Expected Jul 2027

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The Loxwood Joust

Loxwood, England

The Loxwood Joust is a ticketed medieval festival staged over three weekends in August on Loxwood Meadow in West Sussex, billed as the 'Kingdom of Loxwood'. Alongside daily jousting it mixes living-history camps, falconry, blacksmithing, an executioner's show, archery, music and theatrical spectacle, with weekend camping and evening entertainment.

Expected Jul–Aug 2027

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Statens Arkiver - Danish State Archives · CC BY-SA 2.0

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Visby Medieval Week

Visby, Sweden

Medeltidsveckan fills the walled Hanseatic town of Visby on Gotland with eight days of medieval markets, jousting, concerts, lectures and camps every August. Founded in 1984, it is Scandinavia's largest medieval festival and draws around 40,000 visitors, many of them in costume.

Expected Aug 2027

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