Welcome to the 2010 Abbey Medieval Festival.

Please make sure you have read the PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES and maintain the standards required for the period you are representing.

The festival period covers a thousand years - from AD 600 to 1600 - and allows a variety of theatre and music.  You need to make a general historical reference to this time period on the application form (download ENTERTAINERS APPLICATION FORM).

The Abbey Museum recognises that the Tournament helps raise interest in medieval cultural performance, theatre, dance and music.

Considerable latitude is given in respect to displays so that performers may represent their unique styles, skills and instruments to the public.

However, the Abbey Medieval Festival Committee reserves the right to accept or reject street theatre or musicians based on merit or previous bookings.

If you have any comments or concerns please feel free to CONTACT US.  We look forward to your continued commitment to the success of the Abbey Medieval Festival.

Street Theatre

Street theatre suitable for the Abbey Medieval Festival includes juggling, balancing, conjuring, puppets, mime, comedy (often bawdy), mystery plays, dancers, singers, troubadours and poets.  It can also extend to specific re-enactment of particular themes, such as Black Death plague victims, farmers, wenches, wandering friars, Jewish moneylenders or doctors, lepers, troubadours and so on.

Photo: David de Groot                 

Music and Bands

Musical performers with authentic musical instruments add enormously to the sounds and ambience of the Abbey Medieval Festival.  We welcome street musicians, either as part of the re-enactment groups or as buskers.

Suitable instruments include fiddles, lutes, harps, drums, cymbals, trumpets, dronepipes, bagpipes, flutes and pipes.

The Festival aims at introducing new bands that conform to the standards noted above.  It is impossible to accept every band that wishes to come; however, please send us a cd of your work and repertoire.