The battle lines are being drawn for a virtual Bosworth Medieval Festival this autumn.
Ricardians can still enjoy the sights and sounds of the family event, which usually takes place at the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, through an online version.
The web-based fun will include quizzes, historical information about the battle, craft and fancy dress competitions for children and living history videos narrated by characters caught up in the battle.
People are also being asked to send in their images of past festivals.
Councillor Richard Blunt, county council cabinet member for heritage, leisure and arts, said: “It was disappointing to cancel the actual festival but, clearly, all steps have to be taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“I’m delighted that we are able to stage the Bosworth Medieval Festival as a virtual event this year, giving visitors, re-enactors and traders the chance to take part in its online incarnation.”
The festival is always one of the highlights of the summer calendar, with lots on offer from battle re-enactments and living history encampments to displays of horsemanship, falconry and cannon fire.
Events will be posted online and on social media at the same time as they would usually take place at the festival site.
Highlights include a performance from Jester, The Fool Monty, who starts proceedings at 10am on the Saturday with a performance of magic tricks.
The annual rose-laying ceremony, which commemorates all those who lost their lives in the battle, will take place at 11am, to mark the 535th anniversary.
The ceremony will be led by the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow.
Staff at the Heritage Centre are also inviting people to post pictures and videos as they lay their own roses.
Visitors to the website and social media channels will be able to immerse themselves in the virtual festival with specially-recorded videos from re-enactors and traders.
Families can watch music, cooking demonstrations, a knight school and the Battle of Bosworth re-imagined as a war game by the Battlefields Trust.
There will be question and answer sessions with history authors Nathen Amin and Matthew Lewis, and there are plans for heritage centre staff to film their own contributions to a virtual re-enactment of the 1485 battle.
The Virtual Bosworth Medieval Festival 2020 will take place on the weekend of August 22 and 23, with a virtual launch to take place on August 16.
For more information about the festival, visit the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre’s website or its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels.
