The Grand Tourney

"You've never heard of it? The Grand Tourney of the Free Marches? It's a spectacle: song, dance, wine, every amusement you can imagine. But the greatest part is the contest of arms. Prove yourself there, and you can make your fortune."

Black Fox to his companion Bolen in The Glass Sword

The Grand Tourney is one of the Free Marches' most celebrated events. Participants from all over Thedas converge on this festival of martial skill and valor in a competition to crown a champion of the games.
As the Free Marches has no single form of government between each of the settlements and city-states, the Grand Tourney isn't something put on by the rulers. Instead, it is something sponsored by a noble or merchant of impressive means. Thus, there is no schedule to it but instead it comes up when one such person steps up to fund the Tourney.

Execution

I arrived in time for the Grand Tourney while it was on in Tantervale -- a remarkable sight indeed. I saw Avvar mountainmen test their mettle against Orlesian Chevaliers. I saw riders from Nevarra buying Ferelden horses. I saw Antivan duelists face against a Rivaini Seer. All of Thedas was on display.

From In Pursuit of Knoweldge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Ferdinand Genitivi

In prior Tourneys, contestants have come from all over Thedas excluding Par Vollen and the Anderfels. Many Templar Orders even allow the mages of their Circle to take journeys out to the games (accompanied, of course).
A plethora of different events occur on the day before the actual Tourney itself. Many of these serve as qualifying rounds. It is only through doing exceptionally well that participants can earn their spot in the actual Tourney itself. These events vary depending on the venue and the sponsor, but some that have been seen in the past are:

• Archery Contests
• Bare-knuckle brawls featuring 200+ participants at once
• Melee fights featuring 400+ participants at once
• Wrestling strange and unorthodox creatures
• Mage duels
• Weighted climbing events
• Obstacle course marathon
• A melee where everyone is blind, plus a bull is running around
• A person-stacking competition (as strange as it sounds).

Some Tourneys have been team-based while others are purely individualistic.
The ultimate event, the Contest of Arms, occurs the day after all these qualifiers. Usually this occurs in a stadium where people from all over watch the best of the best duel to be crowned the winners. It's run in a bracket-style tournament that occurs throughout the entire day. It's an exhausting endeavor and those who even want a chance at winning must be able to push themselves harder than they ever thought possible. Several winners have found that getting the crowd on your side early also serves as the extra push that one often needs to win.
As the Contest of Arms is all being done in one stadium with each event being back-to-back, the battlefield layout often starts very intricate and tactical but by the final battle everything, including the duelists, is broken down or destroyed beyond repair. It gives the battles themselves more of a continuing war-like feel where the battlefield can shift after one incredibly powerful assault.
Templars are not fools, as they know it would be quite easy for a qualifying mage to go rogue during the competition. It is because of this, Templars are either stationed in the battlefields themselves (not to be interacted with) or on the edges of the stands watching the entirety of the battle from every angle.

Components and tools

The winner of the Grand Tourney is awarded a coronet of sage leaves and a trophy blade known as the Celebrant, which is inscribed with the names of every champion since the first Tourney. The leaves wither as a reminder that all victories are fleeting, but the blade endures and has passed from champion to champion since the first. Celebrant itself reminds everyone that legends are eternal.

Participants

Tales of Previous Winners

Note: verifiable proof of these winners is difficult to find; they instead exist as tales which may or may not be fictional.
Many, many different people have held the title of being the Grand Tourney's victor, but throughout the years some have stood out from the rest.
The winner of the first Grand Tourney was an Avvar mountaineer who simply went by the name "Hand of Korth". He was a man larger than any goliath and fought with only his trusted club. He did not come alone to the Contest of Arms, though he did participate on his own. Throughout all his bouts, he was cheered on by a skald (an Avvar bard) and a mountain goat whose bleats were said to drown out the entire stadium. In several of his battles, he won by simply picking up his opponent and throwing them out of the stadium. After his participation, despite how entertaining his fights were, the walls in future events were raised. He is fondly remembered as "The Wall".
Three times in a row, it was Talisa of Hercinia, a lady knight from the Free Marches, who won the Grand Tourney. Even to this day, she still holds the most consecutive victories. Many people considered her to be the equivalent to a modern Aveline, but she never wanted to be compared to anyone else. Rarely was she stronger than her opponents, but she always knew how to find victory. Even more importantly, she would make it look as flashy as possible. When she first revealed herself as a woman after her first tourney victory, endless drama was created amongst the participants and tourney-goers. Some considered revoking her title, but she never stood down. Quite quickly, those vying against her shut their mouths. After her passing, she was declared the "Most-Loved Champion in the History of the Tourney".
In the history of the Grand Tourney, never has there been a mage who won the Contest of Arms... with the exception of one individual. A Lucrosian mage from Orlais' Circle, Darwin was considered to be an underdog. His stench alone was said to kill insects around him and through "sheer power-of-will" he miraculously won the entire tournament. People were floored. He was crowned with sage leaves and given Celebrant, where he quickly asked what the worth of such an item would be. As the story goes, Darwin had hoped to sell the blade. Unfortunately for him, the amount he would've gotten was so much lower than he had anticipated that he instead took Celebrant and threw it into the Minanter River. It was later recovered in Starkhaven.
One of the most outstanding groups came only about a decade ago when the Tourney was stationed in Starkhaven. After having been publicly encouraged by his people, Prince Vael of Starkhaven decided to participate. He did not do so alone, nor with his cronies. He instead enlisted the support of his wife, sons, and daughters (many of whom were under 18). Supposedly, the Prince did not tell his family they would be participating until the day of the Tourney. He had readied himself the day before, excused himself from lunch, won the archery contest, and was back quick enough to finish lunch with the slower eaters. That year, the Vael family crushed the competition. They showed such a level of mastered cohesion and teamwork that their opponents simply crumpled under the pressure. The most trouble come from an Orlesian Chevalier, but their son was able to shoot out the Chevalier's horse's knees before becoming too much of a threat. Prince Vael won the Tourney with his children and publicly retired from the Tourney (and this was only his first!). He spoke to the crowd and told them that one day the Vael family would be back with a new father leading the team.