04/04/2022 On Easter weekend, Monforte resumes its Medieval Fair after two years of absence due to the pandemic. The city dresses up in the Middle Ages and for two days, monfortines and visitors walk the streets and squares of the city participating in the different activities.
Monforte thus commemorates one of the periods of greatest splendor of the city, which is shown by the Castle of San Vicente with its Homage Tower commanding the Valley of Lemos.
The Monforte Medieval Fair is an essential event to enjoy Holy Week in the Ribeira Sacra. Monforte City Council has spent years devoting effort and attention to this event that it wants to turn into a Festival of Tourist Interest and that year after year expands its recreational and leisure proposals.
Craft and gastronomy stalls decorate the streets and squares, with shows of falconry, fire juggling, archery, musical performances, tournaments, horse riding... The entire city becomes a period setting, highlighting as main scenarios the Plaza de España where the Medieval Camp is installed, the atrium of La Régoa and the streets of the old town with its stalls and decorated balconies or the surroundings of the Piarists where the Medieval Fairs take place.
Everything invites you to take a trip to the past and makes Monforte a medieval city worth visiting and enjoying. The program of the events is as follows:
- 10:00 a.m a 09:00 p.m (days 16th and 17th) MEDIEVAL MARKET, medieval stalls – streets and Plaza de Abastos.
- STREET PERFORMANCES (days 16th and 17th)
- MEDIEVAL CAMP (days 16th and 17th) in the Plaza de España from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: medieval shops and pavilions, exhibition of gunsmiths with weapons of different styles, helmets, military panoplies, civil clothing and medieval utensils, custody of the Camp and Patrol Rounds for the fair, carrying out marches among the people for their military training.
- MEDIEVAL DEMONSTRATION AND PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOPS (day 16th) 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. / Manufacture of Chainmail / Textile work, manufacture of historical clothing / Scriptorium –writing and illustration techniques on parchment / Exhibition of craft trades –Forging of weapons and utensils, wood carving.
- MILITARY TRAINING / FENCING PRACTICES / SHIELDS WALL (16th and 17th) 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- EXHIBITION AND SHOW OF BIRDS OF PREY - FALCONRY (16th and 17th) with the group "Halconeros de Castilla". 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. / Plaza de San Antonio. With flight shows at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
- MEDIEVAL CHILDREN'S CAMP (16th and 17th) in Santa Clara Street -Plaza de las Madres Clarisas. 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. With children's games and attractions: medieval tournament, pendulum, ball eater, archery, stilts, Ferris wheel, boat, carousel and medieval drumstick...
- POULTRY EXHIBITION SAMPLE (16th and 17th) -breeds of birds- of the group "Artisan Poultry Farmers of the Ribeira Sacra". 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., in the square that overlooks Ricardo Quiroga, do Burato and Pescaderías streets
- ARCHERY PRACTICES (16th and 17th) in the Régoa atrium, with the Arco Lemos archery club from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- 12:00h (16th) in Plaza de España, the Malatich group will report on what happened this weekend. Then there will be the salute of the mayor that will end with a salvo of artillery with a replica of a 14th century bombardment.
- 1:30 p.m. (17th) Parade of knights, squires and soldiers from the GREAT MEDIEVAL TOURNAMENT and the medieval music group Himnodium through the streets and squares of the Fair.
- 1:30 p.m. Medieval Lunch at the Counts Palace –Monforte de Lemos National Parador (16th and 17th) Book in advance. (Information and reservations 982 418 484 monforte@parador.es).
- 4:30 p.m. (16th) Parade of knights, squires and soldiers from the GREAT MEDIEVAL TOURNAMENT and the medieval music group Himnodium through the streets and squares of the Fair.
- 4:30 p.m. (16th) Concentration in the Plaza España of the participants in the IX Medieval Costume Contest and evaluation of the jury on the stage of the Fair with the Appointment of Ladies and Gentlemen of the Mesnadas del Cabe by the very and Loyal and Noble Order of the Knights of the Way.
- 5:30 p.m. (16th) Awards ceremony for the IX Medieval Costume Contest, the VI Balcony Decoration Contest and the VII Commercial and Hotel Establishment Decoration Contest on the Fair stand in Plaza España.
- 6:00 p.m. (16th and 17th) VI MEDIEVAL JUSTAS, The knights, squires and soldiers of Hípica Celta will hold a -GREAT MEDIEVAL TOURNAMENT on the dirt field of Colegio PP. Piarists.
- 8:00 p.m. (16th and 17th) Parade of the GREAT DRAGON together with the group Himnodium through the streets of the fair from the Plaza de España.
- 8:15 p.m. (16th) ERRANTES show by the Troula company. Beings out of the deepest darkness of time will take us on an eternal pilgrimage transporting in their car the greatest of their dementias, The Orlock, from the Plaza de España and through the streets of the fair.
- 20:30 (16th) Representation of Our Fairies, an acrobatic and static show by the Specialists Hípica Celta company, will animate this medieval afternoon in Plaza España.
- 8:30 p.m. (16th and 17th) Medieval Dinner at the Counts Palace – Monforte de Lemos National Parador – Book in advance. (Information and reservations 982 418 484 monforte@parador.es).
- 9:00 pm (16th) Ascent from the Plaza de España to the Parador to the rhythm of drums with the medieval music groups Malatich and Grimorium, together with the batucada Tabaleiros.
- 9:30 p.m. (16th) In Luis de Góngora square, SUAREN BATALLA show, a show that combines fire manipulation techniques, live music, acrobatics, magic and cold pyrotechnics, resulting in a mysterious and exciting world as that of the goblins and the magicians.
- 10:15 p.m. (16th) Plaza Luis de Góngora LANTERNS will be released that will fill the Monforte sky with light on this night back to the Middle Ages.
- MEDIEVAL MENUS in different establishments in the city – Association of hostelry of Monforte de Lemos.
Exhibition: Monforte Medieval-Homage Tower. Morning: 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. / Afternoon: 4:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Information Points: Municipal Tourist Office (rúa Comercio 6) and Pavilion of the Medieval Fair (Plaza de España).
Video of the medieval fair presentation 2022
