When we where approached to do a bonfire night event we where more than excited for it, but when the Lock and Quay said they had an actual boat ( that had been used for many years as a seating area but was a bit past its best) to use for a boat burning. Well, how could we say anything but… YES.
When we arrived on the Sunday morning and saw how well the boat had been decorated we where more than impressed, and excited for the festivities later that night. We had a full day of talking to all the attendees about the Viking crafts and displays we had brought along with some amazing questions and people having a go.
As we got closer to the evening we staged a combat display where one of our brave warriors, Bjorn dwarf killer, ‘died’, …so now we knew who was going on the boat!
As darkness fell the attendees gathered at the boat ready for the big event, Bjorn was carried to his final resting place by his shield brothers (including his recently arrived twin brother ….) in a torch lit procession, his shield brothers placed him on the boat in a gentle and loving way (we believe the phrase used now is.. yeeted ).
Our two skilled archers then loosed their arrows at the boat, and the attendees threw their torches on the boat and everyone watched the spectacular boat go up in flames. This was followed by some spectacular fire fireworks, it was definitely an event to remember.
We have had several enquiries asking if the group are involved in The Wirral Viking Festival taking place at Leasowe Castle in May 2024.
Whilst Wirral Vikings are not involved in the event, we hope it’s a great one and wish the organisers and those taking part the best of luck in making it a success. Wirral has some fantastic Viking and Saxon history associated with it and any event that promotes it is a win for the area.
We do have several events throughout the year on the Wirral and surrounding areas and details of these can be found on our events page https://wirralvikings.org.uk/pages/events/
Through talks & lectures, experimental archaeology and reenactment, the amazing Hiberno Norse history of this peninsulas past has been brought vividly to life. As a research driven organisation we strive to give an authentic view of our past that accurately reflects the latest archaeological finds and theories rather than the myth and fantasy of tv & film.
We aim to make history entertaining and accessible to all age groups and abilities.
Our drive is to offer research based, authentic and engaging educational displays for all ages and abilities, working with local authorities, museums, schools and other organisations. We pride ourselves on the quality of our research which has been highlighted by academics as exemplar and we are proud that we will only display items that we can prove existed with well researched facts.
We constantly re-evaluate against the latest archaeological finds, debating conflicting interpretations and experimenting with researched techniques offering the best representation of the past that we possibly can.
if you would like to know more or are interested in joining us please contact us
I think its fair to say that was a good show. The weather held and an estimated 9,000 visitors over the two days came to see the 2nd Upton Viking Festival.
Combat displays, various crafting activities and what seemed like endless Kiddie Vike filled the days all resulting in sunburnt, battered bruised but yet happy Vikings, Saxons and the odd Norman.
If you missed us at Upton we are at Claremont Farm this coming weekend.
Looking forward to next years event.