See pictures as the Robin Hood Festival returns to Sherwood Forest

Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham accompany, Nottingham County Council chairman, Coun. Sue Saddington and the regional director of the RSPB, Emma Marsh, to the opening ceremony of the Robin Hood Festival 2018.

The site was taken over by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds earlier this year, and opened its new visitor centre to the public just three weeks ago.

The festival, which began on Monday and runs until Sunday, September 2, features a range of family attractions – and with the new visitor centre, now under the control of the RSPB, this year’s festival also features a number of interactive nature-based activities inside the forest.

These include nature trails and activities centred around oak tree life cycles, celebrating the history of the famous Major Oak.

Old rivalries kick off at the launch of the 2018 Robin Hood Festival.

Gemma Howarth, senior site manager, said: “We had a fantastic start to the festival on bank holiday Monday, with thousands of visitors flooding in to look at our new visitor centre and enjoy the first day of the event.

“We’ve got a full programme each day for the rest of the week and we look forward to welcoming more Robin Hood fans to the legend’s home.”

Monday’s opening ceremony saw a range of eye-catching displays on show for guests, including a re-enactment scene at the new outdoor amphitheatre between Robin Hood, his merry men and the Sheriff of Nottingham himself.

The rest of the festival promises excitement, with performances, re-enactments, music and nature walks taking place tomorrow and Friday, while Saturday will see a puppet show and a number of skirmish reenactments. Sunday will see the festival come to a close with the finale.