While much of the famous document's content has been changed or re-written, the legacy of the Magna Carta lives on and it remains a cornerstone of the constitution.

Featuring sword fighting and Game of Thrones-esque dress-ups, the day will be an immersion into what it was like to live in the era when King John sealed the Magna Carta.

Medieval Fest organiser, and manager of content development at Old Parliament House, Kate Armstrong said the festival was one of four major events in Canberra to acknowledge the anniversary.

"There is an exhibition [at the Museum of Australian Democracy], a discovery trail encouraging people to go to other places with Magna Carta things on, like the National Archives and the High Court, and there will be a lecture at ANU," she said.

"The Medieval Fest will be a blast.

"It is designed to explain what life was like when King John was very much pressured by the barons to sign the Magna Carta, to ensure people had at least some rights."

Ms Armstrong said a king and queen would be dressed up on the day and there would be plenty of activities for young and old, including dance displays, live music, craft, calligraphy, heavy and rapier combat and sword play.

"In the courtyards there will be a puppet show and jugglers, which were common entertainment at that time," she said.

"We're also offering skittles and table games, crown-making activities and dress-ups, so there will be heaps to do."

Ms Armstrong said the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House was picking up on the trend whereby people were more often looking for an experience in a museum, rather than just the standard self-guided tours.

"We're trying to put as much interactivity into our museum as we can," she said.

"We're making history accessible to as many people as possible, in an immersive and interactive way."

The festival will be held from 10am to 3pm on June 8, in partnership with the Society for Creative Anachronism.