Held in the medieval village of Crémieu in south-east France, this festival is a beacon to all those who revel in the olden-day aura of Game of Thrones and LOTR.
Les Médiévales de Crémieu or Crémieu Medieval Festival is celebrated every year with flourish and grandeur. This festival celebrates the famous Middle Ages and all its eccentricities. Ever wondered what it would be like to partake in a tourney with the Knight of Flowers, GoT style? Well, visit Crémieu this month and you can find out. (You can’t actually joust with Loras Tyrell himself, but close enough.)
The jousts or ‘spectacles’ performed at the festivals are done by professionals for entertainment purposes only. But these tournaments aren’t the only kind of fighting sport. The festival incorporates choreographed sword-fights and other engaging sports as well.
Crémieu Medieval Festival is inaugurated with a parade, where the cosplay or costumes are so good, it’s hard to believe that the attendees haven’t traveled through time. Check out some of the colorfully flamboyant images of the parade below.
Apart from the picturesque parade, the festival features many medieval-esque activities– starting from the aforementioned jousts to medieval dances and live performing arts such as jugglers, colorful stilt-walkers, flag-twirlers, fire-eaters, musicians and magicians in the alleys of the village. After a day full of hustle-bustle, you will get a chance to break bread and share meat and mead with fellow medieval citizens during the authentic Medieval Banquet. (Maybe they’ll serve you some spiced summer wine from Highgarden, who knows?)
To make things interesting, the festival has live performers during the banquet. It doesn’t get more adventurous than a fire-breather two feet from your plate.
To add to the authenticity of the festival, it features a number of living camps that give the attendees a glimpse of the lifestyle of soldiers and civilians in the Middle Ages, involving non-choreographed combats on foot with various weapons: long sword, lance, shields. There is also a street dedicated to old trades like bow-makers, chainmail-makers, calligraphy, coin-striking, old-fashioned carding and spinning on a spindle (a.k.a. that machine from Sleeping Beauty).
Over 200 professionals and 300 volunteers come together in Crémieu for the Medieval Festival. If your interests lie in jousts and summer wine more than they do in real life, then this may just be the perfect place for you. Les Médiévales de Crémieu takes place on the second weekend of September, i.e., from 12 to 13 September, 2015. You can find more information and photographs on their website.
Also, check out these awesome geek culture festivals that range from Sci-Fi cosplay to a weekend-long celebration of all things Potter.
(All Images Courtesy: medievales-cremieu.fr)