The oldest Viking festival in the Netherlands
Please note: Sunday 19 May is completely sold out. Currently, there's still tickets available for Monday 20 May.
During Whitsunday weekend it’s happening again: From Saturday 18 until Monday 20 May hundreds of Vikings will make a stand at the preHistorisch Dorp. It’s time for Vikingfest! Merchants, fighters, craftsmen and women, storytellers, musicians, and even entire Viking families, you can meet them all this weekend.
Back to the age of the Vikings
Visiting Vikingfest means immersing yourself in the culture of about 1300 years ago, during the early Middle Ages. This means you’ll be running into Vikings all over the museum this Whitsunday weekend. From tough fighters combatting each other in a grand show to craftsmen and women and traders offering their goods at the Viking market. Get ready for a weekend brimming with adventure and history!
Aftermovie Vikingfest
Curious about what Vikingfest looks like? Check out the aftermovie from the previous edition and transport yourself back to the time of the Vikings.
Large Viking market
The Viking market at the preHistorisch Dorp is scattered across the entire museum. In houses and farmsteads, in the fields and beside the paths: you will find Vikings selling their special wares everywhere.
If you’re interested in beautifully handcrafted knives and axes, make sure to drop by the stalls of Black Oak Forge and Ghemertse Luyden. For authentic and pure fabrics you should really check out Classic Fabrics or Skapa, and Het Noeste Leven has a wonderful collection of fully hand-made wooden spoons, jars, bowls, and cups. And, as if this wasn’t enough yet, there is a host of other Vikings trading unique products, like glass beads, bone carvings, earthenware cups, cookers, jewellery, and clothes. At some stalls, you can even see the master craftsmen and women at work and discover how they make these special objects!
At most of the stalls at Vikingfest, you can only pay in cash, and there’s no cash machine on the grounds. So make sure to take enough cash with you when you come.
An age-old family feud
We tell a special story during Vikingfest: get caught up in an age-old feud between two families, reaching its boiling point this Pentecost. The Vikings have convened an Althing, a council of village chiefs that will decide how to bury the hatchet. Viking families have travelled to the museum from all compass points to hear the council and the verdict. You can visit short street theatre sketches in which both families win stall fees, competitions where they face each other, and a large show for the final village council. There will be an exciting finish that you really don’t want to miss!
Food and drinks
During Vikingfest, you can have a bite or a drink in and around the medieval inn. It’s also okay to take your own food to the museum. You can pick one of many little tree trunks or other seats to have your lunch. Whether you prefer to sit on the docks, on the grassy knoll near the stalls, or in the woods, there are plenty of spots to choose from.
Vikingfest in the preHistorisch Dorp
- Date: Pentecost weekend (Saturday 18 to Monday 20 May 2024)
- Time: From 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Location: Boutenslaan 161b, Eindhoven
- Price: Online presale until May 17 € 16.50
From May 18 online or at the cash register: € 18.50
Free for children up to 3 years old, reservation is required
Museum card holders pay a surcharge of €6, reservations are required. - Ticket sales: Online and at the box office on the day itself, until sold out. There is a maximum visitor capacity.
Please note: Vikings dressed in historical clothing are welcome to wander around our museum, but please leave your weapons at home!
Program
Are you already curious about the program during Vikingfest? Download the brochure here. It will also be handed out to each group upon entry.
Route and parking
You can park your car for free at the preHistorisch Dorp. There is plenty of space for cars at the Leeuw Trainingscentrum at Boutenslaan 161. From there you can reach our museum within a few minutes' walk. Preferably do not park your car in the neighborhood.
Is the parking lot full? Then park at Anton Coolenlaan 5. From here you can have a nice 15 minutes walk through the Genneper Parks to arrive at the museum. Along the way you will pass green meadows and wooded environments.
About last year
Curious what Vikingfest looked like last year? On the page below you will find a few photos of Vikingfest 2023 in the preHistorisch Dorp.
