Wimbledon Village Fair To Stage Medieval Jousting
Organisers expect more than 35,000 people to attend annual event
Wimbledon Guild, the organisers of the annual Village Fair, are holding a medieval jousting contest as the main attraction to this summer's fundraiser on the Common.
Expert horsemen from The Knights of Middle England - a team of horsemen, jousters, stunt riders and actors who bring the sport of jousting full tilt into the 21st Century - will fight it out in front of an expected crowd of more than 35,000 on Saturday June 18.
The Fair is held each year to raise funds for local social welfare charity Wimbledon Guild who work across Merton to improve people's lives.
The Knights of Middle England is a team of horsemen, jousters, stunt riders and actors who bring the much fabled sport of jousting full tilt into the 21st Century.
Wimbledon Guild Head of Fundraising, Fiona Healey-hutchinson said: “The Knights of Middle England jousting displays are fast, furious and fabulous displays of horsemanship. We can't wait to see them in action. We’ll even be selling toy swords and shields so that children can become mini-knights for the day and cheer on their favourite competitors.
“This is a fantastic family day out and we look forward to seeing everyone coming out to enjoy it and help us raise funds to support our work.
“We're excited to be able to bring this incredible spectacle to the Common for the Fair.”
A spokesman for the Knights added: "We love to involve the crowd in every show we perform by pulling out members of the audience to partake in the show. It is a high speed action show topped with a soundtrack of both medieval and modern day music that will quite simply rock the Common."
Each year Wimbledon Guild pulls out all the stops to organise the huge event which has become one of London's biggest free outdoors events.
And for the first time, Wimbledon Guild is offering families the chance to save money on the children’s attractions by buying Fair Golden Tokens before the event, through an exclusive six-for-the-price-of-five online offer.
Attractions this year include two amazing food villages, a farmers’ market offering the best in local artisan produce, a shopping zone, with more than 200 stalls showcasing handcrafted and locally sourced goods, and live music from the main stage and jazz tent.
Adrenaline junkies can get stuck into challenges including a climbing wall, laser tag and water zorbing in the Adventure Village while the large soft play area in the Children’s Zone will keep the little ones happy. Young sports fans can try their hand at tennis, rugby and football.
It will also include The Super Yummies Discovery Playground - a pop-up play space tailored for toddlers allowing them to create adventures of their own making, while discovering how much fun they can have with real fruit and vegetables, which can be found in The Super Yummies toddler snacks. Activities within the colourful play space encourage children to have adventures with healthy foods.
The fair wouldn’t be complete without fun Waggy Wimbledon dog show and dog games plus visitors can also meet birds of prey from the Hawking Centre and small animals from Deen City Farm.
Click here for the pre-paid money-off offer or to enter Waggy Wimbledon: www.wimbledonguildvillagefair.org.uk
Wimbledon Guild was established in 1907 and works throughout Merton, providing practical help for people in crisis, hardship grants, talking therapy, befriending and activities for older people.
Entry to the Wimbledon Village Fair is free and the event takes place at Wimbledon Common, Southside, from 10.30am to 5pm, on Saturday, June 18. For more information visit wimbledonguildvillagefair.org.uk or follow #wgvillagefair on Twitter @wguild.
May 25, 2016