I’m attending Medeltidsveckan, the yearly medieval festival in Visby on the Swedish island Gotland in the Baltic Sea. This is my first visit and I’m trying to get my hold of this thing that I’ve heard people talk about with light in their eyes since I first moved to Sweden years ago.
People dressed out as peasants and pirates, monks and merchants, crusaders and ladies in long gowns. Playful reenactment from kids battling with latex swords to grown men and women charging down the arena with lances, chain mail, and colourful shields. Sponsored by local companies.
A bustling market filled with tents, smoke and crowds of sellers and buyers and curious guests like myself. Clothes for sewing your own dresses, ointments for applications as old as time. Musicians and artists showing off and practicing their art. Food stalls and wooden stages. Craftsmen and women with their tools and goods.
A gentle evening stroll along the sea front between groups of families and friends sharing food and songs as the sun fades into the sea.
A church choir procession singing vesper heading for the cathedral. Talks on esoteric topics in hotel conference rooms. Concerts in church ruins blending medieval tunes with modern pop culture.
All set in the scenic medieval town of Visby in a pleasant Scandinavian summer climate.
I had worried that the festival would be about authenticity and reenactment. Doing it right. But it’s not. Here is truly room also for anachronistic pirates, pointy ears and modern days convenience such as iPhones, ice cream and comfortable shoes.
The heart of the festival is an open and welcoming atmosphere that invites you to come and play and be yourself in great company.
We sat down at a table in an outdoor bar one evening. Live music, tasty drinks and happy guests. We shared the table with two other groups and soon struck up conversations. One were first time visitors as ourselves. The others were regulars, visiting first time 40 years ago and travelling through half of Sweden to get here.
A folk music band took the stage and opened karaoke night. Popular tunes with lyrics rewritten. One of them was the anthem of the festival. Everyone in the tent joining in, soon catching the lyrics of the chorus. “Seven days per year in Medieval Visby”.
When you put on your medieval outfit
There is no where from, why or who.
We may come from every corner of Sweden
But we have all found a home here in Visby.
That night I think I understood what this is all about. And why I need to find a way to come back next year.
