Viking Festival
Held every February in York, this weeklong commemoration of the conquest of England by the Great Viking Army in 866 (only the British would hold a festival celebrating a losing battle) has more than 60 events, including a longship regatta. In addition, a Viking Games competition culminates in a battle reenactment featuring hundreds of combatants, and the invading Norsemen confront the Anglo-Saxon defenders using real (!) weapons. There are workshops for kids ranging from Viking-era crafts to fighting skills like archery and swordplay, as well as historical lectures, a banquet, and a Best Beard competition. It ends with a Norse mythology-themed son-et-lumière display.
