Medieval Festival At Fort Tryon Park In Wash Heights Canceled

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Every year since 1983, knights, jesters, farmers, wizards, warlocks, merchants, pirates, and other medieval characters have made the pilgrimage to Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights for the Medieval Festival.

Sadly, that pilgrimage won't occur in 2020, as organizers of the festivals recently announced.

The festival was scheduled for Oct. 4.

"This news is an extremely difficult one to share, but I am writing to let you know that we have made the heartbreaking decision to cancel the 36th Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park," wrote organizers of the event on the Washington Heights + Inwood Development Corporation website. "As much as we desperately want to go on as planned, we recognize that we must put the health and safety of our patrons, artists, performers, vendors and sponsors first."

The Medieval Festival was set to bring together an estimated 70,000 artists and visitors from 10 states and two countries.

The festival is produced in partnership with the New York City Parks Department and is held in the area surrounding the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

During the festival, the Upper Manhattan park is transformed into a medieval market town decorated with banners and flags and has performers and festival-goers dressed in medieval costume. Visitors stride their way through music, dance, magic, jugglers, and jesters, with the festival concluding in a jousting competition between four knights on horseback.

The Medieval Festival is also the primary fundraiser for the Washington Heights + Inwood Development Corporation, and the Upper Manhattan community group determined that it wouldn't be able to shoulder the projected financial burden from the drop in the festival's revenue and the increase in its expenses.

The corporation is hoping to announce a date for the Medieval Festival 2021 soon.