Event: United Kingdom

Egremont Crab Fair

When:	20 Sep 2008 (annual)
Where:	Egremont
Costs:	Free
Opening Hours:	6pm

Since medieval times, Egremont has celebrated crab apple time with unique events. The Crab Fair features unlikely sports such as climbing up a greasy pole to try and get a leg of lamb, and the World Gurning Championships.

The gurning competitiors have to try and pull the ugliest face with their heads stuck through a horse's braffin (collar) - there are female, male and junior competitions. The winner is the one with the loudest applause. If you don't want your contorted face to be caught on camera, then it's best not to participate, as the event attracts its fair share of TV crews.

The Crab Fair was first held in 1267, when local Lord of the Manor wheeled a cart of crab apples through the village for the poor. Crab apples are known for their sharp, sour taste and one theory of how the mass gurning started is said to originate from the contorted faces the locals made when they bit into the apples.

The night before the main festivities there is a junior disco and the choosing of the Crab Fair Queen, while the Wednesday before that sees the arrival of Robertson's funfair for the duration - always popular with the kids.