The Vikings Are Coming at Stafford Castle

The Vikings Are Coming returns to Stafford Castle for a weekend of living history, battle displays and family activities on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August 2026. A Viking camp will be set up at the castle, with a rival Saxon camp in the woodland, before both sides march into the Inner Bailey for battle displays at 11am and 3pm each day.

Visitors will be able to explore the camps, meet reenactors and learn more about life during the Viking period, with talks, weapon demonstrations, arms and armour displays, weaving, cooking and traditional games including Kubb and Nine Men’s Morris. There will also be axe throwing, archery, javelin throwing, coin minting, Kiddie-Vike activities, face painting, wound painting, birds of prey and food stalls, although not all activities are free.

A children’s Make a Mini Viking Longboat workshop will also run inside the Visitor Centre from 11am to 3.15pm on both days. Children can design and make their own wooden Viking longboat to take home, using runes and Viking-style patterns as inspiration.

Booking information

Admission to The Vikings Are Coming is free. Parking at Stafford Castle costs £5 for cars and £3 for motorbikes, with payment by cash only. Pedestrians and people arriving by bicycle can enter free of charge, and free alternative parking will also be available at King Edward VI High School. The children’s longboat workshop costs £5 per child and is drop-in, with no advance booking needed.

View our news article here: Vikings returning to Stafford Castle in August 2026