International Rapier Seminar Oxford 2026

⚔️ The International Rapier Seminar 2026 Oxford ⚔️

We want to say a big thank you to everyone who attended the event this year. Special thanks to all the instructors and lecturers who travelled from all of the UK & Europe. Also, a big thank you to all the vendors and sponsors of the event. Congratulations to all of our tournament medalists, and the technical prize winner!

Also, we would like to give a big shout-out to all of our volunteers without whom we could not have run the event. A special shout-out to Richard and Krzysztof for their amazing help throughout the weekend.

Photos from the event are being accumulated onto a Google drive folder which we will share a link to 🔗

Some more updates! The following workshops have been added to the schedule:

- Fabrice Cognot (France)- Our Father Greatest of the Art: very beautiful discourse to fence with the single sword. But he is dead.

- Lynette Nusbacher (UK) - The Ragged Edge of Measure: achieving victory with a rapier, a wrist and at least one eyeball

- Reinier van Noort (Norway) – Let's start with plan A

UPDATED SCHEDULE

Please see the updated event schedule for the weekend. Make sure you save it! If you have any questions, drop us a comment.

Be advised that travelling with HEMA swords on the Eurostar. Please ensure you have followed the Eurostar guidance as you may not be allowed to bring your HEMA swords on the train otherwise.

Please visit the Eurostar website and read through their policy on transporting sports equipment. https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-info/travel-planning/luggage/sports-and-camping-equipment
Below is an excerpt from the website:

"Dangerous sports equipment
If you’re travelling with any of these items: spears and spear guns, crossbows, crossbow bolts, longbows, longbow arrows, swords or starting pistols. They must be registered with Eurostar Travel services as extra luggage. They must also be transported in a box made for this purpose and kept in it at all times at the station and on the train. To check if this service is available on the trains you've booked, you can log into "Manage your booking" and click "Add extra luggage"."

In the event that you are unable to bring your HEMA swords, we can provide some spare swords to lend for the event courtesy of The School of the Sword.

Tournament tickets and Pitt Rivers Museum Antique Handling Session tickets are still on sale here: https://events.liveit.io/.../international-rapier.../
If you wish to attend the main event but missed the ticket sales, drop us an email at [email protected] See less

✨ Saturday Night Pub Social ✨

The Oxford Retreat - 18 July 2026, 7pm

The Oxford Retreat is a historical pub located within walking distance of both the Oxford central bus station and the Oxford train station. Located on the edge of the river, the Oxford Retreat is an early-nineteenth century building surrounded by Weeping Willows and flowing water on either side.

Address:
1-2 Hythe Bridge St, Oxford OX1 2EW

Parking available at Worcester Street Car Park & train station. We recommend using the RingGo app to pay for parking, however there are also ticket machines that take cash and card.

Tournament tickets and Pitt Rivers Museum Antique Handling Session tickets are still on sale here:
https://events.liveit.io/the-school-of-the-sword-2/international-rapier-seminar-2026/

If you wish to attend the main event but missed the ticket sales, drop us an email at [email protected]

✨ Friday Night Pub Social ✨

Port Mahon - 17 July 2026, 19:00

The 18th century pub is said to commemorate the Battle of Mahon in 1756 when the French ousted the British from the Spanish island of Menorca, and a captain in the British navy was given this pub, dating from 1710, to reward his bravery. The French invented mayonnaise to celebrate their victory and the pub now offers its own Mahon Mayo.

Parking is available at the St Clement's Car Park. We recommend using the RingGo app to pay for parking, however there are also ticket machines that take cash and card.

Tournament tickets and Pitt Rivers Museum Antique Handling Session tickets are still on sale here: https://events.liveit.io/the-school-of-the-sword-2/international-rapier-seminar-2026/

If you wish to attend the main event but missed the ticket sales, drop us an email at [email protected]

We will be teaming up with AD Mobile Bar & Kitchen to have a food truck at the venue during the event. They will be serving up gyros, pizzas and a selection of sides over lunchtime from about 11:00 AM.

There are some shops located a few minutes walk from The Swan School in Marston.

Still want to join in on the event but missed the ticket sales? Drop us an email at [email protected] - there are still spaces available!

Tickets for Single Rapier and Rapier & Companion tournaments, and Pitt Rivers Museum antique handling session are still on sale at:
https://events.liveit.io/the-school-of-the-sword-2/international-rapier-seminar-2026/

To our international guests,

Thank you very much for attending the International Rapier Seminar 2026. We appreciate the time and effort it takes to travel here to Oxford. We look forward to welcoming you to the event!

This a kind reminder to make sure your travel visas are in order. If you haven't yet, you can book your electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK by following this link: https://www.gov.uk/eta
There is also an app you can use for this.

For Standard Visitor visas, use this link: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/apply-standard-visitor-visa

DM us if you have any queries.

We are pleased to announce we still have a few spaces remaining! Drop us an email at [email protected] to book a ticket.

Spaces are still available for the Pitt Rivers Museum antique handling session and tournament tickets are still on sale. You can find those here: https://events.liveit.io/the-school-of-the-sword-2/international-rapier-seminar-2026/

Discounts are available to members of The School of The Sword - DM us to get your code