Name: Scottish Harness Fencing Symposium
Start: 2026-03-07T11:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-03-08T18:00:00+00:00
Location: Pleasance Edinburgh

Edinburgh University HEMA Society is Proud to Present the First Ever Scottish Harness Fencing Symposium, hosted by Kai Aché and Connor Kemp-Cowell!
We are proud to announce the Scottish Harness Fencing Symposium. Hosted in the Gorgeous Scottish Capital of Edinburgh, in the Edinburgh University Pleasance Venue, this armour fencing focused HEMA event offers a weekend of armoured workshops, sparring, and competition, as well as the opportunity to socialise and connect with other harness fencers in Scotland and beyond.
The first ever event offers its kind in the UK, the symposium will run on the weekend of March 7th and 8th, from 11:00-18:00 both days. This event is open to people of all martial backgrounds, from hema to jousters, there's something here for you! Armour not required!
The first day of the event shall consist of two workshops dedicated to teaching critical and advanced concepts for armoured fencing that push the boundaries of how we think about fighting in armour and teaching harness fencing. The first workshop, run by Connor Kemp-Cowell, titled 'Games in a Tincan', is exactly what it says on the tin! Connor Kemp-Cowell leads you on a tour of sparring games designed to build strong fundamentals for all of the primary weapons for harness, along with a detailed explanation of the constraint lead approach theory of coaching. This class is meant for you to steal and bring back home. The second workshop, run by Kai Aché, is all about 'How to Pilot Your Armour' correctly, maximising its fighting capabilities and reconfiguring the way you think about armour from simply worn protection to a complex apparatus that you pilot. Drills and sparring games will teach students to maximise their offensive and defensive operation of their harness, building a comprehensive tactical matrix for using your armour to its fullest potential.
The second day shall consist of two harness fencing tournaments — the first ever HEMA Open Harness Fencing Tournaments held in the UK . The ‘Advanced Tournament’ will be for fencers with their own armour (full harness not required. Partial armour acceptable), and will involve combat with swords, daggers, and polearms. The ‘Synthetic’ Tournament will be hosted with foam swords and daggers, and will require no additional equipment. In this tournament, armoured scoring rules will be used without the necessity of armour involved (synthetic plates and simulators are, however, recommended if you have them!). We are currently looking into having the tournaments put on HEMA scorecard as well, and there will be prizes! More information about format and rules to come soon.
Tickets for the event are £35. A concessionary rate of £25 is available for 'squires' and EUHS members. If you are squiring for a 'knight' (those with significant armour requiring assistance), please note their name in the sign-up form in the provided field. 'Knights' should note their 'squire' as well, if they plan to bring one. All 'knights' are entitled to one 'squire' at the concessionary rate.
We are very excited to see you all at the first annual Scottish Harness Fencing Symposium. We hope that this will be the start of a wonderful premier harness fencing event in the UK!