The first European Medieval Festival was held in 1992 to celebrate the 550th anniversary of Horsens. Originally conceived as a one-time event, it turned out so successful that it was decided to hold the festival regularly. It took some time to organize the second festival, but since 1995 the European Medieval Festival has been held every summer. Since its inception, it has become one of the biggest festivals in Denmark, with over 4,000 active contributors and an attendance of about 60,000.
The European Medieval Festival is held on the grounds of the Horsens State Prison (Horsens Statsfængsel). A former prison, it now houses a crime and prison museum, a conference and business facility, and a concert venue. The venue sets a fantastic stage for a medieval market, allowing to travel more than half a millennium back through the ages.
The festival is a combination of a medieval fair with hundreds of stalls and booths, a festival of medieval music, performance and theater, and a living museum that gives a unique opportunity to interact with historical groups and societies. The main goal of the festival is to show the life in a medieval Danish settlement as authentically as possible, so you will never find here things that didn’t exist in Denmark back then, such as coffee or ketchup.
The program of the festival includes live medieval music played with authentic instruments on several stages, colorful parades and processions, dancers, acrobats, jugglers, buskers, magicians, jousting tournaments and combat shows, special activities for children of all ages, historical re-enactment, falconry, artisans and merchants, and more.
The European Medieval Festival is organized by the Municipality of Horsens. It is not a commercial project, and entrance to the festival grounds is free for everyone. The festival seeks to combine historical presentation with cultural experiences to blur the line between education and entertainment. It is a cultural event that communicates historical knowledge to a wide audience in a fun and engaging way.
