The streets of Sheringham will echo with the battle cries of an army of torch-carrying Norse warriors on February 23 2019, when the sixth annual Scira Viking Festival kicks off with axe-throwing and combat demonstrations by two Norfolk re-enactment groups.
A team of Sheringham Museum volunteers and carnival committee members have put together a packed programme of events for this year; youngsters and their parents will have a chance to design Viking shields and amulets, print a tee shirt or tote bag, and find out about Norse legends and the myth of the Viking god Thor and his magical hammer Mjolnir.
Sheringham Museum will be hosting a series of presentations by Greta Lynggaard, from Denmark, who will be demonstrating the art of spinning Viking-style wool from rare wild musk oxen.
New this year for the main Festival day is a Viking living history village on the Leas clifftop gardens and an afternoon family parade through the town, with prizes handed out for best costumes.
Flame torches will be added for the evening finale; a procession led by re-enactors will make its way to the seafront for the ceremonial burning of a 28ft Viking longboat on the beach below the Leas .
Last year’s Sheringham Scira Viking Festival attracted more than 3,000 people from as far afield as Yorkshire Leicester, and organizers are expecting a similar attendance this year.
