ИСБ России -

HMB Fest Russia

The event won the Grand Prix of the Russian Event Awards 2023

HMB is a reason to be proud of Russian athletes and their achievements!

Historical medieval battle is full-contact battles using replicas of medieval armor and weapons, taking place in both team and duel formats.

HMB combines a serious sports component with the study of national and world history and the preservation of cultural heritage. Russia is not only the birthplace of this sport, but also the leading country in terms of the number of athletes involved and the prizes they take at international competitions.

The Russian team is the undisputed leader in the number of gold medals at the HMB World Championship “Battle of the Nations”, held from 2010 to 2019, and the permanent leader of the medal standings in all categories.

The HMB Fest is the largest historical medieval battle event today not only in Russia, but also in the whole world. In 2023, the event won the Grand Prix of the Russian Event Awards as the best touristic sports event in our country.

Battle of the Banners

You can't miss the event!

Perhaps the most spectacular category at the HMB Fest is “Battle of the Banners”. This is a battle of large battalions of 30 to 50 fighters. Battles can take place both in the format of a battle between the sides and in various scenarios — taking a goal, turning over a fortress, protecting the commander, etc.

Mass battles attract more than 300 people from all over Russia as well as other friendly countries. So in 2023 fighters from Serbia, the Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Argentina and China took part in the “Battle of the Banners”.

The history of mass hmb battles is closely connected with the start of the historical medieval battle movement in the early 2000s, when Vyborg became the venue for the first festivals and large buhurts. The revival of the tradition of the “Battle of the Banners” within the framework of the World Championship “Battle of the Nations” in 2019 in Serbia became the starting point for the systematic development of the category. Special rules, regulations and scenarios were developed for the Russian HMB Fest. Since 2022, not only men but also female fighters have became participants in the world’s largest HMB battle.

Fighters and fans as well as thousands of spectators are looking forward to the brightest event of the season!

12vs12 and Duel League

Official HMB categories

The main tournament day at the HMB Fest will be on Friday, July 5th. This year athletes will compete in the frame of “Sword of Russia” Championship in the categories 12 vs 12 among men and “5 vs 5″ among women.

For duel fighters will take place “Shield and Sword” and “Longsword ” tournament for men and women. The results of the competitions will be included in the rankings of the «Sword of Russia» Championship and the Duel League.

The final of the HMB Schools Cup

HMB Fest will also be the venue for the final tournament of “HMB Schools Cup” organized by the sports project “HMB Russia Schools”. Since September 2023 competitions of the Cup took place in 20 cities and 6 districts throughout the country. The prize-winners of these competitions will come to Vyborg to compete for 11 sets of medals. A feature of the competitive space is the limitation on the experience of athletes (only athletes with up to 3 years of experience in HMB nominations can take part).

The project was created with the aim of training young athletes, forming a new generation of HMB fighters, developing and promoting historical medieval battle as a type of sports activity.