The National Museum of Banat, in Western Romania, together with the Timiș County Council, is organizing the fifth edition of the Medieval Festival of Huniade Castle from July 14 to July 16. The event will feature tournaments, a costume parade, early music concerts, puppet theatre, juggling, and a grand banquet.

"The Medieval Festival of Huniade Castle, which has become a cherished tradition for Timișoara and Timiș County, was conceived with the desire to celebrate and promote historical heritage. Through this event, we aim to invite the public on a journey through time, reliving a few days in the world of noble knights, graceful damsels, and skilled artisans. We strive to recreate a universe of honor and beauty where traditions, music, dance, and gastronomy come together to create a memorable cultural experience. For this edition, we have ensured a diverse and appealing program of artistic performances," stated the National Museum of Banat in a press release cited by News.ro.

The festival will begin Friday, July 14, with a "Journey through Time," featuring specialized groups from Cluj, Mediaș, Oradea, Bucharest, Sibiu, Timișoara, and Iași, which aim to recreate the medieval period.

The parade will take place at 7:00 PM and include "knights in armor on adorned horses with expensive ornaments and fabrics, nomadic warriors from the Eastern steppes, skilled archers and lancers on small and swift horses, foot mercenaries with halberds and hand cannons recruited by Ioan of Hunedoara from all of Central Europe, envoys of the Papal See, selected warriors from different periods of the Middle Ages, ranging from the 10th-century Varangians to the heavy soldiers of Timur's empire, brave Hungarian soldiers from the Frontier Fortresses, or Ottoman soldiers."

In the evening, near Huniade Castle in the centre of Timișoara, there will be a concert of early music and a fireworks display.

On Saturday, July 15, the "Grand Tournament of Huniade Castle" is scheduled. "It is the day when competitions and celebrations take centre stage! We have competitions for everyone, from the most brilliant knights to common soldiers, wandering steppe warriors, and, of course, for the people of Timișoara, the beloved audience of the festival! And, as befits a grand tournament, songs and merry-making intertwine with the sound of weapons, culminating in a medieval masquerade ball and mysterious stories from the mists of time," the press release explains.

During the day, there will be presentations of original historical swords and blades, a medieval-themed costume contest, and battle reenactments, and in the evening, there will be a lavish feast where the winners of the warrior competitions will be rewarded.

The evening will conclude with a fireworks show inspired by Dante's Inferno, specially created for this year's festival edition, combining the talents of the fire performers from Timișoara's Deep6 and Hypnosis from Brașov.

Throughout the day, in the nomadic village, the public will have the opportunity to participate in workshops for recurve archery, painting and calligraphy, and traditional games from the Eurasian steppe culture.

Sunday, July 16, the third day of the festival, is dedicated to the military confrontations of the Middle Ages in the Carpathian Basin, from the clashes between the Crusaders and the swift charges of mounted archers to the formidable artillery barrages from the war carriages of the Late Middle Ages. The Transylvanian Teutons and the Eagles from Călata – Cumans and Teutonic Knights – will reenact the history of the early 13th century, while the groups Eyalet-ul de Timișoara, IgnisVultus, and the Losonczy István Association will recreate the Battle for Timișoara, Part II: The Siege of 1552.

The festival will conclude with greetings from the participating groups.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Festivalul medieval al castelului Huniade on Facebook)