Event - Middel-Erde 2022 (Avelgem)
Let's get the most important remark out of the way first: this was an extremely tiny event and probably not your cup of tea.
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But then again: you might be into LARP (GN in French) and into heroic fantasy, D&D, sword and sorcery, Medieval torture-machines, elves, leather armour, or ancient viking mythology,.. In that case you missed some fun.
Personally I don't know if this event has a long history, I had never heard of it before. Yet its premise: "a LARP camp in the style of a Medieval settlement" seemed interesting enough to drive to the far & exotic Avelgem.
A huge free parking, plenty of toilets spread over the entire campsite, pancakes, mead and other booze for democratic prices (2€ for a softdrink, good cava and free tab water), good weather, a very moody castle, archery, more mead, some artists & vendors for fantasy/LARP-items (got myself a cool Cthulhu doorhanger from Haurora Lavendel), a flea circus & games for the kids, LARP-battles, a large castle domain, a friendly crew, singing LARPers, and.. and: a flamesword fight with Odin himself. You may take crash & burn literally.
Enough to spend an afternoon between socializing with friends and some drinks in between those fights & songs left and right of the lounge area. Making some pictures of the seemingly always joyful LARP-characters & the costumed visitors was a bonus.
Would that be enough for an event? In the case of an event with an entry fee of 13€ à 35€ my answer would be Hell no. Luckily not all events are conceived to make money for some huge corporate machine. Entry: 5€ and free entry for kids, costumed visitors and for all photographers (wish I had found that info before pre-ordering tickets). If you want to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends this is a fun alternative instead of seething them in your garden or in a pub.
Let us see how this event grows & evolves because it has potential.
Photos are all on Flickr as usual and updates for the next events will be announced on Facebook
A video of the singing LARPers is on Clapper & on Instagram
Some more samples:
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Namaste
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