Black pudding throwing, Ramsbottom: held Sunday 13 September

The World Black Pudding Throwing Championships are back on Bridge Street, Ramsbottom, on Sunday 13 September 2026, running from 11am to 6pm. It is free to watch, the proceeds go to charity, and it is the one day a year when a Greater Manchester side street fills up with people who have flown in from Peru.

The date is the second Sunday in September, which is where it always falls.

What actually happens

A stack of Yorkshire puddings sits on a plinth 20 feet up. Competitors stand on a marked block known as the golden grid and hurl three black puddings underarm at the stack, trying to knock down as many as they can. The puddings are wrapped in a stocking so they do not disintegrate when they land.

The black puddings come from Chadwicks on Bury Market, and are weighed and measured beforehand to make sure each one meets the size and weight rules. The Yorkshire puddings are supplied by Aunt Bessie’s.

Locals will tell you it should be called hurling, not throwing, because the rules require an underarm delivery. The name has not changed in 40 years and probably will not now.

Where it is and what else is on

The championships are held on Bridge Street, outside The Oaks, the pub formerly called the Royal Oak. It moved there after the original venue, the Corner Pin at Stubbins, closed and was converted to offices.

In 2025 the day carried a doughnut stall, several drinks stalls, fairground rides for children and a live music stage with around 15 local bands. Nothing published so far suggests a different shape for 2026, but the line-up has not been announced.

Getting there without a car

Ramsbottom’s own streets are the venue, so parking near Bridge Street on the day is close to hopeless. The East Lancashire Railway makes the point on its own listing for the event: the championships do not take place at the railway, but it encourages visitors to travel in by heritage steam or diesel train, and Ramsbottom station is a short walk from Bridge Street. Check the ELR timetable for the Sunday service before you plan around it.

If you are driving, our parking in Bury page has the council tariffs across the borough, and anything closed or diverted that weekend will show on the roadworks and travel page. No road closure order for the championships had been published when we checked.

Why 2026 mattering is not a given

The event nearly disappeared last year. It was cancelled in July 2025, blamed on administrative problems and the sudden death of the lead organiser, Phil Taylor, 73, from Stubbins. A group of volunteers put it back together and it ran anyway on 14 September 2025, in the wet, to a crowd of hundreds.

The 2025 winner was Jedd Flan of Salford, who had been coming for 17 years. His winning throw travelled 20 feet out and 20 feet up. Competitors that day came from Hong Kong, America, Japan, Australia, France, Peru and Sri Lanka, and past champions have come from Bury, Turkey, Wales and Australia.

The history, and the bit that is a story

The championships have run annually since 1984. The legend attached to them says the tradition goes back to the Wars of the Roses, to a 1455 skirmish at Stubbins where the armies of Lancaster and York ran out of ammunition and began throwing their rations at each other. Treat that as folklore rather than history: it is repeated by the organisers and by the East Lancashire Railway, and there is no contemporary record of it.

If you want to enter

Entry has traditionally been on the day, at the golden grid, for a small fee that goes to charity. The organisers have not published entry details for 2026 and there is no official championship website; the event’s own announcements go out through Facebook and through Ramsbottom’s local calendar. We will update this page when entry terms are published.

More things to do across the borough are on our things to do in Bury page.

Frequently asked questions

When are the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships 2026? Sunday 13 September 2026, 11am to 6pm, on Bridge Street in Ramsbottom.

How much does it cost to watch? Nothing. It is a free street event and the money raised goes to charity.

What are the rules? Three black puddings, hurled underarm from the golden grid, at a stack of Yorkshire puddings on a plinth 20 feet up. Knock down the most and you win.

How do I get there? Ramsbottom station is a short walk from Bridge Street, and the East Lancashire Railway encourages visitors to travel in by train. Parking near the venue is very limited.

Is it on every year? It has run annually since 1984, though the 2025 event was cancelled in July and only reinstated by volunteers after the organiser died.

Sources

Checked 5 September 2026: the East Lancashire Railway’s event listing, which carries the Sunday 13 September date; The Oldham Times, “Date confirmed for Black Pudding Throwing Championship”, for the 11am to 6pm running time, the 2025 cancellation and reinstatement, the winner, the suppliers and the international entries; and Wikipedia for the venue history and the second-Sunday rule.