Top 10 Viking festivals and events for spring and summer 2026

With spring in full flow and summer on the horizon, The Viking Herald takes a look at the very best Viking festivals and events around the world. For anyone interested in the finest Viking craftsmanship, fierce battle recreations, Norse wares and warriors or even a spot of extreme metal, we have all the details below.

Ribe International Viking Market, Denmark, April 27 to May 3

The Ribe International Viking Market – already underway at the time of publication – is held at the Ribe Viking Center in Denmark. Visitors are transported back in time to the early years of Denmark’s oldest town and a riverside marketplace that sold goods from all over Europe and beyond.

Today too, you can look forward to a wide array of Viking Age goods made by expert craftsmen. There are also plenty of other activities, including warrior training, archery, coin-making and even a Viking playground. You can read the full details of the festival here.

Moorforge Craft Festival, England, May 2-4

If you’re on the hunt for an intimate event in an evocative setting, look no further than the Moorforge Craft Festival. Held at the Moorforge Viking Settlement in Cumbria, England, the festival hosts a number of skilled craftsmen who hold demonstrations of their skills throughout the weekend.

Visitors can also look forward to hot food and drinks and plenty of stalls full of Viking, medieval and folk-themed goods. On the Saturday night, Moorforge also hosts an intimate folk music night in association with Folk Cumbria at the site’s very own longhouse.

Flag bearers at Boyne. Source: Boyne Valley Viking Festival

Boyne Valley Viking Experience, Ireland, May 16-17

The largest medieval festival in Ireland, the Boyne Valley Viking Experience features more than 500 reenactors from around Ireland, Europe and beyond. Together, they provide combat demonstrations, sail long ships on the River Boyne and offer practical instruction on how to master an array of ancient Viking skills.

Set in the surroundings of the spectacular Slane Castle, the festival also features a Viking Age market with a wide range of craft goods and plenty of food and drink options. The highlight of the event, however, is undoubtedly the pitched battle as two rival groups fight for supremacy of the castle and its lands. The chance to sail Viking longboats on the river is also a huge favourite among the festival goers.

Rimmugýgur reenactors at the Hafnarfjörður Viking Festival. Source: Rimmugýgur

Hafnarfjörður Viking Festival, Iceland, June 13-18

The Hafnarfjörður Viking Festival is one of the largest festivals in Iceland, with up to 30,000 guests each year. Held in mid-June in the small town of Hafnarfjörður, the event is free to enter and features realistic combat demonstrations from the experienced Icelandic reenactment group, Rimmugýgur.

Other highlights of the festival include live music on period instruments, an authentic Viking Age feast and an archery contest. There is also plenty on offer for younger visitors, including combat training and arts and crafts activities. You can also watch out for the special pop-up events, where you can see Viking reenactors get into scrapes with the law and all kinds of other mischief.

Foteviken Viking Market, Malmo, June 27-28

The Foteviken Viking Market is held every June in the small town of Höllviken near Malmo, in Sweden. The event is hosted at the Foteviken Museum, an archaeological open-air museum that provides the perfect backdrop for the market.

For the weekend of the market, the organizers create a full-on Viking village, complete with tents, longhalls and traders’ huts. Typical activities include warrior training, guided tours of the museum and archery sessions.

As you would expect, the market itself offers a wide range of wares, including furs, silver, glass beads, and even weapons. There is also a Viking Age playground, an archeological treasure hunt, and battle reenactments throughout the weekend.

Frederikssund Vikingespil, June 19 to July 5

The Frederikssund Vikingespil is an outdoor Viking-themed theatrical performance held in the town of Frederikssund in eastern Denmark. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the first ever performance in 1951. The 2026 show, Skjold – Son of Odin, will narrate a dramatic tale of Norse mythology, power struggles and Viking lore.
The play is staged at the Vikingepladsen site in the town.

On June 20-21 you will also find a Viking market that celebrates the premiere of this year’s show. There you will find crafts,  food stalls, practical demonstrations of Viking skills and live music.

Demonstration of Holmgang at Midgardsblot. Source: Birgit Fostervold, own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=157091390

Midgardsblot, Borre, Norway, July 4-6

And now for something slightly different. Midgardsblot is an extreme metal and folk music festival held at the Midgard Viking Center in Borre, in southern Norway. The festival setting is authentically Viking – the area is built on a former Viking settlement, with the largest burial mound site in Northern Europe. There are also battle reenactments, lectures and panel discussions, and a Viking village and market.

But ultimately, people come for the music and the wide array of metal and folk bands. This year’s lineup includes The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Astralseid and Between Two Worlds. There is a range of accommodation options available in the town, though most people opt for the nearby campsite for the full festival experience.

Vikingadagar Market, Rosala, Finland, July 18-19

Vikingadagar is an excellent choice for anyone wishing to get away from it all this summer. The market is held on the island of Rosala in the Archipelago Sea in Southern Finland. Rosala was once frequented by the Vikings, and the Rosala Viking Center tells the history of this period throughout the year.

The center plays host to the Vikingadagar Market in mid July. Highlights of the event include concerts featuring Viking Age music and a Viking fashion show. There is also plenty of combat-related entertainment, with battle demonstrations and archery and axe-throwing lessons. 

Stage show at Tønsberg. Source: Tønsberg Viking Festival

Tønsberg Viking Festival, Tønsberg, Norway, August 7-10

Like many of the other events on this list, the setting for the Tønsberg Viking Festival is truly exceptional. Held on the waterfront of the historic city of Tønsberg, the festival offers market stalls, Viking Age craftsmanship and combat demonstrations.

There are also plenty of other events in and around the city. These include not only music, theater and dance, but also lectures and presentations from respected Viking Age historians and archaeologists.

And, as one might expect at a location close to where the famous Oseberg ship was unearthed, the Tønsberg Viking Festival also features a number of authentic Viking Age vessels in the harbor area.

Largs Viking Festival, August 30 to September 7

The perfect way to round off the summer, the Largs Viking Festival is held on the seafront of the Scottish town of Largs. The festival celebrates an event that actually falls outside the conventional end of the Viking Age – the Battle of Largs, where the kingdoms of Norway and Scotland clashed on the Firth of Clyde.

The festival, which has been held on an annual basis since 1980, pays tribute to this heritage. Throughout the nine-day festival, visitors will find a Viking village where they can learn about how the Norse lived in Scotland in the 13th century.

There is also a Scottish food and craft market, combat reenactments, demonstrations of cooking, weaponry and falconry, and live music throughout the festival. The true highlight, however, is surely the climactic event on the final Saturday, which features a torchlit parade in traditional costume and the burning of a Viking longship on the beachpa.
 

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