Background
The Tewkesbury Medieval Festival started in 1984 as a simple fair with 10 stalls, a beer tent, and a small-scale re-enactment of the Battle of Tewkesbury, which was originally fought in 1471 near the town of Tewkesbury, United Kingdom. The festival became a regular celebration held over the second weekend of every July on parts of the original battlefield. In 2005, the organisers—a group of local re-enactors named the Companions of the Black Bear—registered the event as a company to facilitate the application of grants and their protection. Besides the re-enactment and the camp, the festival offers guided walks of the battlefield. Since its start, the event has expanded to become the largest medieval fair in the United Kingdom. Attendance of the festival is open to all, but participation as a re-enactor is by invitation only. The sight of hundreds of men dressed as medieval soldiers and fighting in a battle led Footprint England to list the event as one of the "ten most bizarre festivals" in the country.
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