Custom · Olney · Legendary
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Skirts, frying pans and a 415-yard sprint to church.
See it clearly
Free to watch from the High Street on Shrove Tuesday, with the race at about 11.55am and stalls in the Market Place. Next race 9 February 2027; the church is the finish.
Welcome to Olney, where every Shrove Tuesday the women sprint down the high street flipping pancakes, a tradition said to go back to 1445.
Every Shrove Tuesday the women of Olney race 415 yards from the Market Place to the church of St Peter and St Paul, wearing skirt and headscarf and tossing a pancake in a frying pan. Local legend says it began in 1445 when a housewife, busy making pancakes, heard the shriving bell and ran to church still holding her pan. The race has certainly run every year since 1948, apart from 2021, and since 1950 Olney has competed against Liberal, Kansas, comparing winning times by phone. The 2026 race was held on 17 February, followed by a shriving service in the church.