Here's an advance warning fanfare that Ibiza's fantastic medieval festival is due to take place once again, starting on Thursday 7th May until Sunday 10th May 2015. There isn't a detailed programme of events yet but it's likely that the pattern of the last few years will be followed; an opening ceremony on the Thursday evening followed by a full on three days of markets, entertainment and feasting.
The medfest was first held to mark Ibiza gaining World Heritage City status in 1999, when in those heady times, we all got a day off work on a public holiday declared to celebrate this! Sadly, of the two great ideas, the public holiday went out of the window, but the festival has been held every year since.
Growing in size and scale every year, it now attracts over 120,000 people and is a firm fixture on the Ibiza calendar. Luckily for us, Spain has a long tradition and an enormous industry built around recreating the middle ages, with fairs and festivals all around the country providing a living for groups of musicians, performers and marketeers.
The rich cultural history of Spain, different to the rest of Europe because of nearly 800 years of occupation by the Moors adds to the fascination. Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in harmony (apart from the grinding, bloody campaign of reconquest) in some of the world's most advanced cities, and you'll see examples of these cultures at the Ibiza festival.
Sure to be on show this year are; around 200 stalls selling soaps, spices, jewellery, trinkets, toys, leather goods and woven baskets; snake charmers, acrobats, musicians, falconry, clowns, belly dancers and much, much more. Food will be everywhere with sweet pastries, the humble kebab, giant legs of pork and lot and lots of beer (both thanks to the Christian reconquest.) oh and Arabic 'chai' sold by men in striped dishdashas in striped tents!
In short, it's a massive celebration of all the best things about the multicultural, gastronomic, consumerist middle ages in Ibiza and the best thing about it is that it's completely FREE, leaving you loads of Dinars in your pouch to spend on nice things. See you all there?
