Worcester Cathedral will step back in time this Summer as Medieval merriment takes over the entire estate in a week of fun for all ages from the middle-ages.

From Monday 12 – Saturday 17 August families and visitors, young and young-at-heart, can enjoy a whole host of Medieval themed festivity.

On Monday 12 August the top lawn of the Old Bishop’s Palace will transform into a Medieval village. Open from 10am to 10pm daily until Saturday 17 August, there will be a festival village with food and bar open throughout the day, soft archery, a Medieval gift shop and much more.

At 11am, 1pm and 3pm daily, there will be fire pit building and s’mores making sessions for all to enjoy.
From 10am to 5pm each day there will also be a Dragon Quest trail around the Cathedral and Old Palace grounds as visitors hunt to find the dragons and their eggs.

At 11am on Monday 12 and Wednesday 14 August pre-school children can enjoy Medieval story time, followed by craft activities in the Cathedral’s West End (underneath the pink giraffe window). Then on Tuesday and Thursday there will be family Medieval crafts in the Nave.

Everyday at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm, turn up and climb to the top of the Cathedral’s Medieval Tower and look out over Worcester, where it is rumoured the future King Charles II viewed the Battle of Worcester during the Civil War in 1651.

Each evening at 6.30pm attend a Medieval talk in the Abbot’s Kitchen of the Old Palace, including Medicines, Myths, Mary, Science Fiction and Medieval Minds. There will be opportunities to join Medieval library tours to view ancient manuscripts and artefacts, at 12pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Friday 16 August there will be Medieval dancing throughout the day. Enjoy demonstrations and workshops from local dance company Gloriana in the Chapter House.

The Cathedral will be celebrating its resident Monarch on Saturday 17, with ‘King John Day’ in the Nave and Quire. Explore King John’s tomb with the man himself, learn to use a quill to write your own copy of the Magna Carta, join in Robin Hood art and craft activities and more.

The week will end on Saturday 17 August with a Medieval Banquet in the Great Hall of the Old Palace – dine in style, with dress-up encouraged.

Many of the activities on offer during MedievalFest Week are free of charge, however some are chargeable and require pre-booking to secure a place.

You can find a day-by-day breakdown at worcestercathedral.org.uk to help plan your visit and pre-book activities as required.