The actors in the “Barley Balanced” acrobatic performance create a human tower with raw strenght and coordination. The show is one of many displayed at the Renaissance Festival from Feb.21-April 3 in Apache Junction. Hear ye! Hear ye! Every year one may enter a land of knights, jesters, lords and ladies, where thy humble peasantry…
Tag Archive: jousting
Lances, bones break for medieval fun
Most days Callum Forbes is a mild-mannered financial planner. But put him in a suit of armour, hand him a lance and that all changes. The Upper Hutt man becomes a warrior, a jouster, and he’s proud of it. “Jousters were like the Super 14 players, or the All Blacks of their day,” he said….
Chivalry Isn’t Dead — Jousters Prepare for October Tournament
A massive black Percheron with a white star on his forehead turns and, on cue, gallops toward a target. The rider strikes the end of a horizontal pole with his lance. They trot back into place at the end of a line as several other riders prepare for their chance at the goal. Men and…
Top 10 Reasons to Attend a Renaissance Faire in 2011
Every year thousands of fans attend Renaissance Faires and Renaissance Festivals around the world. Here are top 10 reasons to attend a Ren Faire this year. Theater – Renaissance Faires usually have a few stages set up with actors performing Shakespearian skits or re-enacting popular medieval plays. Performances – Medieval faires include a variety of…
Chivalry isn’t dead at World Joust event
Ever since Lance Armstrong watched a dodgeball tournament on ESPN the Ocho, niche sports enthusiasts claim everything this side of cup stacking deserves a programming slot. And we’ve seen all kinds of variants invited onto the stage including roque, flugtag, kickball, wife carrying, over-the-line and punkin chunkin, just to name a few. Flip through the…
Robin Hood Pageant sees Nottingham Castle go back in time
Nottingham Castle was transformed into a medieval village over the weekend for the 21st Robin Hood Pageant. Minstrels wandered through the grounds, King Richard I was watching over events and, of course, Robin Hood himself was there. There were demonstrations, a medieval alehouse and a chance for people to turn lead into “gold” at an…
Medieval fun and food: Carolina RenFest is back
Twenty-two acres of medieval fun will come to life next weekend when the 17th Carolina Renaissance Festival and Artisan Marketplace opens its seven-week run in North Mecklenburg. The event will be held on Saturdays and Sundays for seven consecutive weekends, from Oct. 9 through Nov. 21, at the wooded festival grounds at N.C. 73 at…
Bicycle Jousting, transferring a medieval sport into a modern sport
Jousting was a sport that originated in Medieval England and it was brutal. Two Knights in full armour on horseback would charge towards one another and would each try to impale the other with a long pointed lance. It was a very dangerous and thrilling sport but slowly over the years it faded away because…
Medieval festival in Arcata draws a crowd
With a couple of wooden boxes, a rope and a small crowd of spectators, you might’ve thought you were watching a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The game, Hunker-Hauser, a sort of tug-of-war on small boxes, was just one of many reenactments at the annual Excalibur Medieval Tournament and Market Faire over…
Connecticut Renaissance Faire returns for five weeks
The Connecticut Renaissance Fair returns to Hebron Saturday, Sept. 25 for the first of five weekends of medieval-themed entertainment. The 12th annual event is held at the Hebron Lions Fairgrounds at 347 Gilead St. (Route 85), every weekend from Saturday, Sept. 25 through Oct. 24, plus Columbus Day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entertainment…
Day of medieval activities marks anniversary of major battle
The Battle of Wakefield took place more than half a millennium ago – and yesterday Sandal Castle hosted a free day of medieval activities to celebrate its 550th anniversary. Visitors to the historic castle on were able to witness a theatrical display based on the battle in the grounds of Sandal’s castle, and spectacular birds…
Jousting, swordplay are on display at Tulare County Fair
Tulare County Fair visitors are discovering that the Medieval Tournament of Champions, a clash of armored knights on horseback, is an interactive affair. While the 12-foot lances are reserved for competitors, audience members are invited before the nightly battles to engage in various archery- and hatchet-throwing activities, with wooden swords and shields as prizes. On…
Castle near Merrifield remains hidden
When out-of-town visitors stopped in Merrifield to ask directions to the nearly $2 million castle nearby they were met with disbelief. Nate Phillipps is working to change all that and a medieval fair in November will give people a chance to see the castle up close. Complete with banners, knights in armor and even a…
Medieval knights ride again at Knebworth House
There will be plenty of spectacular action, stunts, fierce battles and warhorses at full gallop at Knebworth House on Sunday as the q8aq take up arms for a medieval jousting tournament. The event, one of the most popular in the stately home’s annual programme, guarantees audiences all the romance and pageantry of days gone by,…
Medieval day on battle anniversary
The Battle of Wakefield took place more than half a millennium ago – and to celebrate its 550th anniversary Sandal Castle is hosting a day of medieval activities. Visitors to the castle on September 19 will be able to witness a theatrical display based on the battle there and birds of prey will swoop above…
