Gladiators NYC fighters wear full steel armor and fight full-contact, one-on-one and team against team, and this afternoon they have the Cloister Lawn in Fort Tryon Park, steps from the Met Cloisters. The nonprofit club, founded in 2019, draws martial artists, veterans and history buffs, and its public fight days are free and family friendly. If you want to watch real knights in Manhattan, this is the setting.
What to expect
At the club's public fight days in Central Park, spectators spread blankets around the lawn while armored fighters trade blows with steel weapons in short, loud bouts, with breaks between rounds when you can talk to members. The format at this Fort Tryon session isn't posted yet, so check @gladiatorsnyc on Instagram for the plan before you head up.
Good to know
- Take the A train to 190th Street and walk up through Fort Tryon Park toward the Cloisters; the M4 bus also stops at the Cloisters
- The club's Central Park fight days are free, and donations to the nonprofit are welcome
- Bring a picnic blanket and snacks; the fighting is loud and physical, but the club bills its events as family friendly
- Stay behind any marked edge of the fighting area, because steel weapons and falling fighters move fast
- Pair it with the Met Cloisters and the Heather Garden views over the Hudson
Going? Keep it.
Common questions
Is the fighting real?
Yes. Gladiators NYC practices full-contact armored combat, sometimes described as armored MMA with steel weapons, in one-on-one and team bouts. It isn't choreographed stage combat.
Can I learn to fight with them?
The club runs in-person classes in NYC that it describes as usually 100% free. See gladiators.nyc for class details.