Medieval festivals in August 2026

Stéphane D · CC BY-SA 2.0

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Living History & Museums Castle Events

Guédelon Castle (living medieval construction site)

Treigny, France

Guédelon is a 13th-century castle being built from scratch in a Burgundy forest quarry using only the tools, materials and techniques of the 1230s, open to visitors from spring to autumn since the first stone was laid in 1997. Around forty masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, tilers, rope-makers and carters work in front of the public, and the site draws roughly 300,000 visitors a season.

On now until 1 Nov

Family

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

Family

Medieval Markets & Fairs Jousting & Tournaments +1

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

Medieval Markets & Fairs Jousting & Tournaments +1

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

Family

CesisCastle · CC BY-SA 4.0

Medieval Markets & Fairs Living History & Museums +1

Cēsis Castle Medieval Days (formerly Cēsis Medieval Festival)

Cēsis, Latvia

Cēsis Castle, the Livonian Order's mightiest fortress and Latvia's best-preserved castle ruin, runs a costumed 'medieval season' from May to September with craft days in the castle garden, a Hanseatic market during the July city festival and period-dressed castle folk on summer weekends. A standalone annual Cēsis Medieval Festival, the successor of the Baltic Medieval Festival first held here in 2001, could not be verified as still running in 2026, so this listing is marked unverified.

Expected May–Sep 2027

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Brosen · CC BY 2.5

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Medieval Markets & Fairs Historic City Celebrations

St. Dominic's Fair (Jarmark św. Dominika)

Gdańsk, Poland

St. Dominic's Fair is a three-week street fair in the centre of Gdańsk that traces its origins to a papal privilege of 1260, making it one of the oldest trading fairs in Europe. Around 700 stalls of craftspeople, antique dealers, artists and food sellers fill the Main Town from late July to mid-August, with some 200 concerts and events alongside.

Expected Jul–Aug 2027

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Feira Viva · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Medieval Markets & Fairs Living History & Museums +1

Viagem Medieval em Terra de Santa Maria

Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal

Viagem Medieval is a 12-day historical recreation that turns the historic centre and castle of Santa Maria da Feira into a themed medieval town each summer, with processions, theatre, tournaments, markets and camps. Running since 1997, it is Portugal's largest medieval event.

Expected Jul–Aug 2027

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Reenactment & Battles Living History & Museums +1

Festival of Slavs and Vikings, Wolin

Wolin, Poland

The Festival of Slavs and Vikings on Ostrów island at Wolin is one of Europe's largest early-medieval gatherings, with around 2,000 re-enactors from some 30 countries camping in a reconstructed 9th–11th-century port settlement. Four days of crafts, battles with hundreds of warriors, boat regattas, rituals and music recall the town that medieval chroniclers knew as Jomsborg or Vineta.

Expected Jul–Aug 2027

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Jousting & Tournaments Living History & Museums +1

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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Medieval Markets & Fairs Jousting & Tournaments +1

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

Family