26 May 2025
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26 May 2026
In the style of Asterix and Obelix, the spectators of the Coopers Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake could have the opinion about the brave participants: they're crazy. The Coopers Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event that takes place on the Spring Bank Holiday near Gloucester in England. It involves participants chasing a real double Gloucester cheese around a 180-meter hill course. Why? To catch it, of course.
The Double Gloucester cheese weighs about three to four kilograms and is pushed down from the top of the hill near the village of Brockworth. Participants run, well, sometimes roll after this round cheese. The first to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill is the winner. The prize, of course, is the cheese. One can also win the game by catching the cheese on the track. However, it must be taken into account that the Gloucester "cheese" which was later replaced by a foam replica for safety reasons has a head start of about one second and reaches high speeds.
The cheese racing event will feature separate races throughout the day. Whether you participate or spectate: Fun is guaranteed in any case. The English call this event probably the craziest festival in the UK. Now the Cheese Rolling Festival attracts daredevil participants to the top of Coopers Hill. After only a few meters, participants realise that it's actually impossible to get down the hill upright.
The cheese rolling races are held for women and men.
The event traditionally takes place on Coopers Hill in the village of Brockworth, near Gloucester. People from all over the world visit this village once a year for this event. The locals, of course, have a bit of an advantage, as they know Coopers Hill very well. At the pub in the neighbouring village of Shurdington, tellingly named The Cheese Rollers, the visitors can celebrate their courage after the event.
As with any tradition, there are different versions of how it came about. The beginning is estimated to be in the 15th century. One can imagine that the race was for the grazing rights on the commons. Another explanation refers to pagan origins. Here people threw bundles of burning brushwood down the hill. This custom was supposed to represent the end of winter.
What are the rules of the cheese race?
As already described, there are several separate races. There are four downhill races in total. Admitted in each case a maximum of 14 participants. There are, of course, Masters of the Ceremony who run the event. They open the event by exclaiming, "One to be ready, two to be steady, three to get ready (at which point the cheese is released), and four to go out."
When is the cheese race held and who can participate?
The event is held every year on Spring Bank Holiday Monday and starts at 12 noon. To participate in the cheese race, be ready at the top of the hill on time and report to the organizers. Don't necessarily wear your favorite clothes. It is very likely that you will not come down the hill standing upright.
Learn more about the Cheese Rolling in Gloucester
1. Go to the official website and double check the event dates, prices and regulations.
2. Book hotel rooms in Gloucester available during the event. ⤵︎
2.1. Pick a hotel room by location and by price.
2.2. The search is done for 1 guest and the entire duration of the event. Click on the 'Filter', 'Guests', and 'Dates' buttons to adjust the search.
🏨 In the 'Filters' section, you can tell if you are looking for hotels or vacation homes. Here, you can filter the results by stars, review ratings, and budget.
👨👩👧👦 In this section, you can specify the number of guests (adults and children) and the number of rooms you want to book.
📆 Finally, you can change the date of your stay.
2.3. Save more money! Some hotel rooms are provided by multiple hotel booking websites. You will see them on the top of the hotel room details when you hover the mouse over the room. Be it Booking.com, Expedia, Trivago, Opodo, or other providers, select the best price provider for the room during the chosen period.
2.4. If hotel rooms are not available around the event location, you can zoom out or search by a nearby city/town name. If you have a specific hotel in mind, you can even search the particular hotel name.
2.5. Bonus tip: Switch to Experiences search. Perhaps you will find great tours and activities!
2.6. Pro tip: The map of the experiences may help you find the most vibrant areas in the city and the best locations where you can look for accommodations for your stay.
3. If everything is fine you can buy all the tickets