Knights, Vikings and fighters clash at the Kimberley Medieval Festival
Recapping the Kimberley Medieval Festival 2017
Prepare for battle! Knights, Vikings and fighters from across Canada re-enact battles and compete with each other for the love of all things medieval. — Kyle Born photo.
The Kimberley City Bakery held its third annual Kimberley Medieval Festival July 8 and 9, 2017. Eric and Michelle Forbes, Kimberley City Bakery owners and award winners for Influential Women in Business and Jake the Baker, host the event and bring in medieval groups such as:
- The Sons of Fenrir are Viking re-enactors from Calgary, Alberta.
- The Úlfhéðnar (pronounced oolf-heth-nar) are a group of historical re-enactors, portraying the life of a roving Viking war band during the ninth to 10th centuries. They are based in Kelowna, B.C.
- Munnin’s Saga. A young viking troop from Edmonton.
- The Ice Eaters. From Hinton, Alberta
- Fighters of the Feral Fang, the newest troop. They formed a group because they were inspired by last year’s Kimberley Medieval Festival.
- Dragon's Own are a group of medieval entertainers from Calgary. They informed spectators about the medieval time period beyond fighting, adding another aspect to the festival.
- Puppeteer Nikki. Children love her little Viking puppets.
- Ironhart Vanguard, a division of The Forge martial arts in Calgary.
Below is an assemblage of photos taken during the Kimberley Medieval Festival. Captions contain a simple title, explanation or a quote from Ashley Coe, co-ordinator, organizer, promoter and fighter for the Ironhart Vanguard.
“I’ve broken fingers, lost nails, I get bruises every time. Bruises are pretty common. Major injuries are uncommon, but they do happen in any sport. Sprains, twisted ankles, broken bones. Concussions would be the biggest risk.”
“For our armour, what we do is transitional. We have a coat of plates that we ordered. We handmade the leather. We built the kit. My arms come from Crimea. There are other Ukrainian makers that make fantastic stuff.” — Kyle Born photo.
“If you’re trying to get into an armour kit for yourself you’re probably looking at $2,500. A proper kit would be $3,000 to $5,000. It takes a good five days to make a kit if you go 24/7. Most of our swords come in from the Czech Republic and Hungary.” — Kyle Born photo.
“It’s full contact, medieval steel-armed combat. There’s takedowns. Nobody holds back. It’s full power hits, full power takedowns.” — Kyle Born photo.
“It’s crazy mayhem and we all said ‘I want to do this.’ We’re not role playing, we’re a sport. We fight to compete, we fight for sport.” — Kyle Born photo.
“We do longsword, tournament style, sword and shield, pull arm, which is a long pull axe, one-on-one battles. We have a great time.” — Kyle Born photo.
Medieval participants ate in the Viking Village, a temporary residence inside Coronation Park for the weekend of the Kimberley Medieval Festival. Temperatures reached into the high 30s during the weekend. Staying hydrated and taking rests was important. — Kyle Born photo.
Man down! The Sons of Fenrir are Viking re-enactors from Calgary, Alberta. — Kyle Born photo.
One side stands at attention, ready for battle. — Kyle Born photo.
The rival faction prepares for combat. — Kyle Born photo.
Attack! — Kyle Born photo.
Individual fights can break out amongst the warring parties. — Kyle Born photo.
Not everyone can be a winner. — Kyle Born photo.
The Kimberley City Bakery temporarily set up a tent in Coronation Park to sell their goods. — Kyle Born photo.
Kimberley City Bakery employees dressed for the occasion and kept festival-goers well fed. — Kyle Born photo.
Eric and Michelle Forbes, Kimberley City Bakery owners, host the annual Kimberley City Medieval Festival on the second weekend in July each summer. — Kyle Born photo.
When in Rome: The Kimberley City Bakery sold a festive “Rat-on-a-stick” from their tent at Coronation Park. I couldn’t resist. — Kyle Born photo.
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