St. George's Day Extravaganza 2017

The countdown is on to Tamworth’s annual St George’s Day extravaganza which is taking over the Castle Grounds with medieval-themed fun for the whole family on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 10am to 5pm.

The St George’s Day extravaganza will include all the festival favourites that have led to the event becoming well-known up and down the country, such as jousting, archery, a living history camp, stalls, fairground rides and children’s activities. This year’s line-up also includes a new interactive dragon.

The Grand Medieval Joust is back by popular demand. Festival-goers will be able to watch the action unfold as competing knights on horseback take to the main arena to show off their jousting skills. Throughout the day knights will also demonstrate the variety of weapons and combat methods used during medieval skirmishes.

Other entertainment and activities for the whole family include a medieval fashion show, children’s pottery-making workshops, Beowulf – A Storytelling of Puppets, a Medieval Grave Diggers Comedy, walkabout characters, Morris dancing by Pennyroyal Garland Dancers, water and land zorbing, bungee trampolines and food stalls.

The dedicated Children’s Zone will feature face painting, stocks, circus skills, magical dress up, knight classes, bouncy castles and inflatable slides, a Robin Hood Nerf shootout and an 8ft inflatable jester. Admission to the Children’s Zone is priced at £3 per child (adults get in free of charge) and youngsters can come and go as they please throughout the day.

Tamworth Scouts will again march through the town centre in a St George’s Day parade, before renewing their promise in the Castle Grounds.

The free annual festival is one of the highlights of Tamworth’s impressive calendar of outdoor events organised by Tamworth Borough Council’s Arts & Events team and draws thousands of visitors from across the country.

Andrew Barratt, Tamworth Borough Council Corporate Director for Growth, Assets & Environment), said: “The St George’s Day festival is one of the most popular events on our calendar and the Arts & Events team is always working hard to ensure it continues to grow and offer new attractions each year. With so much going on throughout the event, it’s easy to keep the whole family entertained for several hours with a variety of medieval-themed fun and games.”

Activities in the grounds will be supported by more medieval-themed fun inside Tamworth Castle which will be inviting visitors to play historic games with Lady Freville, help the laundress clean clothes using medieval techniques and learn about weapons and armour from the period.

The event in Tamworth Castle on Saturday, April 22, is from 11.30am to 4pm and admission is priced at £7.50 for adults, £6.50 concessions, £5 for children over five and £3 for children aged between two and four. Under-twos get in free of charge. Family tickets are also available for £23, based on two adults and two children.

As the event is expected to be incredibly popular, people are advised to walk or use public transport to the Castle Grounds where possible. There are a number of car parks available in the Castle Grounds and throughout the town centre, but demand is expected to be high.

Motorists are reminded that any parking must be in accordance with prevailing traffic orders. Enforcement may be carried out by Staffordshire County Council officers for public safety and traffic flow purposes where vehicles are illegally parked.