The World Gurning Championships

The World Gurning Championships is an annual event held at the Egremont Crab Fair in the Lake District.

Egremont Crab Fair was established in 1267, which makes it one of the oldest fairs in the world.
A number of different events take place during the fair, including Cumberland wrestling, Wheelbarrow racing, pipe smoking, and climbing the greasy pole!

Here is a short video of a man trying to climb the greasy pole

 

One of the more famous events is ‘gurning’.
‘Gurning’ means to make a strange facial expression – or ‘pull a face’.

The World Gurning Championships are held during the Egremont Crab Fair.
There is a mens and a womens event, and the top 3 ‘gurners’ receive a prize.
Contestants put their heads through a horse collar, and ‘snarl like a dog, look savage, and distort their faces’.

The legend of ‘gurning’ is a man called Tommy Mattinson, who has won the World Championship 16 times.