Winter (fest) is Coming THIS WEEKEND!

If your case of con fever is still burning on the back of Sydney Supanova, you can always get your fix this weekend at WINTERFEST! Taking place this weekend (June 29th & 30th) at Parramatta Park, you'll be surrounded by fair maidens, knights, vikings, mead, birds of prey and other such awesomeness.

We had the chance to speak with Andrew, one of the events co-ordinators about what you can expect to find at this years WINTERFEST! Get your medieval on!

Hi Andrew, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. First of all, can you tell us who you are and what you do with Winterfest? 

Ryan hi, and thanks. In a nutshell, I'm one of the overall co-ordinators, as well as competitors in the Winterfest International Joust, so I'll be competing in the lists on the day. The day job is as a Stunt Performer in the Film & TV industry in Australia, where you'll have seen (or not seen) me in productions like Wolverine, Star Wars II and III, amongst others.

So what is it that separates Winterfest from other pop-culture conventions? 

I guess we are still along those lines, however the significant difference would be that the activities and displays on offer, and to become involved with are the genuine article, or as close as we can get! 

What kind of cool things will we see there? 

With the Arms and armour displays, there'll be plenty of hard hitting combat from the foot fighters, showing a variety of fighting styles and displays from the Viking age right through to the Medieval and Renaissance, there'll also be the merchants and stalls there selling all sorts of goods. The Birds of Prey display from Full Flight Conservation Centre is always a big hit, but the biggest highlight for me is the Jousting - real armour, real hits, and plenty of good solid action! 

Sometimes when people think of a medieval fair they think of live action role-players or LARPers. But that's not the bulk of it, is it? 

No, not at all, There are a great group of enthusiasts across the spectrum of medieval and historic studies, and with a lot of the skills, the most professional are those passionate about it. The best thing we are really seeing is the wholesome inclusion of Larpers and fantasy-esque enthusiasts in what we do, which is a great thing to see. 

I've met some full contact combatants and they're seriously bad-arse! Do you take part yourself? 

I will be for sure. Apart from being a Shihan within the Bujinkan display, a Japanese warfield Martial form, I'll also be in the joust, competing with some of the best in the International competition. 

What sort of injuries have you suffered? 

I think the worst was a cracked femur, in the 2010 Internationals in Taupo NZ, representing Australia in the Joust. We still won, and I still took out the Tournament Champion prize... 

So where and when is Winterfest and how do we get tickets? 

Winterfest is this coming weekend, at Parramatta Park, on Coleman Oval (Westmead side). Tickets are at the entry. 

Finally, are you a historic medieval fan or do you indulge in fantasy as well? 

No, I'm in the fold, Game of thrones is a fave at the mo, and I'm not sure what the wait-time is on the next book! I'm certainly looking forward to the continuation of the Hobbit films, and the release of the info on the Star wars plans following the announcements! 

Awesome! Thanks for your time and see you there! 

My pleasure, and looking forward to some home field support there! Thanks again!