Combat reenactment

This may refer to either single combat, melees involving small groups, or nearly full-scale battles with hundreds of participants.

Depending on the intended effect, performances may have the aim of presenting historical martial arts reconstruction, or just offer entertainment, and different groups have different standards of authenticity.

[citation needed] The Italian town of Arezzo continues to hold an annual jousting tournament, which dates to the Crusades.

Modern theatrical medieval-style jousting competitions are popular at American Renaissance fairs and similar festivals, and feature riders on horseback attempting various feats of skill with the lance, which may not always have a basis in history.

Some reenactment battles take the form of a competition, where the two "armies" try to defeat each other within the actions permitted by the combat rules.

Reenactment of a Viking battle. Denmark, 2005.
15th century German longsword demonstration at Furor et Ferrum 2007 (the action is the final stage of a "going-through" with a throw).
A contemporary knight jousting at a Renaissance Fair in Livermore, California, 2006.