Posted on 1st May
The Spirit of Wartime event will be returning on 10th and 11th May at Thoresby Park.
Visitors will be transported back in time to the 1940s for a weekend full of family-friendly learning and fun. The event brings the era to life with re-enactors, vintage traders, classic vehicles, and wartime music.
Throughout the park, authentic military encampments will showcase the daily routines of second world war soldiers, offering a rare glimpse into their life on the front lines.
Over 100 restored military and civilian vehicles will be on display, including ambulances, jeeps and transport trucks.
A Spitfire flyover will return on both days of the event, serving as a tribute to the RAF and their vital role during the war.
On the lawns the Vintage Village will host traders offering authentic 1940s goods and memorabilia.
Ticketed dances will follow in the evenings, with free dance lessons and live music during the days keeping the spirit of wartime camaraderie alive alongside a ‘40s vinyl DJ.
This year also features a special presentation by PhD researcher Franco Escobar, who will speak on disarmament and anti-nuclear activism in the 21st Century in partnership with the Hiroshima Peace Institute. Visitors will have a rare chance to experience a virtual reality simulation that portrays the city of Hiroshima before, during, and after the atomic bomb.
This will be one of the first times this ground-breaking educational technology has travelled outside of Japan.
The event isn’t just about the battlefield, it brings the home front to life as well. This year introduces a new agricultural display, featuring one of the UK’s largest collections of 1940s farming equipment, from vintage tractors to threshing machines. These exhibits celebrate the hard work that kept Britain going through the war with help from local farmers, the lumber jills, and land girls.
The weekend is packed with hands-on activities and entertainment. Children and adults alike can enjoy dance lessons in the Riding Hall, ration book cooking demos and craft activities in the Roundhouse, and a “Battle for the Stone Bridge” both days.
A Remembrance Service will be held on Sunday at 11.25am to commemorate all those lost and impacted by conflict, and the Battle Pipes and Drums corps will be providing an historic musical ensemble in tribute to VE-Day’s 80th anniversary.
Entrance is free, parking is £5 per car all day.
