Johannesburg winters can be very dry, and very cold once the sun goes down, but the days are gloriously warm and sunny, making them ideal for a family outing, and maybe even a jaunt through time. This past Saturday, 7 June, Joburgers travelled back several centuries (and to Krugersdorp on the West Rand) for the annual JHB Medieval Fayre – hosted for the third year in a row at Greensleeves Medieval Kingdom.
JHB Medieval Fayre is the flagship event of event organisers Alter Egos, and it’s certainly the most popular – as indicated by the food and drink queues at peak times. It’s a packed day, especially if you make an effort to sample everything on the schedule, which includes mounted archery demonstrations, hobby horse jousting, drop-in DnD role-playing sessions, ballista building, pitched running battles (with padded weapons), a tavern quiz, plus puppet, magic and improv shows in the atmospheric forest theatre.
And these were simply the timestamped attractions. All day you could try your hand at spear throwing, sword fighting, axe chucking and archery; pelt people in the pillory with tomatoes; run around completing Ye Knight’s Quest to be eligible for prizes; or simply stroll through a tented market full of hand-crafted wares, including traditional leatherworking and blacksmithed goods.
On the sustenance side, meanwhile, there were period appropriate food options like giant smoked drumsticks and bread bowls of chicken stew (relabelled pigeon potage). Craft beers, ciders and meads, which you don’t typically see at other market-style events, were also readily available.
JHB Medieval Fayre has a “come as you are” attitude, welcoming people and well-behaved pets of all types. That said, you’re encouraged to dress up, even if you just take advantage of the on-site costume hire. Spotted on the day were everything from knights and maidens fair to figures of fantasy like elves, mages, rogues and fairies, along with several dragons (AKA dogs in disguise). Characters from pop culture popped up too, like Gandalf, Jon Snow and Geralt, while also roaming about were Vikings, Samurai and furries braving the heat.
Most of the dress-up was for fun, but these events always have a costume contest, with three qualifying rounds leading to the final. This year, Slayer was on board as a primary prize sponsor, rewarding the winner – who in this case had made her own armour – with R2,000 in addition to a hamper assembled from vendor wares and other event partners. The two runners-up received loads of goodies too.
The next major Alter Egos event is A Viking Thing, coming up on 1 November at the closer Rusty Hooks in Honeydew. Here’s our coverage of the 2023 event (it cycles around every two years, swapping timeslots with Discworld Day), if you want an early taste of what to expect. Think Medieval Fayre but more rugged and a little darker, in keeping with the Dark Ages Scandinavia theme. It’s no less fun, though.
And between then and now, keep an eye on the Alter Egos events line-up, which includes regular alternate markets, music events and more.
Finally, here’s a gallery of images from Medieval Fayre 2025, while you can find more snaps on the event’s Facebook page here.
