Cloisters: Public Activities

Cloisters Demo: Join Us | For The Public | For Participants | By Transit | By Car

The 2022 festival was a rousing success — and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

The Society of Creative Anachronism will host a medieval village on the south lawn re-creating many aspects of life from the end of classical antiquity through the renaissance. 

Learn how you can join our society, master these skills, and immerse yourself in living history, so you can experience “the middle ages as they should have been.”

Fine Arts & Practical Crafts

Visit throughout the day for ongoing displays of fine arts and practical crafts, including calligraphy and illumination, spinning and embroidery, tailoring and leatherwork, glass and metal-smithing, weapons and armor.

Fighting Arenas

Armored fighters protected by steel and leather fight brutal battles with heavy weapons, while fencers engage in rapier duels that are more elegant, but just as deadly. Or let your own youngsters try some target practice with our foam-padded swords and spears!

11:30 Youth Sword Target Practice
12:00 Armored Combat Exhibition
1:00 Fencing Exhibition
2:30 Armored Combat Championship
11:30 Youth Sword Target Practice
3:30 Fencing Championship

Performance & Pageantry

Get an up-close look at the music and dance, clothing and ceremony of the middle ages.

12:00 Musical Performances
1:30 Renaissance Dance
2:00 Musical Performance
2:30 Historical Fashion Show
3:00 Musical Performance
3:30 Renaissance Dance
4:00 Musical Performance
5:00 Viceregents’ Provincial Court