Cotswold Olimpick Games 2026

Cotswold Olimpick Games 2026

One of the oldest and strangest sporting events in England, held on the same hillside it's been held on since 1612. The Cotswold Olimpick Games return to Dover's Hill above Chipping Campden for a Friday evening that moves from chaotic fun to something genuinely memorable by the time the fireworks go up.

The headline act — and there's really nothing quite like it anywhere else is the World Shin Kicking Championship. Competitors grip each other by the collar and attempt to bring their opponent down with blows to the shin. Straw is stuffed into socks for padding. It is exactly as ridiculous and brilliant as it sounds. Around it, you get live music, dancers, circus entertainers, children's activities, food vendors, and a vintage Ferris wheel spinning on the hillside.

The evening closes with a beacon lighting, a fireworks display, and a torch-lit procession down into Chipping Campden where the night carries on in the town square. Kept alive for over four centuries by the Robert Dover's Games Society. One of those things you should do at least once.

Friday 29 May 2026 · Dover's Hill, Weston Subedge, Chipping Campden GL55 6UW · Gates 4:00pm