AN ESTIMATED 25,000 people visited Evesham town centre last weekend to experience the sights, tastes and sounds of medieval England.
Saturday and Sunday (May 16 to 17) saw more than 300 Vikings, knights, outlaws and assorted vendors take over the grounds of All Saints and St Lawrence’s Church, Abbey Park and the Market Square for the annual Medieval Market and Living History Camp.
Despite the unseasonal wind and rain, the event saw visitors from across the region and as far afield as the USA and Australia come to watch high-energy fight demonstrations, enjoy medieval music, and partake in a variety of have-a-go activities such as archery and soft-play sword fighting.
Organiser Mick Hurst said: “The only thing we cannot control is the weather, despite an unhelpful national forecast, plenty of visitors still brought family and friends into the historic heart of Evesham to enjoy some fantastic action.
“The sun came out and by the time the rain started late afternoon, an estimated 25,000 people had watched some great action and browsed more than 90 stalls – all of whom reported brisk trade.”
Mick, who was crowned the Visit England national tourism superstar earlier this year, added that the event was such a firm favourite of the reenactment community that groups had been turned away.
The event, now in its fifth year, acts as a fundraiser for the main Battle of Evesham festival, which runs from August 1 to 2.
The action-packed weekend which attracts around 60,000 to Evesham, commemorates the events whereby local baron Simon de Montfort – the so-called father of democracy – was killed in a bloody fight in 1265.
So, no let-up for the hard-working volunteers who make it all happen.
“Let battle commence,” added Mick, who is the festival director.
