UK Wife Carrying Race
Dorking, Surrey
Pairs tackle a course with one adult carrying another.
14 March 2027Date announcedHave a go
Odd contests you can enter
Watching somebody wrestle in gravy is one sort of afternoon. Climbing in is another. Every event here has a have-a-go element, from pea shooting and stone skimming to races involving beds, woolsacks or another adult. Pick one whose entry requirements suit your group: not every contest takes people who just turn up.
Eligibility, team size, kit and registration are all down to the organiser’s current rules, and a participation flag is a starting point, not a reserved place. Read the individual guide, sort any entry in advance and take the physical side seriously: competitive putting and carrying a partner make rather different demands on your knees.
11 events in this guide
In date order
- 14MarUK Wife Carrying RaceDorking, Surrey14 March 2027 — date announcedStay nearby
- 12JunGreat Knaresborough Bed RaceKnaresborough, North Yorkshire12 June 2027 — date announcedStay nearby
- 12JunWorld Custard Pie ChampionshipCoxheath, Kent12 June 2027 — date announcedStay nearby
- 10JulWorld Peashooting ChampionshipWitcham, Cambridgeshire10 July 2027 — date announcedStay nearby
- 11SepWorld Stone Skimming ChampionshipsEasdale Island, Argyll11 September 2027 — date announcedStay nearby
- JunusuallyWorld Worm Charming ChampionshipsWillaston near Nantwich, CheshireA Saturday in JuneStay nearby
- MayusuallyWorld Pooh Sticks ChampionshipsSandford-on-Thames, OxfordshireUsually a Sunday in late MayStay nearby
- AugusuallyWorld Gravy Wrestling ChampionshipsBacup, LancashireLate summer, recently on the August bank holiday MondayStay nearby
- SepusuallyWorld Black Pudding Throwing ChampionshipsRamsbottom, Greater ManchesterUsually the second Sunday in September, outside The Oaks pub on Bridge StreetStay nearby
- MayusuallyTetbury Woolsack RacesTetbury, GloucestershireSpring bank holiday Monday (late May)Stay nearby
- JunusuallyWorld Crazy Golf ChampionshipsHastings, East SussexUsually in JuneStay nearby
The events
Great Knaresborough Bed Race
Knaresborough, North Yorkshire
Decorated beds race through town and across the River Nidd.
12 June 2027Date announcedHave a go
World Custard Pie Championship
Coxheath, Kent
Teams compete in a slapstick pie-throwing contest.
12 June 2027Date announcedHave a go
World Peashooting Championship
Witcham, Cambridgeshire
Dried peas are blown through tubes at targets.
10 July 2027Date announcedHave a go
World Stone Skimming Championships
Easdale Island, Argyll
Stone-skimming competition on a former slate-quarry island.
11 September 2027Date announcedHave a go
World Worm Charming Championships
Willaston near Nantwich, Cheshire
Competitors use vibrations to coax worms to the surface.
A Saturday in JuneHave a go
World Pooh Sticks Championships
Sandford-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
Players drop sticks into the Thames at Sandford Lock and race them to a finish line.
Usually a Sunday in late MayHave a go
World Gravy Wrestling Championships
Bacup, Lancashire
Fancy-dress wrestling in a pool of gravy.
Late summer, recently on the August bank holiday MondayHave a go
World Black Pudding Throwing Championships
Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester
Throwers hurl black puddings at a stack of Yorkshire puddings on a tall plinth.
Usually the second Sunday in September, outside The Oaks pub on Bridge StreetHave a go
Tetbury Woolsack Races
Tetbury, Gloucestershire
Competitors carry heavy woolsacks on a steep town-centre course.
Spring bank holiday Monday (late May)Have a go
World Crazy Golf Championships
Hastings, East Sussex
Competitive putting takes over the seaside crazy golf course in Hastings.
Usually in JuneHave a go
“Stay nearby” links go to Booking.com, and each event guide also has train links. These are affiliate links. What that means.