MMXXVI · Our First Grande Bataille
Grande
Bataille
Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc · Québec · 7 — 18 August
What it is
A week-long LARP at the largest medieval-fantasy event in North America.
Bicolline is a permanent medieval city in the Mauricie region of Québec — a thousand acres of forest, a stone keep, three taverns, workshops, a battlefield. Twice a year it fills with players from every nation in the Realms. The Grande Bataille is the largest of those gatherings: over a thousand people in full decorum, living in canvas tents under the rules of a world that does not exist until they make it so.
Inside the city, there are no phones, no plastic, no modern anything visible. There are duels and bards and merchants. There are guilds at war. There are guilds in alliance. The Dry Vine, this year, takes the field for the first time.
Why we go
This is what we built ourselves for.
At the Bal Pourpre in March, our nation Kalthera was formed. We broke relations with the Shikari. We earned our decorum space. Diego asked Hector to commit Dry Vine fighters to the Tournament of Nations, and we said yes. We bound ourselves by blood that night, and then we drove home on a broken wheel that Jeb steered for us, the whole way.
We have been preparing since. Training Tuesdays and Sundays. Costumes sewn. Bell tents on order. The kitchen kit assembled. This August, we go to the field as the Dry Vine, as Kalthera, as ourselves. Whatever happens there, we will not have arrived unprepared.
The week
Fri · Aug 7
Convoy departs New York at dawn. Border crossed by evening.
Sat · Aug 8
Arrive Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc. Camp raised. Kitchen running by sundown.
Sun – Sun · Aug 9–16
Grande Bataille. The Tournament of Nations begins. Taverns open. The Vine stands its decorum space.
Mon · Aug 17
Teardown. The U-Haul packed. The road south.
Tue · Aug 18
Home.
What we bring
01
The Banner
Aubergine, vine, the bell that bleeds. Raised at our space and carried in procession.
02
The Kitchen
Iron tripod. Two dutch ovens. The cast-iron skillet that fed the founding members. Coffee from sunrise.
03
The Bell
Hector's gold flute. Brought to the field as it was at the Bal Pourpre — to play, to call, to bleed.
04
Cards & Cups
Eris reads. Wine flows. The Tarot tent stands open at sundown for those with the question they cannot ask sober.
05
Swords & Shields
Foam and latex, as the field demands. Fighters of the Dry Vine answer the muster in armor.
06
The Vine
We are a guild in the field. If you find us at camp, you are welcome to sit. If you are heralded by a friend, you are welcome to bleed.
What it costs
$660 if you drive.
$600 if you fly.
All-in. Fifteen people, eleven days, one canvas city.
| Line | Rider | Flyer |
|---|---|---|
| Bicolline 7-day ticket (presale) | $250 | $250 |
| Tent share (3 bell tents + 1 owned, 3–4 sleepers each) | $160 | $160 |
| Transport (10' U-Haul + convoy fuel & tolls) | $146 | $86 |
| Shared food (breakfast + dinner × 7 days) | $67 | $67 |
| Personal decorum kit (mug, bowl, utensils, candles) | $32 | $32 |
| Firewood, first aid, contingency | $6 | $6 |
| Communal kitchen, dining shelter, lanterns, tables, storage chest, crates, clothesline, water — covered by guild leadership | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $660 | $600 |
Ticket price is a 2025 estimate. Bicolline hasn't published 2026 numbers yet; expect a $20 swing either way.
When it's owed
May 30
RSVP firm
Headcount locks.
June 15
$250 ticket
Bicolline presale closes mid-June.
July 15
$350 – 410 trip share
Tent, transport, food, kit.
Late Aug
Reconciliation
True up gas, tolls. Usually a refund.
Find us in the field
Look for the banner. Listen for the flute.
Our decorum space is registered with the event. If you are attending under another nation and would like to share a cup, send word to Hector. If you are a player not yet attached to a guild, we welcome a visit at our camp. The Vine is not closed at the field — it is closed at the ritual. Come find out the difference.
Want to join us? Want to support what we're building?
Reach Hector.