History brought to life at Midsummer Festival

History brought to life at Castle Bytham

This year’s Castle Bytham Midsummer Festival, which will run on Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18, will have a special theme, based on the history and heritage of the village.

It has been supported by the Big Lottery Fund’s Celebrate programme, designed to help with events that celebrate a local community’s history and bring people together to get to know their neighbours better.

The aim of the organising committee is to tell the history of the community in a 21st century way and bring out the special nature of the area – after all, the village is pretty unique in having two scheduled ancient monuments: a castle mound and a medieval fish pond.

On the Saturday from 1pm to 10.30pm there will be a music festival – although the sounds will be bang up to date.

Then on Sunday the festival will rock back to the Middle Ages and between 9am and 4.30pm, there will be entertainment from a knight in shining armour with his horse and damsel, an interactive theatre performance group telling stories about the past, a magician and fire breather.

Joining them will be Simple Tom the fool, a woodturner called the Wobbly Bodger, historic archery and falconry, jesters and stilt walkers, an alchemist, and even a coracle on the village pond which people can have a go at piloting!

In the streets of the village there will be a thriving street market, with food, crafts and knick-knacks. street entertainers, a traditional dog show, and a duck race, amongst other delights.

On St Martin’s Meadow on both days there will be two music stages and the field will be set out as the site as a medieval encampment with lots of tents, flags and bunting, and not forgetting the village stocks!

There will be a children’s area where they can play a whole range of medieval-inspired games.

Best of all, enjoying this 21st Century Middle Ages extravaganza comes entirely for free!

Free entry, free parking and free programme for two days of jolly japes and Medieval mayhem!

For further details on the festival, e-mail cbmidsummerfestival@gmail.com.