There are parts of rural Manitoba that feel like you’ve travelled back in time, but an event this weekend in Cooks Creek is taking that notion to the extreme.
The Cooks Creek Medieval Festival is back for the first time in six years, after a hiatus imposed by COVID-19 pandemic conditions.
“We started it in 2004 and we have it every two years, but because of COVID, the last one we had was 2018,” the festival’s Scott Chabluk told 680 CJOB’s The Start.
“(In) 2020 (it) was clearly cancelled, 2022 same thing. We were just kind of crawling out of it and people were still a little bit sketchy about large public gatherings, but this year we decided full steam ahead.”
The festival, which takes place at the Immaculate Conception Church and grotto in Cooks Creek, 30 minutes northeast of Winnipeg, features period-accurate jousting, heavy armour battles, a medieval feast, highland games, and more.
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“You name it: if it’s medieval, it’s there,” Chabluk said.
“The grotto is designed like a medieval castle, so if you’re there and you see it, you say, ‘Well, of course they would have a medieval festival here.'”
While most of the entertainment at the festival is just for fun, the real-life jousting competition is taken very seriously, with the festival officially recognized as a stop on the international jousting circuit.
“The jousting is very similar to NASCAR, where they have different events throughout the world and they amass points for each one,” Chabluk said.
Another popular part of the weekend’s festivities is the feast, which Chabluk said sold out all 450 tickets in 11 or 12 minutes. Along with medieval-style smoked pork, onion and ale soup, fresh sourdough bread, and other delicacies, the feast has one major difference from contemporary meals: you have to eat with your hands — or else.
“We do have a stockade there, so if we catch you smuggling in your own utensils, you’re going to pay the price.”
More information is available on the cookscreekmedievalfest.ca website.