Activities

This Year we have 2 opportunities to display your A&S wonders: The traditional Birka A&S display and a New Baronial Champion’s Challenge. There will also be consults available for those who wish to partake.
Click here for more details

Come join our bardic circle in song, performance or presence. It will be a come as you are and perform or pass. All ages and all skill levels welcome. Rounds welcome if you have them.

The Birka Balle returns!

Join Mickel and Camille, followers of the muse Terpsichore, as they lead a merry evening of European Renaissance dancing. Almayns, bransles, Italian balli, English country dances, easier dances and more involved dances; a little something for everyone. 

PLEASE NOTE: there will be no formal dance instruction during the Balle, though there will be moments of quick review between dances

Dance List:

“Drumroll please! 

Her Majesty’s Challenge for the Birka 2024 fashion show will be- Off the Page: Marginalia and Illumination!
Click here for more information

Fencing at Birka this year will again be held in the Armory and will consist of a Reverse Bear Pit Tournament, a C&T Black Knight Tournament, and an Open Fencing List for pickups and teaching opportunities.

The Reverse Bear Pit is a modified tourney meant to prioritize comportment, prowess, and equalize the fencing quality and opportunity for everyone without overlooking our newcomers. Each fencer who scores a point in a bout leaving the pit to report their victory to the MoL table, while each fencer who does *not* score a point in their first bout will be allowed to hold their pit for one additional bout, after which they will leave the pit regardless of victory or defeat. Awards will be issued for Highest Overall Score, Highest Number of Fights and Most Honorable Combatant, as judged by a panel of marshals. Spears, RBGs, and grappling will be prohibited from use in this tournament, the reduced armor experiment will be active, death from behind and knee walking are both legal. In the event of a double-kill, fencers will be offered one opportunity to refight the bout and if another double-kill occurs, both fencers will leave the field and no points will be granted to either. If a combatant is driven to the edge of the list, marshals will ask the fencers to recenter the bout with their relative positions retained. The marshalate will rally fencers immediately following Morning Court to give a rundown of tournament rules and expectations accompanied by a Q&A opportunity for all assembled combatants, the tournament will run until 2:00pm.

The C&T Black Knight Tournament will see combatants fighting to retain control of a single list, which they can maintain indefinitely but all wounds received will be retained from bout to bout. An award will be issued to the combatant who scores the most points across the tournament. All weapon forms will be allowed, spear will be allowed. Double kills will result in both fencers leaving the list and no points will be granted to either. The marshal will rally fencers 15 minutes after Morning Court to give a rundown of tournament rules and expectations accompanied by a Q&A opportunity for all assembled combatants, the tournament will run for one hour from the start of the first bout.

The Open Fencing List will be available for all authorized combat activities from 9:00am-2:00pm as marshal availability permits.

As is always the case, safety and courtesy are paramount to the continued success of this event and our community; given the nature of this tournament we ask combatants to be especially mindful of this as there is no room for second chances. If any fencer is seen to be unsafe or disrespectful, myself and every marshal I have empowered to watch the field is also empowered to remove a fencer from the tournament for safety and comportment concerns; fencers removed from the tournament for any reason will not be eligible for any award issued on this field. I would request that any concerns combatants have with rules, calibration, comportment, marshaling, etc. be brought directly to the marshal in charge of the field, whom any list marshal should be able to direct you to. Intermittent breaks will be called to encourage fencers to rest, hydrate, and self-assess.

All tournament scores will be assessed and awards will be given at Birka’s Baronial Court which will happen at the start of EK Court. We ask that everyone be patient and await the myriad announcements that I will be making across our relevant pages when the results for the Reverse Bear Pit Tournament are organized and published online, it is a great undertaking that will not be coming to fruition overnight. I encourage performance-driven fencers to invest that waiting period in self-assessment so that you have a perception you can contrast against the numerical reality – we are often more critical of ourselves than is warranted.

Our Traditional Bear Pit is back! Here are the rules:

• This is an ox-hide type tourney. If you step outside the marked area with one foot, even partially, you lose the leg. If you step out with both feet, you are dead.
• This is a wounds retained tournament. If you win the fight, you keep the wounds you received from the fight.
• You receive one point for fighting and a second point for winning. If you double kill, you only receive one point.
• Each ox-hide is approximately 10’ x 10’ square. You may fight with whatever weapon you choose.
• There will be no shoving (bull dogging) your opponent out of the pit, as we don’t have the room to do it safely. You may however trick your opponent into stepping out of the pit.
• Please go to the pit you’re directed to, don’t jump into another free pit because you want to fight that opponent.
• Don’t cut through other pits, there is plenty of room to walk to your pit without interrupting another fight.
• When reporting to the MOL, please give the number of the winner first and then your number. Don’t leave the table until the MOL tells you that the information has been recorded. If you leave before then, your points may not be recorded. You don’t want to loose points because you didn’t wait to make sure you were heard and/or understood.
• If you double kill, report to the MOL together.
• Discussions should happen OUTSIDE the lists. If there is a question about the shot, make a quick decision and move on. Fighters causing undue delay’s in the list will be sent to the end of the line.
• Finally, have fun!

If you are looking for help with a name, creating or modifying your arms, interested in a personal badge or one for a household, or just want to geek out about the history of heraldry, please feel free to come up to Herald’s Point on Saturday. We will be open on the mezzanine from 9 to 4. Any skill level welcome!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be unable to complete the Lucky 7 Largess Challenge at Birka this year. However, if you have largess you would like to donate to the Kingdom to be used by Their Royal Majesties and Highnesses, please drop it off in the Royal Room located in Coolidge on the Mezzanine. We hope to bring this challenge to other events in the future.

Their Excellencies will, very soon, be hosting royals from afar at our upcoming Marketplace at Birka! Our tradition has been to gift these visiting Majesties with baskets filled with the generosity and talent of our Baronial (and beyond) artisans, makers, creators of all good things. Please join myself and Astriðr in creating & collecting items by your hands for our assembling of said baskets. Some choose to make duplicates in 6s or 12s of small items that each basket be similar, but any and all items are accepted and appreciated. If you know what and how many you’d like to contribute, please PM either myself, Caitriona (Kathryn Cranford on FB) or Astriðr (Susan Goyette Young on FB) so we have some idea of what we’ll have to work with come the event
Click here to visit the FaceBook Page

Meetings will be held throughout the weekend. Most of the Saturday meetings will be held in Penstock (previously JD’s Tavern), with two meeting happening simultaneously, one in the front and one in the back.
Click here to see the Schedule

Come join the Middle Eastern Activities in “Birkastan” starting on Friday night with an informal Hafla, classes and dancing on Saturday during the day and ending on Saturday with our famous Live Music Hafla – this year led by Hagop Garabedian of The Athenian Corner Ensemble.
Click here for more information

New to the SCA and have questions? Returning to the SCA and want to refresh your memory? Transplant? Newcomer’s point is a great place for you to visit. You can ask questions and be pointed in the right direction of folks who can assist you in your journey through the current middle ages.

New to the SCA and don’t have any clothing but want to come to the event? Gold Key is loaner garb for new people to use while attending the event. We have garb to fit almost every size and taste. Gold Key is located in Webster next to the Gate.

We’re planning on several activities, including Bedtime Stories with Baron Keziah on Friday night, DnD games for Teens/Tweens, and several youth activities on Saturday.
Click here for a complete list of Youth Activities.

6pm-8pm FRIDAY NIGHT – Making Youth Combat Weapons
See the Youth Activities page for more information.

Youth Heavy Combat

Open to all interested youth aged 6-17, will run in the Armory. Loaner gear will be available on a first come, first served basis. 
10am: inspections and armoring beginning.
11am – 2pm: Fighting – Be ready to do pickups, train, and play some reindeer games!  

Chivalry Wins the Day!  There will be no youth combat tournament at Birka. However, the most chivalrous fighter of the day in each division will be recognized in Baronial Court.

For Arms! 

The Youth Combat Program is seeking donations of armor for loaner gear!  We have many new marshals who are eager to start active programs back home, and older marshals who have had a lot of the loaner gear walk off over the years.  Help us keep the program thriving! 

For more information about loaner gear donations, please see:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wmlb8IPqbrjRiLVN6xBQjsijWwT3CgzC0u3eJ6Ceib8/edit?usp=sharing

2pm: Youth Combat Marshal and MIT Meeting

In the armory at Youth Combat.  A meeting for Marshals, Marshals in Training, or those interested in becoming one.