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HISTORY COMES TO LIFE @ CITY’S HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Writer's picture: ESP OnlineESP Online

Jousting is making a dramatic return to Peterborough as the city’s Heritage Festival takes over the city centre this weekend!

The popular Heritage Festival attracted over 30,000 visitors last year and with the added spectacle of knights on horseback this year’s event looks set to be even more exciting.

We’ve been along every year and think this is a fantastic weekend for the city to celebrate its history and heritage from the last 3,500 years.


The main festival weekend takes place on Saturday June 20 and Sunday June 21 and is organised by Vivacity in association with the Cathedral and supported by Perkins Engines Company Limited.

We’re fortunate to have the UK’s only city centre multi-period living history festival, it’s free and is held in the historic heart of the city and the stunning surroundings of the Cathedral precincts.

As well as displays, stalls and entertainment the centrepiece for 2015 will be a full blown medieval joust held twice daily on the Cathedral green, the first time that such an event has been staged in the middle of a town centre in England since 1467! Catch the knights in action at 11am and 3pm on saturday and again at 12 noon and 2.30pm on Sunday.

Visitors will be able to see plate-armoured knights tilt at each other in a specially constructed arena, experiencing all the excitement of a medieval tournament. The knights taking part in the joust come from across Europe, and are some of the best in the world. Two of the knights were seen recently escorting the coffin of Richard III through the streets of Leicester as part of the funeral commemorations.


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The Heritage Festival features over 300 costumed re-enactors from some of the country’s top Living History groupsfrom Bronze Age warriors to World War II airmen. Costumed characters including King John and Edith Cavell will be mingling with the crowds and holding audience sessions.


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Over 30 local history societies, community groups and historic attractions, put on displays to show off the best of our local heritage. The Children’s Zone provides an activity area for the kids with jesters, storytellers, games and activities on St John’s Square. There will be fun family activities too in the hands-on science marquee on Cathedral Square.


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There’s also a chance to do some speciality shopping in the period market and at the Food Fayre.

That’s not all though, in addition to the main weekend there are some great fringe events running from June 12 – 28 as well. Each year a guest lecture is held inside Peterborough Cathedral, with a high profile figure talking about an historical topic. This year sees the return of historian and broadcaster Dr David Starkey, talking about Magna Carta and its relevance 800 years on.

For more details visit the Vivacity website www.vivacity-peterborough.com/festivals/heritage-festival

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