Bushwick, ever the ground zero for niche hobbies and ironic lifestyle choices, is about to host a full-on armored melee.
GladiatorsNYC is rolling into town this Friday, June 27th at 7PM with its traveling tournament of steel-on-steel carnage as part of a Bushwood bar crawl event. Expect swords, chainmail, bruises—and plenty of Brooklynites pretending they’re also doing cardio.
The organization, which helps organize and promote armored combat fighters, hosts major international events every 3-4 months where competitors from around the world battle in single-elimination tournaments to determine the world’s best. Between these flagship events, they run monthly smaller showcases aimed at growing the sport’s fanbase rather than turning a profit. (this is one of the smaller events)
This Friday’s event will feature live 1v1 duels between armored fighters. While this isn’t primarily a charity event, the organizers donate 10% of all ticket sales to GladiatorsNYC. The fighters scheduled to compete include Mando, The Starry Knight, The Bronx Brawler, Hercules, Suge Knight, The Red Knight, and several others who’ll be swinging real weapons while wearing 70+ pounds of armor.
Spectators can pay $20 to watch with a GA ticket—or $40 VIP ticket, which comes with the privilege(?) to take swings at a knight themselves.
Drinks will be served: $10 cocktails $4 beers
The event promises vendors, photo ops, and plenty of Instagram bait. Fantasy and Renaissance attire is “welcome,” which means someone will definitely show up in elf ears and tactical sandals.
Venue: The bar crawl includes Mayday Space, 176 St. Nicholas Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237, known for eclectic community events, now apparently including medieval fight clubs.
And yes, despite Bushwood leaning heavy on the yellow-and-black color scheme that looks suspiciously familiar, Bushwick Daily has nothing to do with this event. (Although, real talk: we could use the ad dollars—so next time, hit us up.)
So if you’ve ever wanted to live out your Skyrim LARP fantasy without leaving Kings County, this is your moment. Or your mistake.
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