The countdown is on for Tamworth’s popular St George’s Day extravaganza , with an exciting new line-up of entertainment for the whole family set to take over the Castle Grounds on Saturday 22 April.

Running from 10am - 5pm, the free annual festival is one of the highlights of Tamworth Borough Council’s calendar of outdoor events, drawing thousands of visitors from across the country.

The line-up includes all the festival favourites that have led to the event becoming well-known, including jousting, a living history camp, stalls, fairground rides and children’s activities.

This year visitors can meet an animatronic Ice Dragon and White Walker, inspired by HBO’s award winning series ‘Game of Thrones’; as they roam around the Castle Grounds.

The Grand Medieval Joust is back by popular demand. Festival-goers can watch the action unfold as St George competes with knights on horseback as they take to the main arena to show off their jousting skills. Fun displays are guaranteed, full of laughs, action, trick riding and stunts, with skilled performances from stunning horses and knights in shining armour. Throughout the day knights will also demonstrate the variety of weapons and combat methods used during medieval skirmishes.

You'll also be able to listen to the famous Anglo-Saxon epic poem, ‘Beowulf’, in a small but perfectly formed adaption. This engaging storytelling combined with clever puppetry, will be repeated throughout the day for families to enjoy.

Other entertainment and activities for the whole family include workshops, displays, entertainment and a medieval encampment featuring equipment and living history demonstrations evident during the period. A large array of different traditional children’s games will include post-mills, hobby horses, peg dolls, ball and cup, stilts, quoits and Nine Men’s Morris.

Other activities include the dedicated Children’s Zone organised by Hamsterzorb who will be supplying land zorb at a cost of £7 per person; football dartboard - £5 for five shots and foam axe throwing - £5 for five throws.

Confirmed this year is a variety of stalls offering food, refreshments and a selection of gifts, organised by Mark Kyte from the Tamworth Lions.

Andrew Barratt, Chief Executive of Tamworth Borough Council, said: “The St George’s Day festival is one of the most popular events on our calendar and we are excited to bring the main event to the arena this year.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming lots of people to the town to join the celebrations again this year from 10am. Due to the popularity of this event, we would encourage visitors to arrive early and use public transport if possible.”

Look out for the full programme line-up at tamworthartsandevents.co.uk.