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General Event Information

SoCal Swordfight is a Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) event that takes place in Costa Mesa, California. It features tournaments, classes, panels, and lectures on a variety of historical and contemporary martial arts and self-defense tactics.

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SoCal Swordfight takes place yearly, the weekend before President's day.

This places SoCal Swordfight 2024 on Friday, February 16 through Sunday, February 18.

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SoCal Swordfight 2024 will be hosted at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.

88 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

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The cost to attend SoCal Swordfight 2024 varies depending on the type of registration.

  • Full Event Registration - $150
    Full Event Registration (currently $150) provides you the access to attend all standard classes, browse the vendor hall, view demonstrations, cheer on your favorite competitors, visit any historical showcases that may be on display and enables you to register to compete in tournaments.
  • Spectator Passes - $30
    Spectator Passes are available in Full Weekend ($50) and Single-Day ($30) options. With a spectator pass you can browse the vendor hall, view demonstrations, cheer on your favorite competitors, and visit any historical showcases that may be on display.
  • Tournament Registration - $25+ 
    Tournament registration is $25 for each tournament you elect to compete in. You are also required to judge one pool in each tournament you compete in, opting our of doing so incurs an additional $25 registration fee per tournament
  • Kids 5 and Under are Free

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SoCal Swordfight 2024 will take place February 16 - 18, 2024.

We will post the event schedule on HEMA Scorecard as we get closer to the event.

LOCATION INFORMATION

The weather in Costa Mesa in February is typically mild, with temperatures in the mid-60s to low 70s during the day and in the 40s to 50s at night. There is a small chance of rain, but it is usually sunny.

Weather Conditions

The OC Fair & Event Center is easily accessible by car, bus, and train. 

We are working to secure some additional modes of transportation between our recommended hotel and the event.

There is also a ride share drop-off location at the OC Fair & Event Center that will be identified on the map.

Parking Fees are the same as last year. $12 / Day / Vehicle.

Tournament Specific Information

Open Tournaments

  • Jason Taylor Memorial Open Steel Longsword Tournaments (Multiple Tiers)
  • Open Steel Saber (Multiple Tiers)
  • Single Rapier (Multiple Tiers)
  • Rapier & Dagger (Multiple Tiers)
  • Smallsword
  • Undisclosed Experimental Tournament

Cutting Competitions

  • Open Longsword Cutting (Multiple Tiers)
  • Arming Sword Cutting (Multiple Tiers)
  • U18 Longsword Cutting

URG Tournaments

  • Steel Longsword Tournaments (Multiple Tiers)
  • Steel Saber
  • Rapier & Dagger

U18 Tournaments

  • Synthetic Longsword
  • Single Rapier
  • Singlestick

Tiers will be based on tournament participation, HEMA Rating, known performance, and instructor recommendation.

Tier placement will be announced, and available on HEMA Scorecard, as we move closer to the event.

As SoCal Swordfight has grown by leaps and bounds (350 competitors in 2023!) we have to be proactive in addressing both scalability for future growth, and the desire to keep the focus on it being about the community coming together.

To this end we have made a significant judging change for 2024.

  • Every competitor will be required to line judge for one pool in each tournament they have registered to compete in.
  • Experienced directors will be scheduled by the event for all pool matches. A full judging team will be scheduled by the event for all elimination matches.

For the eliminations all of the judging staff are organized/scheduled by the event. 

Opting Out of Judging

Though we strongly encourage each participant to embrace this responsibility, we realize there will be some who simply do not want to judge. Choosing not to judge will incur a $25 penalty, bringing the cost of individual tournament registration to $50 per tournament.

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U18 Tournaments are for participants between 13 and 17 years of age, whose parent or guardian have registered them and signed the waiver for them to compete.Parent or Guardian must also be present at all matches where their U18 is competing.

No. This year we have expanded our U18 tournaments to include:Synthetic LongswordSingle RapierSinglestickand you may elect to participate in the U18 Longsword cutting when registering for longsword.

Yes. You are able to compete in both the Open and URG tournament divisions. You however may not compete in U18 and any other divisions.

Get in touch

Please feel free to use the form below if you need to get in touch with the team at SoCal Swordfight.
alternativley please use the site's chat function, or email us at info@socalswordfight.com

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