The Battle Spectacular in the Land of Darkness is coming to York – with these bad boys
Vikings will be pitching their tents in York once again – as the Jorvik Viking Festival returns next month.
The nine days of Norse-themed celebrations are back to its traditional February dates, after it was postponed to May last year due to Covid concerns.
The festival this year will include displays, workshops, a Viking strongman competition and the iconic Viking procession through the city centre – as well as the Battle Spectacular in the Land of Darkness, which was originally planned for 2020.
Jorvik Viking Festival will take place from Saturday 11 to Sunday 19 February.
The man behind the Jorvik Viking Festival, Gareth Henry, said: “We planned our Battle Spectacular in the Land of Darkness back in 2019 for February 2020, but stormy weather resulted in the event being cancelled at the last minute.
“Covid stopped us hosting the event in 2021 and last year’s festival was moved to May, so we would have had to move the event to the middle of the night to get the darkness we need.
“We believe it will be worth the wait and look forward to welcoming crowds back – though anyone wanting to attend should get their tickets now, as we’ve already sold over half the ticket allocation!”
This year’s event will see activities taking place in more venues across the city centre.
Parliament Street will host the popular Living History encampment – a place to talk to Vikings about their trades and travels, and watch demonstrations of traditional crafts.
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A new arena will also be set up in St Helen’s Square, hosting storytelling, weaponry shows and demonstrations throughout the week.
For anyone not able to get into York, Jorvik Viking Festival’s online sister, That Jorvik Viking Thing, will take place again over the same week – with a host of pre-recorded and live content available to be screened across the globe.
To see the full programme and information on all of the events, visit the Jorvik Viking Festival website.