The story behind it
Pace egg plays are Easter mumming plays found mainly in the north-west of England, and the Calder Valley keeps two of the best known. The name is thought to come from the players, or those with them, once collecting eggs for Easter as they went from house to house. Heptonstall’s team has its own village players, while Midgley’s version is performed by pupils from Calder High School. Collections go to local good causes.
What to expect
Performances take place in Weavers Square throughout the day. In 2026 the Heptonstall team played at 11.15am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 4pm, with the Midgley Pace Egg at 3pm and the Hillmillies Morris dancing in between. The play is a hero-combat drama: St George fights a series of challengers, someone is slain, and a doctor brings them back to life. Look out for Tosspot, a character found in no other tradition. The players wear tall decorated hats and bright tunics. The square fills up, especially for the first performance.
Watching and joining in
The play is performed by the local teams; visitors watch. It is free, family-friendly and short, so it suits children well. Arrive early for the first show if you want a good view, or go for a later one when it is quieter. Wear good shoes for the cobbles and the climb. Bring change for the collection buckets, and make time for a look at the ruined old church and the village’s weavers’ cottages.
Finding a spot
Watch the introductions as closely as the swordplay. The parish’s account names challengers including Bold Slasher, the Black Prince of Paradine and Hector, and once you can recognise each entrance, the noisy action is far easier to follow. The towering, flower-decorated headgear is part of what makes this Calder Valley version itself, not a passing fancy-dress whim. Take a good look at the costumes before deciding the whole joke hangs on who wins a fight.
The parish also records that Dave Burnop helped revive the current Heptonstall version in 1979, after a spell without performances. So this is a tradition kept going and renewed by people, not a script that has somehow survived untouched since some confidently dated pagan ceremony. The website is refreshingly frank that its more distant origins are uncertain.
On a first visit, pick one complete performance and listen from the very start, rather than arriving halfway through and stepping in front of people already watching. If you stay for both village teams, compare the voices, entrances and comic timing; they won’t be identical productions. Take performance times from the current programme, as the parish’s background page keeps an old schedule and isn’t this Easter’s announcement.
Practical bits
Getting there and home
Hebden Bridge station, on the Calder Valley line between Leeds, Bradford and Manchester, is the nearest. Heptonstall sits on the steep hill above, about 30 minutes’ walk up the old packhorse route, or there is a local bus. Parking in the village is very limited and the lanes around Weavers Square are narrow and steep, so organisers encourage walking or public transport.
Access and families
Getting into the village deserves as much thought as where to stand. The parish describes a narrow, steep, cobbled main street with restricted access, and its visitor parking guidance sends drivers to the Social and Bowling Club at the edge of the village rather than through the centre. Follow the signs on the day, and check whether special Easter arrangements replace the usual parking advice. A village car park doesn’t mean a flat route to the performance.
From that parking area the parish describes two walking routes: one along an unmade lane towards the churches and museum, the other by Southfield and the bottom of the village. If you use a wheelchair, walking aid or buggy, ask which suits the conditions best rather than simply picking the one that looks shorter.
For a family with mixed stamina, meeting in the village before the show is easier than expecting everyone to manage the same uphill walk from Hebden Bridge. Agree a meeting point and keep your return transport plan handy. Nearby Heptonstall Museum has steps too, so check its arrangements separately before counting on it as an accessible indoor refuge.
Questions people ask
Do the two Pace Egg teams perform identical versions?
They share the tradition, but enjoy each team as its own performance. Check where the visiting Midgley team appears in the current programme.
Are the times on the parish background page current?
No, that page keeps a historical timetable. Use the newly issued Easter programme to plan your arrival.
Where does the parish direct visitors to park?
Its usual guidance points to the Social and Bowling Club at the village edge. Watch for event-day signs and special arrangements.
Does Heptonstall Museum have step-free access?
No: the parish’s museum page says access is restricted, with steps into and out of the historic building. Ask about your needs beforehand.
Plan your trip
Stay the night
Search places to stay in and around Hebden Bridge for 26 March 2027. Rooms near popular events go early, so check cancellation terms.
Find a place to stay on Booking.comNearest station: Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge station is at the foot of the hill; it is a steep walk of about 30 minutes up to Heptonstall, or take the local bus. Parking in the village is very limited.
Check trains on TrainlineBooking.com and Trainline links are affiliate links. What that means.
Where it is
The pin shows the approximate area. Open in OpenStreetMap
Make a weekend of it
Heptonstall Museum, at Church Yard Bottom, is a natural companion to the play. The building has been a warehouse, a grammar school and a bank, and the volunteer-run museum tells local stories including that of the Cragg Vale Coiners. David Hartley’s grave lies in the neighbouring churchyard. Check the current exhibition and opening times, as volunteer availability can affect opening, and take care on the cobbled approach and steps.
Hardcastle Crags offers a different kind of Calder Valley outing: a wooded valley with nineteenth-century Gibson Mill at its heart. The National Trust publishes visitor, walking and facilities information for the site, so pick a route from its guidance that suits the time and energy you have left after the village. A walk to the mill is more than a quick stroll from the play’s square. Check the mill and café separately from countryside access.
These stops work best as alternatives for different weather and moods. The museum keeps the focus on the people behind local history; the valley walk opens out into the landscape. There’s no need to squeeze both in around back-to-back performances to have a thoroughly satisfying Pace Egg day.
Odd things nearby
- Oxenhope Straw Race 5 miles away, First Sunday in July, starting at noon (4 July 2027 if the pattern holds)
- World Gravy Wrestling Championships 8 miles away, Late summer, recently on the August bank holiday Monday
- Britannia Coconut Dancers of Bacup 8 miles away, 27 March 2027
Also in March
- Whuppity Scoorie Lanark, South Lanarkshire
- UK Wife Carrying Race Dorking, Surrey
- Oranges and Lemons Service St Clement Danes, Strand, London
- Kiplingcotes Derby Kiplingcotes, East Riding of Yorkshire
Featured in Unusual Easter Traditions in the UK, Odd Yorkshire: 10 Strange Traditions.
About this guide
Check before you go. Timings for 2027 are usually published close to Easter; check HebWeb or the Hebden Bridge Local History Society’s social media.
About the date. Performed every Good Friday; HebWeb published the 2026 timetable for Good Friday 3 April 2026. Next date computed as Good Friday, 26 March 2027.
Researched from the sources below and last checked on . We haven’t visited every event or tested every journey, and the organiser’s own information always wins.
