Lancaster Unlocked Medieval Festival

Lancaster Unlock'd

Medieval Festival

Bank Holiday Weekend 27th to 30th May

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

There's wealth of entertainment to be had in Lancaster this weekend. Lancaster Unlocked, working hard to open up the city's hidden delights to visitors, and awaken re-discovery in its inhabitants, have pulled a hat-trick for the Bank Holiday.

Lancaster Cathedral kicks off with an illuminating programme ('scuse the pun: there'll be more) involving climbing spiral stairs

to view its impressive West Window, learning about medieval stained glass and hearing tales of the characters portrayed, colourful in more ways than one. (1-2pm Friday-Monday)

On Saturday, make your own manuscript sessions with beautiful script and sensational colours. (Saturday, 25pm, £3, pre-book) and for the evening swot up on medieval history, culture and trivia for the Medieval Quiz, parchment and quills provided, mead and medieval delicacies on sale. (7.30-11pm, pre-book a table)

www.lancastercathedral.org.uk

Balmoral Road 01524 384820

City Museum holds a veritable make-your-own Medfest with learn and design Coat of Arms on Saturday, build and Siege a Castle (please book) on Sunday and Make Medieval Money on Monday. Onomatapaeic, eh? You don't argue with someone who can spell onomatapaeic, even if they can't spell it right.

www.lancashire.gov.uk/museums

Market Square 01524 64637

King's Own Museum (upstairs) offers a right royal line-up in keeping with The Palatine: on Friday, 1-2pm, new pieces on show in King's Own Gallery, with talk, while on Saturday 1.30-4pm, meet a King's Own Soldier with tales to tell.

Guided Walk at the earlier time of 11am on Sunday includes stopping at a pub to buy lunch (what a good idea) in between On the Warpath tour of the city's military heritage

All events free, www.kingsownmuseum.plus.com

Market Square 01524 555619/64637

Right next door, Lancaster Library lends its beautifully renovated interior to past celebrations of the city's history. Do we know now what they knew then?

Market Square 01524 580700

www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries

Lancaster Maritime Museum gets off to a flying start with Art of Falconry. See, meet and discover these beautiful birds of prey and their expert handler. Saturday 11am-4pm

On Sunday, float your boat by model Coracle-Making (11am-1pm and 2-4pm, pre-book) and Medieval Map-Making on Monday (11am-1pm and 2-4pm, pre-book)

All events free, entrance charge to non-residents

Custom House, St George's Quay 01524 64637

www.lancashire.gov.uk/museums

Events at the Judge's Lodgings range from courtly to scary: be squire to a medieval knight in A Knight's Tale 12-4pm on Saturday, boil gruesomely with The Black Death on Sunday, and make Turrets and Treachery (well, crowns and hats actually) on Monday

All events free, entrance charge, no booking required.

www.lancashire.gov.uk/museums

Church St Lancaster 01524 32808

The Dukes make Medieval Puppets on Saturday11am-1pm, £6.50 and show The Sword in the Stone at 2pm, £3. Less tan a tenner to keep your child entertained all day. Sounds good to me.

A slightly more surreal Monty Python and The Holy Grail screens on Sunday at 8pm. Bring your own coconuts.

And in the evenings, Slightly Fat Features perform all manner of cheerful acrobatics

www.dukes-lancaster.org

Moor Lane 01524 598500

Lancaster Grand Theatre hosts the sublime to the scary on Saturday: at 2pm The Thursday Girls, that (often inadvertently) entertaining troupe of feisty females, present Lanterbury Tales complete with villain, knight in slightly dented armour and accompanying ribaldry. Hecklers welcome.

Spooky goings on for Saturday night! 10.30pm-3.30am

Dressing in character optional, spine-tingling obligatory, The Grand offers a midnight Medieval Paranormal Night in its famously haunted theatre. Free, book, bring a torch.

www.lancastergrand.co.uk

St Leonardgate 01524 64695

Central to the whole weekend, Saturday's Medieval Market in market square features stallholders in daft hats, colourful acrobatics and juggling from Slightly Fat Features (1.30pm and 3pm) and slightly tired feet from The Thursday Girls in Lanterbury Tales (12pm and sometime after 3, depending on liquid intake) Intermittent revelry is to be had as the girls unwind at John O' Gaunt

At Lancaster Castle a Tapestry of Music sings and plays medieval instruments during tours (£5) on Saturday and hosts After Dark's Medieval Murder Mystery on Sunday, 7.30, £14 with hotpot supper. On Monday, a return to sanity as Knights and Damsels School coaches the young in the arts of

maidenly deportment and skewering the foe on a bloody sword. I know which I'd like. On the Priory Green, free

Priory Church has guided tours at 2pm Saturday to Monday, please book, £4, Gregorian Chant to join on Saturday, £3, 3.30-5pm (just get into the habit) and a Choral Evensong on Sunday, 6.30pm

www.lancasterpriory.org

Castle Hill 01524 65338

St. John's Church is open Saturday to Monday, 10-4, with elegant Medieval Damsel in attendance and ribald medieval revelry from The Thursday Girls on their world tour of Lancaster, Saturday 1pm

Williamson Park tells Medieval Stories, family friendly, Monday 2.30 and 4pm free

On a hill, big, can't miss it.  01524 33318

www.lancaster.gov.uk/williamsonpark