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Enthusiasts will be travelling from all over Europe and beyond to take part in the biggest and best medieval spectacular of them all.
Why not join them at Tewkesbury Medieval Festival there is sure to be something there to intrigue and delight you.
There will be handsome knights helping two would- be kings battle for the crown of England whilst their families live in medieval encampments for the weekend living, eating, entertaining themselves just as they would have done in at the time of the battle of Tewkesbury.
You might even chance to see King Edward and his courtiers making a stately progress around the site or enjoying a sumptuous feast in their luxurious and colourful encampment
You could come across a jester amazing people with his skill and dexterity or mystifying them with magical tricks, or a minstrel entertaining to earn an honest penny.
There may even be a dragon or two or other mysterious and ferocious creatures lurking in odd corners. Certainly there will be bands, combat display and demonstrations of ancient crafts enough to please the most avid enthusiast and so many different stall even the most demanding shopper should be satisfied
they will find everything from a beautifully embroidered gown, to a wooden spoon, suit of armour or bag of sweets. And of course there will be large beer tent with a range of real ales and beers and, if you want to try a real taste of the past, mead.
The event takes place on part of the site of the original battle of Tewkesbury of May 4th 1471, when the Houses of York and Lancaster met in a bloody battle which left thousands of brave men
including Edward Prince Wales, dead and put Edward IV firmly on the throne of England. The festival runs from 11am to 6pm on both days, and is followed by events in the town, including the not
too serious trial and beheading of a number of captured Lancastrians. This is followed by the service of Compline, as it would have been heard in the Abbey.
It will include a grand parade, a display of jousting skills, a spectacular battle, and hordes of entertainers, all rounded off with a fantastic fire show.
Hundreds of families will live for the weekend in authentic medieval encampments on part of the site of the original battle of 1471.
The battle will feature around 2000 knights, archers and men at arms from all over the world
There will also be a colourful and fascinating market selling everything from swords and armour, medieval pots and authentic costumes to toys, herbs and individual jewellery.
Don´t forget the beer tent, with its range of real ales and that medieval favourite, Mead.
When the fair shuts at 6pm on Saturday the fun moves back into the town, with a re-enactment of the storming of the Abbey, the trial and beheading of captured Yorkists, the 15th century service of Compline in the abbey and a concert by singer Kate Witney.
It is then time to move into the vicarage garden, ready for the fire show that will bring the day to a spectacular end.
The parade on Saturday morning will be led by town mayor, and the mayor of Colchester.
It will include musicians, entertainers, re-enactors school children and other local people in costume.
It will leave the Old Black Bear at the top of the High Street at 11am and make its way up The High Street and Church Street, to Lower Lode Lane and the festival site, for the official opening at 12 noon. The site is open to the public from 11am.
Anyone interested in take part in the parade should contact Geoff and Angie Pope on 01684 297874.
A re-creation of the Battle of Tewkesbury of May 4 1471.
It will feature over 2000 re-enactors, portraying knights in full steel armour, men at arms, archers and gunners
They will fight with swords, maces, lances, old English Long Bows and the newest weapon of the day: cannon.
Mounted re-enactment group Destrier will give a demonstration of mounted skills at arms on both days.
This will include a contest between knights on horseback, demonstrating the skills used on the both the battlefield and in the joust.
There will also be a chance to get a close look at the horses and their equipment.
Tiered seating will be available for the battle and mounted display.
Families will live for the whole weekend as a medieval army on the march.
Dressed in authentic costume they will live in fully equipped period tents, cook food of the period over open fires, and carry out tasks around the site, just as they would have done in the 15th century.
They welcome visitors and are very knowledgeable about the period and happy to talk about many aspects of what they are doing.
The fair aims to reproduce the atmosphere of a medieval fair with around 150 stalls, many of them selling items used by re-enactors to create their historic scenes.
These can include anything from a woollen dress, to a suit of armour, a sword, cooking pot or drinking horn.
There are also more modern stalls, selling sweets, jewellery, bric a brac and countless other delights, including this year, Medieval Festival Rock.
There are also games and small rides for the children, caterers of all kinds, including vegetarian and a pig roast, and of course a large beer tent, selling a range of real ales and the most ancient of all drinks, Mead.
Around the fair will be entertainers who have, as they did in medieval times, travelled to the gathering to earn a penny or so, look out for musicians, jesters, stilt walkers, and even a dragon or two.
The fair closes at 6pm, but on Saturday at least, that does not mean that the fun is over.
It moves instead to the Abbey in Church Street.
At around 7pm re-enactors will re-create an incident in which the Yorkist army dragged Lancastrians seeking sanctuary from the Abbey, despite the protestations of the Abbot Strensham.
The bloodshed caused by this attack in 1471 meant that the Abbey had to be closed for three days so that it could be cleaned and re-consecrated.
The captured Lancastrians will be given a swift trial, before being dragged off for a tongue in cheek series of executions.
Restoring the peace back to the Abbey there will then be the service of Complin ¯ the last service of the day for medieval monks, held by candlelight and without the accompaniment of the organ.
Many of the re-eancators will attend in costume.
This will be followed by a concert in the Abbey by Kate Witney.
It will then be time to move to the vicar´s garden, for a spectacular fire display, created especially for the 25th anniversary celebrations by Alchemy Theatre.
Tewkesbury is about a mile from junction 9 of the M5. The fair site is well signed from there. Pedestrian access is down Lower Lode Lane. Entrance to the fair is free. All dogs must be kept on leads at all times and doggy bags and bins are provided. The site is spread over several fields, so whilst everyone is welcome wheelchair access is possible, but not easy. First aiders and security personnel are on duty throughout the weekend. for further information ring Tewkesbury Tourist Information Centre on 01684 855040