Messer Fest, York (2026)

11/06/2026

Last Instructor Announcement!

Jo York is one of those people who everyone thinks has been in HEMA forever and she falls so naturally into the art of teaching that few people realise it was only a couple of years ago that she taught at her first event. But that’s Jo through and through. She is a woman who will get an idea in her head and be determined to see it through. She’ll keep on fighting to do it, even if there are a few side quests along the way. If you’ve seen her wielding a poleaxe or a dagger, these are such side quests, but we all know she loves Messers really. Not only was she a vital part in the creation of a book dedicated solely to the art of Messer fencing, but she’s also the co-founder of MesserFest, so we wouldn’t all be coming together to bask in the glory of this fabulous weapon without her!

Jo was reluctant to take a teaching space at an event she helps to run, but I, her fellow host, totally insisted. I think there'd be an outcry from our attendees if I didn't put her on the timetable! Her class on Messer and Dagger last year was such a unique way of looking at such limited source material, it was loved by everyone. That being said, her vibes are so good I suspect people would enjoy any class taught by her, it’s just an added bonus they’re historically accurate and martially sound too.
I can’t wait for you to see what surprises she has in store for you all this year.

More details at : https://messerfest.co.uk/
Last few tickets remaining.
York - 11th & 12th July

07/06/2026

If our spectacular line up of instructors and guest speakers hasn't already inspired you to book for this year's MesserFest, then maybe this will be the news to finally stop your procrastination and make you sign up while there's still any places available.

We have an awesome opportunity for just two of our MesserFest attendees this year, a dive into the Royal Armouries collection with not one, but two of our brilliant MesserFest brains/craftsmen/uber-geeks/sword-smiths/lecturers - whatever you want to call them..... Dr Fabrice Cognot and James G Elmslie, Historical Cutler.

The two lucky attendees will get to join our Messer-making heroes in backroom access to the Royal Armouries' research collection, with Curator of European Edged Weapons, Iason Tzouriadis! All three will likely be in geek heaven about a select list of objects which will be drawn from the collection for study, and will be discussing the process of cataloguing and recording of such objects for reproduction. Current items on the list include Henry VIII's Messer! (Pictured here, courtesy of the Royal Armouries: https://royalarmouries.org/collection/object/object-120 )

As places are so limited, we will be picking the lucky two Messer fans via a silent auction, with all proceeds being donated to UNISEF. To enter the auction though, you have to be a MesserFest attendee. So if you haven't already booked your place, you better do it soon, or you'll miss your chance not only to come to the UK's biggest and best Messer event, but also on the opportunity for being a fly on the wall whilst three experts/professional super-geeks get to be up close and personal with some of the most beautiful, bladed, historical artifacts out there.

To book your place for MesserFest, and get more details about the silent auction, just go to https://messerfest.co.uk/details-and-booking/

03/06/2026

More instructors on announce!

We’ve had Dr. Fabrice Cognot in mind to feature at MesserFest since before MesserFest even existed!
We fell in love with Fabrice’s work when we picked up one of his war hammers and realised it was as wieldable as a Messer. Then we discovered that he made all manner of beautifully crafted weapons, including some absolutely stunning Messers! (Not surprising, given that his doctorate is all about making and using medieval weapons.) Obviously, it was a no-brainer that we just had to get him for Geek Corner, so he can educate and amaze you all with his knowledge and craftsmanship.

Imagine our delight then, when a few years ago we discovered that the man who makes beautiful Messers, also teaches classes on how to use them! So, as we’re dragging him all the way over from France so he can fill your minds with as much information his most geeky of phd’s can provide, we’ve convinced him to also teach a physical class so your bodies get the benefit too. We’re very excited for this one, he’ll be introducing you to the Cod. Ⅰ.6.4º.2 from Universitätsbibliothek Augsburg, specifically its section on fighting with the Long Knife. Although, he has warned he may be sneaking some Longsword into our Messer-only timetable, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and wait to see exactly what he’s planning before flipping the (probably) sword laden table in disgust.

Depending on plains, trains and automobiles, he may even be bringing some of his stunning work for you to view, handle, or even purchase for your very own. Although we’re not promising anything yet, border guards can be unpredictable with weapon-shaped shinies. But we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Last few tickets available: More at: https://messerfest.co.uk/
Join us in York, in July!

28/04/2026

Intructor announcement:

Where do we start with Lauren Ireland? Anyone who's met her will likely have heard her waxing lyrical about the wonder that is Messer. It's practically impossible to shut her up, even if she’s supposed to be teaching a class on something completely different (like the Suffragettes, they didn't even have swords, mostly, but that doesn't stop Lauren from sneaking some Leckuchner in anyway.) It's little wonder she ended up becoming one half of the duo that created MesserFest.

Lauren's passionate about the beauty and flow of a good Messer fight, but, like so many of us, cannot get enough of the ridiculous plays and ludicrous humiliations also possible when this magnificent weapon and the vast knowledge on how to wield it are combined. And nothing makes Lauren happier than seeing this all happening during the MesserFest minimal kit fechtschule. Lauren’s fondest memories of previous MesserFest's, are the countless ones she has of people laughing and smiling, as they excitedly skipped (literally in some cases!) from one arena to another. Crossing blades with someone they’d never met before, pulling off a fancy technique or bursting into fits of giggles because they were just killed in the most ridiculous, yet martially sound and historically accurate way. The skill and grace of the fencing on display, combined with the friendly and encouraging personas of everyone involved was exactly what Lauren had been hoping for. She still can't help grinning from ear to ear whenever she thinks of it. It certainly made all the effort she puts into helping create this event feel so worth it!

Therefore, it's no surprise that Lauren will be back teaching her introduction to minimal kit freeplay class this year, although we think she may have gone a bit OTT with some of the new ideas we’ve heard she’s going to be incorporating. We did not think providing a sound system for musical statues was going to be something we’d have to deal with when planning this year’s event!

Get tickets and find out what else we’ve got planned for 2 days of messer in York in July: More at: https://messerfest.co.uk/

25/04/2026

Our next instructor to announce is Dr. Lauren Stokeld!

There’s so much we could say about Lauren Stokeld, and none of it would be high enough praise! We firmly believe that Doktor “Evil” Lauren is a must have at any HEMA event. Even though it’s been many years since she’s wielded a blade, the things she teaches are vital for ensuring HEMA is the best it can possibly be and she can do it all in the most unorthodox, and entertaining way.

And this isn’t just our opinion because we know her personally and are astounded by her ability to produce witty puns at a moment's notice. This is pretty much unanimous and there’s evidence to support this. She’s been voted “Best Instructor” at HEMA events for her “Translation Tea Party” and “Zettling Down (With a nice Cup of Tea)” lectures and the feedback from last year’s MesserFest was that she was overwhelming the person most of you wanted back! She’s obviously doing something right, so how could we not get her again?

We are baffled every year at how fun and genuinely entertaining Doktor of Evilness Lauren can make something everyone would assume is a dry, academic subject. But The Aristocats, Brittany Spears and Popcorn (if you know, you know!) prove that anything can be used to teach translation and interpretation, and that it can be absolutely hilarious at the same time!
Doktor Lauren will be resident in Geek Corner all weekend, and has agreed to give us two officially time-tabled interactive lectures and, of course, her usual fun-sized activities to do solo or with friends whenever you have a spare minute.

More at: https://messerfest.co.uk/

20/04/2026

Our next instructor announcement is for someone we all need to thank, because he was the person who introduced one of MesserFest's founders to Messer so many years ago. Without that, who knows if MesserFest would even exist!

Chris Halpin is Halpin is renowned for his online battles of protecting the underdogs in HEMA, this not only includes minority groups of people, but also overlooked treatises and underappreciated weapons. Only someone with a heart so big, and a slightly warped sense of humour, would create an entire event for the most polarising weapon in HEMA and announce it on April Fools day. (SpadroonFest, seriously!?)

Luckily, we know Chris also has love and appreciation for what we all know is the best weapon, Messer, obvs! We will get the benefit of his vast knowledge not only during a taught class, (probably on some obscure part of Messer no one's ever heard of) but in Cutting Corner too. He'll be on hand all weekend, ready to give you tips and tricks on how to get the most out of a sharp blade, and also how to remain safe while doing so. We figured that part was probably important, and there's no one we'd trust our delightful, Messer-loving attendees with more.

There's still some tickets left! More details at https://messerfest.co.uk/details-and-booking/

03/04/2026

Time for another instructor announcement!

Kelly Anderton
We first met Kelly nearly a decade ago and of course we instantly bonded over our mutual love of Messer (as does every Messerist. You know you've all felt that sixth sense of "this is me people. Oh, of course they are, they're a Messerist!)
Kelly was relatively new to Messer then, but her passion was obvious and since that time her skills and knowledge have known no bounds, she even got a spontaneous round of applause at a recent tournament when she executed a Fechtbuch perfect counter to an arm wrap that Leckuchner himself would be proud of.

The context and history she puts into her lessons is exactly what we at MesserFest love, so we're so excited that we've finally got her to teach for us. We're positive you will all love her as much as we do.

Join us on July 11th & 12th, for 2 days of everything Messer at the fabulous Railway institute in York.

More details and tickets 👉 https://messerfest.co.uk/details-and-booking/

31/03/2026

Join us on July 11th & 12th, for 2 days of everything Messer at the fabulous Railway institute in York.

More details and tickets 👉 https://messerfest.co.uk/

We've announced our first 3 instructors:

James G Elmslie, Historical Cutler
Not only is he the man who created the Elmslie typology, but his blade smithing skills for recreating historical Messers, (and everything else that arguably are and aren't Messers) are epic and we're lucky enough that he's going to be bringing some down for you to handle. James will be residing in Geek Corner all weekend and will happily do Show & Tells and share all of his vast knowledge with anyone who approaches.

Diana Matthess
The first time we saw Diana teaching at an event we were blown away by her ethos and approach. Controlled, beautiful fencing, with trust and respect between training partners and a zeal for looking at the source material. It is everything we aim to embody with MesserFest, so when she agreed to come all the way over from Germany to teach for us this year we were absolutely thrilled.

Christoph Busche
This dude is legendary for his contagious enthusiasm for all things Messer, so it's no wonder he was overwhelmingly voted the most enjoyable person to cross blades with in our Fechtschule last year. We can't wait to see what delights he has in store for you all this year, but given that he has a hessian sack with him at all times (yes, he is that extreme) you can expect to have a smile as big as his the entire time.

23/03/2026

MesserFest wouldn't be complete without our resident expert on all things Messer, so of course we're dragging the awesome James G Elmslie, back again this year!

Not only is he the man who created the Elmslie typology, but his blade smithing skills for recreating historical Messers, (and everything else that arguably are and aren't Messers) are epic and we're lucky enough that he's going to be bringing some down for you to handle. We do request that you try not to drool on them though.

James will be residing in Geek Corner all weekend and will happily do Show & Tells and share all of his vast knowledge with anyone who approaches, we may even be able to tame him enough to get a formal PowerPoint lecture, but we're making no promises. James's mind is definitely his own and we're not worthy of trying to restrain it, so, even if we can't say exactly what you'll get from him, it'll be totally worth the ride!

More details and tickets 👉 https://messerfest.co.uk/details-and-booking/

14/03/2026

INSTRUCTOR ANNOUNCMENT!

Anyone who has ever met Christoph will know instantly why we had to have him at MesserFest.

This dude is legendary for his contagious enthusiasm for all things Messer, so it's no wonder he was overwhelmingly voted the most enjoyable person to cross blades with in our Fechtschule last year.

We can't wait to see what delights he has in store for you all this year, but given that he has a hessian sack with him at all times (yes, he is that extreme) you can expect to have a smile as big as his the entire time.

There's still some tickets still available: https://messerfest.co.uk/

Messer Fest

11/06/2026

07/06/2026

03/06/2026

28/04/2026

25/04/2026

20/04/2026

03/04/2026

31/03/2026

23/03/2026

14/03/2026

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