Eight planned historical spectacles are analyzed from the point of view of a modern event manager. Potential impacts of this analysis on event studies and modern event management are proposed in three areas: the categories of key stakeholders in events; the relationship amongst these key stakeholders; and the importance of ritual in the design of historical and hence modern events. A recommendation that knowledge of historical spectacle becomes a mandatory core component in the Event Management Body of Knowledge, the education, and the certification of event managers is made as a result of this analysis.