Tewkesbury Medieval Festival

The Tewkesbury Medieval Festival is a medieval fair held over the second weekend of every July near the town of Tewkesbury, United Kingdom. Its main feature is the re-enactment of the Battle of Tewkesbury, which was fought in 1471. Located on parts of the ground where the original battle was fought, the festival also features a medieval camp, in which traders ply their wares and visitors are entertained by musicians and acrobats. The largest medieval fair in the United Kingdom, the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival was listed in Footprint England as one of the "ten most bizarre festivals" in the country.

The Tewkesbury Medieval Festival started in 1984 as a simple fair with 10 stalls, a beer tent, and a small-scale re-enactment of the Battle of Tewkesbury, which was originally fought in 1471 near the town of Tewkesbury, United Kingdom. The festival became a regular celebration held over the second weekend of every July on parts of the original battlefield. In 2005, the organisers—a group of local re-enactors named the Companions of the Black Bear—registered the event as a company to facilitate the application of grants and their protection. Besides the re-enactment and the camp, the festival offers guided walks of the battlefield. Since its start, the event has expanded to become the largest medieval fair in the United Kingdom. Attendance of the festival is open to all, but participation as a re-enactor is by invitation only. The sight of hundreds of men dressed as medieval soldiers and fighting in a battle led Footprint England to list the event as one of the "ten most bizarre festivals" in the country.

The festival's main feature is its re-enactment of the Battle of Tewkesbury, which was fought on 4 May 1471 between the Houses of York and Lancaster. The engagement was a decisive victory for the Yorkists and their leader, King Edward IV. The forces of the House of Lancaster were decimated, and their leaders killed or captured, leaving Edward as the unchallenged ruler of England. Several Lancastrians fled the battlefield and sought sanctuary at Tewkesbury Abbey. The Yorkists stormed the abbey, captured their foes, and executed them.

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Wikipedia