After a couple of years of trying I finally managed to make a short visit to Häme Medieval Faire (held at Hämeenlinna during last August). Since I have no recollection of visiting this event ever before (this might be false since I was born in Hämeenlinna) I had no expectations for the event. And it blew my mind.

I arrived to the premises with my son just at the right moment; a viking combat team called the Wolves of Faravid was just starting a combat show. It was blazing hot so I knew they would not last long. Little did I anticipate that after their show they would allow children to make war against them! My son was shy at first but joined the ranks of his fellow warriors to charge the vikings with a throwing axe. I was sweating with my t-shirt and the Wolves were in full combat outfit so I have to raise my hat for their efforts. They even fought an additional battle so that all children who wanted could participate.

We also visited Häme Castle next to which the event took place. I have been there more times than I can count but my son was really eager to find hidden passages and ask about things.

The last event we saw was the tournament by Rohan Staples. Even though their outfits were good the show was a little hard to follow (their sound systems were not that good) and as my son grew bored I saw little interest of insisting to see the big finale. I have no doubt it was good but it was simply too hot.

This whole faire was so big that we missed most of the events. Now that I know what to expect I think I’ll be informing my father that we are going to spend a weekend at his place the next time the Häme Medieval Faire takes place. For anyone interested in this kind of thing the faire is a must.