Organised by the museum, in conjunction with Rare Byrds music ensemble and the Dunedin Gasworks Museum, the Medieval Family Day will be the first of its kind for the city.
A packed programme of events, running from 10am- 4pm, will give families the rare chance to experience displays of medieval blacksmithing and siege warfare with a mini catapult on the Museum Reserve, as well as demonstrations of sword fighting and the long process of putting on full armour.
Inside Tūhura, there will be workshops and demonstrations of everything from embroidery to hats, talks about medieval literature and the bubonic plague, and screenings of documentaries and popular family classic The Princess Bride.
Miggles the Court Jester will roam about the museum, amazing visitors with his sleight of hand, juggling and wit.
There will also be performances by two members of Dunedin medieval and renaissance music ensemble Rare Byrds — Jonathan Cweorth playing recorder and Simone Petrick playing the stringed nyckelharpa.
Mr Cweorth said the pair would play pieces from the medieval period, including dances, as well as the only surviving work by a female troubadour — a piece by Beatriz, Countess of Dia, in performances at noon, 1.30pm, and 3pm, in the museum atrium.
As a long-standing fan of the music and literature of the medieval and renaissance periods, Mr Cweorth is excited to be involved in Sunday’s Medieval Fun Day, both as a musician and as a "squire" during the armouring demonstration.
"Planning for the day has been going on since 2020, so the museum has gone all out — it’s great to see so many medieval-themed events happening on the day."
Mr Cweorth said the blacksmithing and armouring demonstrations would feature Dunedin Gasworks Museum blacksmith Kelly Gragg, who would showcase simple techniques used in the medieval period or Middle Ages (500CE to about 1450CE).
"Acting as a squire for him, as he puts on his armour, will be fun — it’s quite a complicated process," he said.
"It was definitely something a knight needed help with — you couldn’t do it by yourself."
