Cooks Creek biennial medieval festival wraps up near Winnipeg
Posted July 26, 2026 5:31 pm.
Last Updated July 27, 2026 11:40 am.
Medieval enthusiasts gathered for a weekend full of larping, jousting and sword fighting at the biennial Cooks Creek Medieval festival.
“One of the most important things in life ya know. being out here in the community, with each other,” said festival attendee Scott Livingstone. “People being with other people. it’s the most important thing in life.”
Julian Kresz has come to the festival as a spectator many times. But this year, he’s the captain of Mace Company Manitoba which is making its Cooks Creek debut.
“It’s so cool ‘cause I remember when I was a kid and went to these things, seeing people in full armour and knights. It was inspiring and I was sitting there ya know nine, 10 years old looking and being like I want to be a knight, that’s so cool.”
Ultimately, for Kresz the festival is a third space away from home and work.
“It is somewhere people can be themselves and they can really let loose with their creativity and enjoy themselves with their passions and creative sides,” Kresz said.
Sunday’s event was jam-packed despite the sweltering hot weekend, with a yellow heat warning in effect and temperatures reaching the 30s.
“This heat, you’re getting tired just standing around in the gear right because you have half an inch to an inch of padding, you have all the steel armour on right,” Kresz said. “Everything I’m wearing is just reflecting heat right back to my body so it’s pretty crazy.”
The event was founded in 2004 when the Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church was in need of funds. Since then it has continued to snowball and help keep the lights on at the church and the grotto.
“I really think that belonging is incredibly important and so when you have a community and you find community, that’s really important and a lot of folks don’t even think of churches and religious organizations anymore, but that’s a pretty awesome one in our background here,” said Gary Senft, lead organizer of the festival.
