Let’s step back in time to a period far, far away… Just kidding! But I did get to pretend for a day at the Sydney Winterfest, a medieval festival for all history lovers, history curious, or those who just wanted to dress up and shop around. I’m not sure where I fit into those categories, maybe all of them! But I do know I had a great time for something I wouldn’t typically choose as a day out with friends. Let’s get into it!
Winterfest is an annual medieval fair celebrating all things historical, fantasy and cosplay. As well as market and food stalls, Winterfest also hosts a variety of shows and activities for all ages to enjoy a time before modern society. From historical re-enactments and impressive shows of medieval skill, to the more unrealistic fairytales in history like mermaids and unicorns, Winterfest has it all!
Now, for me and my friends, Sydney is a fair drive. Almost 2 hours to be exact. So when the GPS was taking us to a showground near a train station, RAAF runway and a race club… we were a little worried we had the wrong address. That was until we saw a bunch of people in chainmail, corsets, capes, and mushroom hats. So we were definitely in the right place. We hopped out of the car, and the first thing we saw as we walked through the gates was the horse and carriage! And then some very sweet and well-behaved medieval dogs. No, I don’t mean they’re over 600 years old, I’m talking about the breed of dog. These Norwegian Elkhounds were used as hunting dogs from as early as 5000 BCE in Norway, and sailed with the Vikings because of its amazing temperament and skills! Now that’s one interesting dog.
Of course, we couldn’t miss out on the equestrian shows, probably my favourite experience of the event! Knights would ride horseback while striking targets with a sword or lance, showing off these medieval skills to the crowd as if we were hurled back a few centuries for such a tournament. I loved watching the riders slicing fruit mid-air, and at one point, slicing a melon off of a “fool’s” head! We also saw musket and cannon displays of weapons from the 15th to 18th century, as well as combat displays (basically a bunch of people dressed up pretending to fight each other with fake weapons).
After fuelling up with some food, we went to see more of the magical and mythical fun! Honestly, I was a little disappointed they didn’t have a lot of medieval themed foods to choose from, but oh well. We were here for the fun, not the food. We had just missed the Birds of Prey show, but were still able to get up close to the wedge-tailed eagle and masked owl. My lord, eagles are bigger than you think! We also got to meet a real-life unicorn and mermaid! Just let me believe for one day, ok? Honestly, the way these people can create a fantasy atmosphere is amazing, I really felt like I was in a fairytale for the day!
Now, the markets! This probably took up most of our time, one because there were so many stalls, and two because we all love to spend unnecessary money. I couldn’t help myself from buying some homemade marshmallows and fudge, and neither could my friend apparently. And you just know when I go to any markets, I’m coming home with a stuffed animal… or two. This time it was a highland cow and a plague doctor. Then, to top it all off, I couldn’t leave without this adorable cauldron mug and some crystals I don’t yet have in my collection. I may need a bigger shelf for all my crystals…
I think one of the best parts of Winterfest was seeing how creative everyone was with their outfits! It’s nice to see everyone having fun with something so simple. Sadly, the day was over, and we had to haul our loot home. See you next year Winterfest 2026!
All photos in this post were taken by me.
The Travel Journal 
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