Go-ahead for castle’s ‘gruesome’ weekend

Sir Edward will open each day with a grand procession and will lead his men at arms and knights from the castle to the events arena.

This is a time of celebration with Sir Edward hosting a grand medieval tournament to show off his power and wealth.

While the exterior is finished, the interior is a work in progress.

As work continues inside, the celebration goes on outside with jousting, fighting displays, hunting games and more!’

New this year will be jousting performances by Destrier whose mounted knights are not only thrilling to watch, but display amazing courage and excellent horsemanship when recreating exhilarating medieval jousts designed to impress the crowds.

Another new attraction being premiered at this years’ event is the jousting rail, a fantastic opportunity for visitors to train as knights would have done in 14th Century England.

The jousting rail will form part of the training camp where visitor can also prepare for battle by trying on armour and painting their own shield.

The jousting rail is a free event for anyone with an event ticket and will then be at Bodiam throughout the summer for visitors to return and hone their skills.

This promises to be a fun packed weekend with something for everyone to enjoy. Each morning the Medieval Siege Society will perform a Commission of Array (Medieval method of raising troops) with a melee (close combat fighting) each afternoon.

An archery competition will take place throughout each day with the Hawking Centre putting on two birds of prey displays.

Costumed wandering minstrels will entertain the crowds with Medieval music.

And if that wasn’t enough, Hands on History will be on the castle green with plenty of hands on activities for the whole family including archery and a paintball cannon.

Costumed Castle characters will also be on hand to talk about their lives while living at the Castle in medieval times.

A BBQ and beer tent will be situated on the castle green serving pork rolls and drinks (a vegetarian option will also available).