Uptown's Annual Medieval Festival Needs Volunteers

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — The grounds of Fort Tryon Park are transformed into a full-blown Medieval village each fall, complete with a marketplace and tournament ground, and it takes a lot of help to organize.

The festival's organizers, the Washington Heights & Inwood Development Corporation, are currently looking for dozens of people to volunteer to help put on this year's event on the festival's 35th anniversary. This year's Medieval festival will be held on Sunday, Sept. 29.

Help is needed with the following tasks:

• Parking attendants (starting at 7 a.m.);
• Tent setup (6:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.);
• Tent breakdown (6 p.m. -8 p.m.);
• Information booth (shifts from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.);
• Hay drop offs (7 a.m. - 9 a.m.);
• Booth decorators (starting at 9 a.m.);
• Costume Tent (shifts starting at 8:30 a.m.).

Each year the festival attracts thousands of visitors to partake in entertainment such as authentic medieval music and dancing, jester performances, falconry demonstrations and magic shows. The immersive experience also features professions "re-creators" dressed in period garb who interact with guests. Many guests also dress up in their best Medieval outfits. The day is generally capped off with a jousting tournament.

The festival is one of the longest-running annual outdoor events in New York City and is unique to Upper Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park. The event is held in the park due to its close proximity to the Cloisters, which showcases the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of Medieval artworks.

People can reach out to the Washington Heights & Inwood Development Corporation by emailing volunteer@whidc.org to offer their services as volunteers.