The historic pancake race is returning to the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire on February 17, 2026, as residents prepare to celebrate a tradition that spans several centuries. The annual event involves local women racing through the streets while carrying frying pans and tossing pancakes.
The competition is organised by the Olney Pancake Race Committee and follows a 415-yard route starting at the Market Place. Runners must wear traditional clothing — a skirt, apron and headscarf — and are required to toss their pancake at both the start and the finish of the dash.
At 11:55am the town will hear the traditional pancake bell, which signals the start of the race; the course finishes at the doors of St Peter and St Paul’s Church. Following the race, the community will hold the annual Shriving Service, traditionally said to date back to 1445 when a busy resident reportedly ran to the church clutching her frying pan so she would not be late for service. (The 1445 origin is the customary local account; some historians note written records confirming the event’s regularity only appear later.) The Shriving Service is scheduled to begin at about 12:15pm.
This year’s event features local sponsorship from George Davies Turf & Stone — the marquee sponsor for 2026 — and continues a long-running international rivalry with the town of Liberal, Kansas, in the United States. According to the Milton Keynes Citizen, the winner’s time in Olney will be compared against the American runners to name an overall international champion for 2026.
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