Days of Yore returns to Heritage Park on Aug. 1 and 2, bringing centuries of warfare to life

Calgary, Alta. — Days of Yore brings centuries of warfare to life at Heritage Park Aug. 1 and 2 through live reenactments, artillery demonstrations, wartime medical practices, historic technology, uniforms and more. Guests can discover how conflict shaped military and civilian life from the Middle Ages to the Second World War.

Reenactors and living history groups from across Alberta will guide guests through military history from the Middle Ages to the Second World War. The action-packed weekend includes jousting, cavalry demonstrations, food inspired by historic military mess halls and rides in authentic military vehicles. Immersive encampments, live demonstrations and hands-on displays will show how soldiers trained, travelled, fought and lived across eras of conflict.

“Heritage Park is thrilled to bring Days of Yore back for a second year, with some returning favourites and several new experiences,” says Eirin Bernie, Marketing and Communications Manager at Heritage Park Historical Village. “Guests not only experience military history through live demonstrations but also look beyond the battlefield action to explore the realities of conflict, from soldiers’ daily lives and wartime medicine to the ways war shaped families and communities. Wartime stories are not always easy to tell or remember, but they matter, and Heritage Park is proud to present them in an engaging, thoughtful and respectful way.”

While guests may spot armour, lances and period clothing, Days of Yore is not a Renaissance fair or cosplay event. Reenactors draw on historical research, authentic equipment and carefully recreated demonstrations to interpret the realities of military life across centuries.

This year’s Days of Yore highlights include:

• Live battle reenactments, combat demonstrations and military drills
• Historic cannon firings and black powder musket demonstrations
• More than 35 historic military vehicles, with rides available in select vehicles upon donation
• First and Second World War encampments featuring weapons, uniforms, equipment and camp life
• Battlefield nursing, casualty recovery and field surgeon demonstrations
• A flyover featuring a Second World War-era North American Harvard aircraft
• Mounted military formations by Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians)
• Medieval jousting with horses, lances and armoured knights
• Viking encampments featuring weapons, blacksmithing, cooking and historic trades
• Alberta World War Living History Association demonstrations of Black Watch
• Canadian Nursing Sisters, including combat demonstrations, military drills, casualty recovery and nursing displays.
• Historical interpreters representing Calgary’s 10th Battalion (First World War), 1885 soldiers, 18th-century military groups and American Civil War artillery crews.
• A Mess Hall (Gunn’s Dairy Barn) serving military-inspired recipes and mess hall favourites
• Live music, historic civilian camps and a marketplace featuring handmade and historical goods

Plus, don’t miss on the Heritage Park classics as they are also open all weekend long, including the steam train, Antique Midway, S.S. Moyie Paddlewheeler, Selkirk Restaurant, heritage buildings, Indigenous cultural experiences, shops and more.

Days of Yore runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1 and Sunday, Aug. 2. Visit on Monday, Aug. 3 for Heritage Day festivities.

Admission to Days of Yore is included with an Annual Heritage Park Membership and General Admission. For more information about Days of Yore, please visit heritagepark.ca.

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Media Inquiries
Pamela Todd, Interim Director of Marketing & Communications
Heritage Park Historical Village
ptodd@heritagepark.ca | 403.464.5990

Eirin Bernie, Communications & Marketing Manager
Heritage Park Historical Village
ebernie@heritagepark.ca | 403.519.3409

About Heritage Park Historical Village
Heritage Park Historical Village is one of Canada’s largest living history museums, offering guests immersive, hands-on experiences of Western Canada’s diverse past. Located in Calgary on Treaty 7 territory, Heritage Park has been a cultural and tourism cornerstone since 1964. As a registered charity, Heritage Park preserves and shares history through interactive exhibits, costumed interpreters, historic buildings, antique rides and more. Welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, Heritage Park plays a vital role in Alberta’s tourism economy, prairie heritage preservation and community engagement—making it Canada’s premier family destination where history truly comes alive. heritagepark.ca