Australia’s real-life ‘Game Of Thrones’ is coming to Geelong featuring full-armoured jousting and a medieval tavern

Expect to see plenty of medieval spectacles 

The main draw of the Geelong Medieval Festival, naturally, is the jousting tournament. Fully-armoured professional horseback riders will enter the arena, adorned in chainmail, lances in hand, aiming for the kind of dramatic collisions you’d expect to see on Game of Thrones. Away from the horseback, the energy becomes rowdier with a Buhurt tournament, a medieval combat sport that looks as epic as it sounds. Professional fighters clad in head-to-toe armour will face off against one another wielding blunted steel weapons. It’s loud, chaotic and impossible to look away. 

Beyond the combat, the festival leans fully into the old-world atmosphere. Expect an Artisan Village, and market stalls lined with handcrafted wares, from leather goods and medieval trinkets to blades, bows, ale horns and accessories worthy of any wandering adventurer with coin to spend. 

Then comes the tavern appeal, which may tempt just as many patrons as the battlefield itself. Medieval Mead brewed by Maxwell Wines flows aplenty as you join in the cheers and merriment. Costumes are by no means required, but once cloaks, crowns and corsets begin appearing in the crowd, resisting the urge to dress up becomes far harder.

Whether you arrive for honour, an excuse to cosplay, or simply because watching armoured strangers collide sounds like an excellent way to spend a weekend, Geelong Showgrounds is preparing for two days of cheerful medieval chaos. Let the heralds make it known, this one deserves a spot on your calendar!