KNIGHTS, soldiers and samurai were locked in battle in Ballarat at the weekend.
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Tents which replicated more than 2500 years of history from the Dark Ages to WWI lined the walls of Kryal Castle as more than 250 re-enactors from across Australia descended on Ballarat.
More than 1200 festival goers walked through the gates at Kryal Castle as part of the Timeline Festival, with participants re-enacting some of history's biggest battles.
Kryal Castle's operations manager Justin Holland said the second annual event was the biggest weekend for Kryal Castle and hoped it would only get bigger with time.
"The great thing about the festival is that it brings history to the people, they can touch it rather than just reading about it," he said.
Madeleine Egan, 21, and Jacinta Davis, 22, travelled from Melbourne to be part of the festival and said it was a great chance to learn more about the different eras of battle.
"It's a great festival and you learn so much about the past," Ms Egan said.
Ballarat's Veronica Stevens, 21, also donned a costume to participate in the festival and said it had been a weekend she wouldn't forget.
"It's awesome, the stalls are great and it's good to meet people who are also into this sort of thing," she said.
Organised by Timeline Festival president Keith Day, this year's festival featured a range of activities including full-contact combat demonstrations, combat archery, black powder musket volleys, multi-period living history displays, military encampments, period merchants and the highly anticipated jousting shows.
Mr Holland said while it was still only in its early years, the festival had improved significantly from the first event last year and the shift from a one- to two-day event had many re-enacting groups excited.
"There's no reason why we can't do it multiple times a year," he said.