By Tara Linderborg-Cordry

Medieval Festival of Courage brings students, locals and artists alike to travel back to the Medieval Ages. Oct. 2nd and 3rd, 2026 marked the 24th year that the event brought community members together to celebrate art, food, culture and of course, courage. The festival is organized by the Coastal Grove Charter School Parent Organization to raise money for Coastal Grove and other Humboldt County schools. There was something for everyone, from children’s games or a boffer pitt, to revelry and a bar for the adults. 

Many attendees took the opportunity to show off their best medieval garb — dressing as their favorite medieval and fantastical characters. Dressed in their own costume of a brocaded vest and headpiece, Phoebe Hughes appreciated the creativity and work involved in creating a good costume.

“I love seeing the creative way people take their own personal spin on what medieval means,” Hughes said. “It says, arguably, more about the person than anything that they could tell you.” 

A diverse craft market featured vendors coming from all over Humboldt County to showcase their work. An assortment of on-theme goods and foodstuffs were available for browsing or buying. Medieval costume pieces like handmade corsets or prop swords could be found, for people to add on to their costumes or buy one on the fly. Vendors were in on the fun as well, with many choosing to decorate their booths to further the immersive experience. Attendee Elise Edell, who donned a fifth century style gown, found that the vendors helped to bring the event to life. 

“I love the roleplay aspects,” Edell said. “Especially the vendors will get really into it, which is really cute.”

Local dance groups, puppet shows, musical performances and many more acts, brought the festival to another level. Music act Celtica Nova drew a large crowd, including a separate crowd of people dancing arm in arm near the front of the stage. Bagpipes and electric guitar joined to create a unique blend of celtic music and classic rock.

 Later in the day, aerial silks artists displayed impressive acrobatics and shows of strength throughout their performances — including drops and torpedo-like spins. The performers had costumes of their own, featuring sparkly makeup and patterned leotards.

Drawing the biggest crowd overall was a full contact jousting group.  the Imperial Knights. People filed in, eager to cheer for their knights, as two fully armored men and their equally impressive horses rode into the arena. Both sides of the crowd became increasingly riled up as the Knights began their full contact jousting show. The two mounted riders charged at each other, javelins in hand as they attempted to hit the other’s shield plate. 

 The joust came to a conclusion when both knights dismounted their steeds and engaged in a full-force mock sword fight. A mock decapitation from Sir Russell brought Sir Kaiser to his knees and the sword fight to an end. Sir Russell emerged victorious as the crowd greeted their champion.

Tara Linderborg-Cordry is a Journalism student and reporter with the Lumberjack. She is a Humboldt local, and is pursuing a career in Public relations. When she’s not writing, she’s usually at the beach with her dog, Murphy.