Celebrate the world’s most famous outlaw this summer in one of the UK’s best-known locations.
Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire has been home to the legend of Robin Hood since the Middle Ages.
Each year, the Forest, one of Europe’s few remaining ancient oak woodlands, hosts a festival dedicated to the tales and ballads which have spawned countless books, Hollywood movies and theatre performances.
The 37th Robin Hood Festival gets underway on 27th July with three days of outdoor movies, delivered by Adventure Cinema.
Among this year’s selection of films is Disney’s animated version of Robin Hood, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
The full programme and booking details are available at https://www.adventurecinema.co.uk/venues/sherwood-forest
Then it’s time to bring on the jousting with the return of the Knights of Nottingham. Their Medieval horseback jousting show made its Sherwood debut last year and wowed the crowds.
The spectacular Robin Hood-themed display will be performed twice daily from Friday 4th August – Sunday 6th August.
This part of Sherwood Forest is today managed by the UK’s largest conservation charity, the RSPB, and is within a protected national nature reserve.
On 12th and 13th August, the focus will turn to conservation and wildlife with a range of activities for connecting with nature.
A week later (19th and 20th August) however, it’ll be a case of stepping back in time once again to one of the most brutal eras of English History, the Wars of the Roses.
Three of the country’s leading late Medieval history re-enactment groups, the Ferrers Household, Sir John Savile’s Household and the Lord Thomas Stanley Retinue, will be recreating the battle techniques of the 15th Century knights, with combat displays and schools.
The assembled troops will then engage in what can only be described as a Tournament of Champions.
There is a special one-off action-packed stage performance of Robin Hood from the This Is My Theatre company, who make their first-ever appearance at Sherwood on Tuesday 22nd August.
Tickets can be purchased at https://www.visitsherwood.co.uk/event/robin-hood-play/
The Festival comes to a finale on the August Bank Holiday Weekend (26th-28th August) with the Nottinghamshire Day Festival, a celebration of the county’s culture and heritage.
The fabulous Sherwood Outlaws will be in the Forest arena all weekend, pitting Robin and his Merry Band in their eternal feud with the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchmen.
Across the Festival weekends there will also be an array of the event’s other popular entertainers, including the hilarious Medieval Maniax, and much more besides.
All the events are free (except cinema and theatre). Parking charges apply.
Full details are available at http://www.visitsherwood.co.uk/
General information
RSPB Sherwood Forest provides a great value day out for all the family, with miles of trails through the 400 acres of rare and ecologically important ancient oak habitat. It is connected to Budby South Forest, another RSPB reserve of over 400 acres, and one of the region’s largest areas of lowland heath.
Sherwood is home to some of the UK’s hardest to find species such as lesser spotted woodpeckers and Leisler’s bats, while Budby is visited each year by migratory birds including nightjars and woodlarks. Many rare invertebrates thrive in the Sherwood’s ancient and fascinating landscape.
Admission to the reserve is free, with a modest parking charge of just £5 per day for visitors (free for RSPB members).
Posted on 06 June 2023
