Egremont Crab Fair and the World Gurning Championships return to West Cumbria on Saturday 19 September 2026, bringing one of the county's most distinctive traditions back to Egremont.
The main Saturday fair is confirmed for 19 September 2026. Visitors can expect the traditions that have made Crab Fair famous, including the Parade of the Apple Cart, traditional sports and the World Gurning Championships, alongside a modern festival programme and Crabfest 2026.
There is one important change this year. The organisers have confirmed that there will be no Friday-night Crab Fair event in 2026 after poor weather affected the previous year's event financially. The good news from the committee is that the Saturday fair is going ahead in full.
The complete 2026 timetable has not yet been released. The organiser's FAQ says the detailed programme is normally available from the start of September. Cumbria Guru will update this guide when the final running order is published rather than copying old timings into a new article.
Egremont Crab Fair 2026 at a glance
- Main fair date: Saturday 19 September 2026
- Location: Egremont, West Cumbria
- Main areas: Egremont town centre and the Crab Fair Sports Field
- Sports Field SatNav: CA22 2NG
- Friday-night event: Not taking place in 2026
- Crabfest: Confirmed for Saturday, with live music announced from 12pm
- Crabfest headline act: Sam Offender, a Sam Fender tribute act
- World Gurning Championships: Saturday evening; exact 2026 time and final venue should be checked when the programme is released
- Gurning entry: No pre-entry according to the organiser's current FAQ; entries are taken on the night
- Parking: The organiser's FAQ directs drivers to the Sports Field top gate, where it states there is a free car park
- Full programme: Expected from the start of September
What is confirmed for Egremont Crab Fair 2026?
The official Crab Fair website confirms Saturday 19 September 2026 as the main fair date.
The organisers have also begun announcing the Saturday entertainment. Sam Offender, a Sam Fender tribute act, will headline Crabfest 2026, with the event's current social information advertising live music from 12pm. The organisers have also announced The Holburn Hillbillies, known for country, folk and bluegrass-style live entertainment.
More of the detailed sporting, family and traditional programme is still to come. This matters because older Crab Fair timetables remain online and should not be mistaken for the 2026 running order.
No Friday-night Crab Fair event in 2026
One of the biggest changes for 2026 is that the usual Friday-night element will not take place.
The Crab Fair committee said poor weather hit the previous year's Friday event hard and left the Fair with a financial loss. As a result, the organisers have decided not to hold the Friday-night event this year.
The Saturday fair is still going ahead in full. Anyone who remembers previous years as a Friday-and-Saturday programme should therefore plan around Saturday 19 September for the main 2026 Crab Fair experience.
When will the full 2026 Crab Fair programme be released?
As of 11 August 2026, the full event-by-event schedule has not yet been published.
The organiser's FAQ says the programme, including event times and information, is made available before the Fair and should be available from the start of September.
That means exact 2026 timings for traditions such as the Apple Cart parade, sports programme and World Gurning Championships should be checked again closer to the event.
Cumbria Guru tip: bookmark this page rather than relying on a programme from 2024 or 2025. We will keep the 2026 information separate from previous years.
World Gurning Championships 2026
For many visitors, the World Gurning Championships are the event that makes Egremont Crab Fair famous far beyond Cumbria.
Competitors place their head through a horse collar, traditionally known as a braffin, and contort their face into the most extraordinary expression they can manage.
Guinness World Records recognises the Egremont Gurning World Championships as the longest-running gurning world championships. Its published record measured the competition at 171 years in 2023 and says competitive gurning has formed part of the Fair since at least 1852.
Modern competition includes men's, women's and junior categories. The winners of the senior competitions are crowned World Gurning Champions.
It is a genuinely unusual piece of living Cumbrian culture rather than a modern novelty created for visitors. That combination of history, humour and spectacle is why images from Egremont regularly travel far beyond West Cumbria.
For the background to the competition, see our dedicated guide to the World Gurning Championships.
How do you enter the World Gurning Championships?
The organiser's current FAQ says there is no pre-entry for the World Gurning Championships.
Entries are taken on the night. Competitors are advised to arrive around half an hour before the competition is due to start, watch for the entry announcement and complete their details at the entry table when their category opens.
The FAQ currently tells entrants to attend The Falcon Club. However, the official 2025 programme placed the championship at Egremont Market Hall. Because the final 2026 programme has not yet been released, Cumbria Guru recommends checking the confirmed 2026 evening venue before travelling specifically to compete or watch.
We will update this section when the 2026 programme resolves that point.
What time is the World Gurning Championships in 2026?
The championship takes place on Saturday evening, but an exact 2026 start time has not yet been confirmed in the final programme.
Do not assume that timings from previous years will be identical. If gurning is the main reason for your visit, check the organiser's official channels and this guide again once the September programme has been published.
What does 'gurning' actually mean?
In Crab Fair tradition, to gurn is to distort the face into an exaggerated grimace. The horse collar around the competitor's head creates the instantly recognisable framed-face look associated with the championship.
The official Crab Fair history records an 1852 contest described as Grinn for Tobacco and an 1884 reference to Grinning for 'bacca. Over time the contest became known as gurning through a braffin and eventually the World Gurning Competition.
The exact origin is uncertain, and some of the colourful stories attached to it are folklore rather than proven history. What is well established is that the competition has deep roots in the Crab Fair and has been documented since the nineteenth century.
Crabfest 2026
Crabfest brings the live-music side of the modern fair to the Sports Field.
The organisers have announced Sam Offender, a Sam Fender tribute act, as the 2026 headline act and are promoting live music from 12pm on Saturday 19 September.
The Holburn Hillbillies have also been announced for the 2026 event, adding a lively country, folk and bluegrass flavour to the line-up.
The complete Crabfest running order is still developing, so check again nearer the date for individual set times and any additional performers.
The Parade of the Apple Cart
The Apple Cart is one of the traditions that explains the strange name 'Crab Fair'. No, Egremont is not celebrating seafood.
The fair takes its name from crab apples. The official history links the tradition to the Lord of Egremont giving apples to local people. In the modern Parade of the Apple Cart, apples are thrown to crowds gathered along Main Street.
The historical account says the scattering of apples traditionally preceded the afternoon sports. Modern eating apples are used rather than the considerably sharper-tasting crab apples of the past.
The exact 2026 parade time has not yet been released, so we are deliberately not publishing the previous year's time as though it applies in 2026.
The greasy pole
Another Crab Fair tradition is the greasy pole.
The organiser's history describes a nineteenth-century pole around 30 feet high, greased with lard and climbed by competitors trying to reach a prize at the top. In 1852 the prize was recorded as a side of mutton. The tradition survived long after many other old fair contests disappeared.
It is exactly this mix of the eccentric, competitive and deeply local that makes Crab Fair different from a standard modern festival.
Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling and traditional sport
Traditional sport has long been central to Crab Fair, with Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling one of the best-known surviving elements.
The style begins with wrestlers taking a fixed hold around one another before trying to throw their opponent. The official Crab Fair history records wrestling alongside street racing, cycling, hound trails and many other competitions that have appeared in the Fair's long history.
The final 2026 sports timetable is still awaited. Competitors should use the official entry forms and schedule once they are published rather than relying on a previous year's categories or start times.
Fair week events before Saturday
Crab Fair is bigger than a single Saturday. The official 2026 website already lists several community events in the build-up to the main day:
- Friday 11 September: Queen Disco at the Laal Club
- Wednesday 16 September: Duck Race, listed from the Skate Park
- Friday 18 September: Darts Competition at the Laal Club
- Saturday 19 September: Main Egremont Crab Fair and World Gurning Championships day
Individual fundraising and sporting events may have their own entry fees, rules and timings. Check the organiser's event link for anything you plan to enter.
Parking for Egremont Crab Fair 2026
The organiser's FAQ gives CA22 2NG as the SatNav postcode for the Crab Fair Sports Field.
It says this brings visitors to the bottom gate, which is the pedestrian entrance. Drivers should continue uphill to the top gate, where the organiser states there is a free car park.
The busiest period is likely to be around the main daytime traditions and as visitors move towards the Sports Field. Follow temporary event signage and steward instructions rather than assuming normal town-centre access and parking will be unchanged.
Road-management information for 2026 has not yet been published in the full programme, so check again shortly before travelling.
Getting to Egremont
Egremont sits on the A595 in West Cumbria. The organiser describes the town as around four miles south of Whitehaven, with the Crab Fair Sports Field reached from the Main Street by turning at the war memorial and following event signs.
If you are making a day of it, our Egremont destination guide can help you explore more of the town and nearby West Cumbria.
Is Egremont Crab Fair family friendly?
Yes, the Fair has a long history of children's races, family entertainment and daytime activities, and the 2026 organisers are again promoting family attractions as part of the event.
Parents should remember that this is a busy town-wide event rather than a self-contained attraction. Main Street can become crowded around traditional events, while the Sports Field is an outdoor grass venue.
Keep children close during busy street events and follow any instructions from stewards, particularly around horses, sports competitions and the Apple Cart procession.
Can I bring a dog?
Crab Fair programmes have included dog events, but that does not automatically mean pet dogs are permitted or suitable in every event area.
Because the 2026 visitor rules are not yet fully published, check the final programme before taking a dog, particularly if you plan to attend crowded indoor evening events.
Accessibility
Crab Fair uses several different settings, including town streets, an outdoor sports field and evening venues. Surfaces and access therefore vary.
The organisers have not yet published a detailed 2026 access guide on the main event pages. Visitors with specific mobility, sensory or access requirements should contact the organisers before travelling once the final venue plan is available.
What if the weather is poor?
Much of the daytime programme is outdoors, so Cumbria's weather can have a real effect on the experience and on ground conditions at the Sports Field.
Wear footwear suitable for grass if conditions are wet and bring waterproof layers if rain is forecast. Check the organiser's social channels on the morning of the Fair for any weather-related programme changes.
The decision not to run a Friday-night event in 2026 followed financial losses associated with poor weather the previous year, which is another reason to pay attention to official updates close to the date.
Why does Egremont have a Crab Fair?
The roots of the event stretch back to 1267, when King Henry III granted Thomas de Multon, Lord of the Barony of Egremont, a Royal Charter for a weekly market and an annual fair.
The modern Fair is traditionally held on the third Saturday in September. Its name is associated with the distribution of crab apples, while centuries of local sporting and entertainment traditions grew around the gathering.
That makes the 2026 fair 759 years after the charter traditionally associated with its foundation.
The event has not literally run without interruption every single year. Guinness World Records notes hiatuses for the world wars and COVID-19. Its extraordinary longevity is still what makes the Fair so unusual.
For more background, read our evergreen history of Egremont Crab Fair.
Why the World Gurning Championships matter
It is easy to treat gurning as simply a funny photograph, but its value to Egremont is bigger than that.
The championship is an instantly recognisable local tradition with genuine historic depth and international reach. Guinness World Records formally recognises Egremont's championship for its longevity, while the spectacle gives a small West Cumbrian town a cultural identity that can travel around the world.
For visitors, it is one of those rare events where the experience could not simply be moved to another generic festival site and remain the same. The town, the Fair and the competition are part of one story.
How to plan your Crab Fair day
If you want to see as much as possible, plan for a long day.
The daytime experience is centred around Egremont town centre and the Crab Fair Sports Field, while the World Gurning Championships form part of the Saturday-evening programme. Crabfest also brings live music to the day, with music currently advertised from noon.
Once the final programme is published, identify the traditional events you most want to see and work backwards from those. The Apple Cart and gurning are likely to attract especially strong interest.
Arriving with plenty of time is sensible if you are competing in gurning because the organiser specifically asks entrants to be at the evening venue around half an hour before the competition.
Egremont Crab Fair 2026 FAQs
When is Egremont Crab Fair 2026?
The main Fair takes place on Saturday 19 September 2026.
Is there a Friday-night event in 2026?
No. The organisers have confirmed that they will not hold the usual Friday-night event in 2026. The main Saturday Crab Fair is still going ahead in full.
When are the World Gurning Championships?
The World Gurning Championships take place on the Saturday evening. The exact 2026 time has not yet been published in the final programme.
Where will the World Gurning Championships be held?
The organiser's current FAQ tells entrants to attend the Falcon Club, while the official 2025 programme used Egremont Market Hall. With the final 2026 programme still pending, check the confirmed venue before travelling specifically for the championship.
Do I need to enter the gurning competition in advance?
No. The organiser's FAQ says entries are taken on the night with no pre-entry. It advises competitors to arrive around half an hour before the competition starts.
What is a braffin?
A braffin is the horse collar used to frame a competitor's face during the gurning competition.
Who is playing at Crabfest 2026?
The organisers have announced Sam Offender, a Sam Fender tribute act, as the headline act. The Holburn Hillbillies have also been announced. Current publicity says live music starts from 12pm.
When will the full 2026 programme be available?
The Crab Fair FAQ says detailed programmes are normally available from the start of September. This guide will be updated when the final 2026 timings are released.
Where do I park for Egremont Crab Fair?
The organiser's FAQ gives CA22 2NG for the Sports Field. It says drivers should continue from the pedestrian bottom gate to the top gate, where there is a free car park.
Why is it called Crab Fair?
The name refers to crab apples, not crabs. The tradition of distributing apples continues through the Parade of the Apple Cart.
How old is Egremont Crab Fair?
The Fair traces its foundation to a Royal Charter granted in 1267. The 2026 event comes 759 years after that charter.
Check again before travelling
This guide was researched and checked on 11 August 2026. Several important 2026 details are confirmed, but the complete timetable has not yet been published.
We have deliberately not copied exact Apple Cart, sports or gurning times from an older programme. Those details will be added when the organisers release the 2026 schedule.
Before travelling, check the official Egremont Crab Fair website and the organiser's latest social updates.
You can also explore our Egremont guide, read the history of Egremont Crab Fair, or find out more about the World Gurning Championships.
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