(Gallery) Medieval Faire and Tournament rocked High River

A Medieval Faire and Tournament rocked the High River Ag Grounds this past Saturday and Sunday.

The first-time festival drew in upwards of 3,000 spectators over the two days.

Organized by High River brothers Warren and Ryan Neilson, they were thrilled with the support from the community.

Fighters in battle on Saturday.

Warren says the turnout on Saturday was fantastic.

"We were a bit worried for the first one ever so we were a bit worried on exactly how it was going to turn out, but the crowd's been amazing, they've been very engaged. It's been nice and full here and seems like everyone's having a pretty good time. The fights have turned out great."

The action was fierce during the 2-day tournament.

Numerous knights were fighting upwards of 20 to 30 fights each day.  Many one-on-one duels played out during the morning and midafternoon on Saturday with team melees that followed.  More battles ensued on Sunday during the finals of the tournament as hundreds of people checked out the many vendors and the beer garden.

Local Fighter from the DeWinton area Dave Greyland who's a member of the High River Arverni Legion team says he signed up for 30 fights on Saturday.

"About three or four times a week I've been practicing and making sure I'm physically fit. The gear weighs about 120 to 150 pounds and I sweat out about 15 to 20 pounds over two days."

Dave Greyland on the right being declared the winner of one of his 30 fights on Saturday.

Two female fighters also signed up for the tournament.

Kella McKenzie was one and says she just recently took up the sport.

"I've actually only been doing this for a month and a half. This is my second tournament and I've only had about six of seven practices. It's been great. I won gold in women's in my first tournament. It was just me and one other girl but it was a great experience. Fighting against the men is awesome! They're all super nice. The community is very welcoming to everyone."

Kella McKenzie from Calgary was getting ready for her third fight of the day. She was one of two women fighters in the tournament.

The Neilson brothers will regroup after the event and look forward to making it bigger and better for the next tournament.

The next closest event is coming up in Strathmore Aug. 23-25.

More information can be found on their website.