Greasy pole

What it is

The name covers two things: a slippery pole, and the contests held on it. A pole is rubbed with grease, lanolin, soap or animal fat until hands and feet cannot hold. Competitors may climb a vertical pole, walk along a horizontal one fixed over water, or try to stay on top. Poles differ in height and shape, and some stand eight metres tall. A prize waits at the top or the far end: a flag, money, goods, a hat, meat. Some contests allow only individual attempts. Others rely on teams who form human pyramids to lift one person up.

Origins and history

Where the game began is not settled. A similar contest in Naples is recorded from the 16th century, and Malta's il-ġostra is said to come from the Neapolitan cuccagna, or cockaigne, with Maltese versions going back to the Middle Ages. In Indonesia, the game is thought to have arrived with Dutch colonial rule in the 1700s. In New York, legend says John Van Arsdale climbed a greased flagpole on 25 November 1783, Evacuation Day, to take down a British flag. Through European colonists the game reached places such as the Philippines and Taiwan.

Fairs and festivals

At the Crab Fair in Egremont, Cumbria, a pole of about nine metres is climbed, and the prize changed from a hat to a side of mutton in 1852. Seaview on the Isle of Wight and Blakeney in North Norfolk both run horizontal poles over the sea; Blakeney's event dates from 1873. Malta's towns of St. Julian's and Msida hold an il-ġostra each year in late August, with three flags to reach. In Taiwan, teams help one member climb a tallow-greased pole after the Ghost Festival. Philadelphia restarted its climb at the Italian Market Festival in 2016, and Gloucester in Massachusetts holds one during St. Peter's Fiesta.

School and college climbs

Some poles mark a stage in student life rather than a festival. First-year engineering students at Queen's University in Canada climb a pole and take down a tam during Frosh Week. Their pole is a metal goalpost taken from the University of Toronto in 1955, now coated in lanolin and standing in a pit of muddy water. At the United States Naval Academy, plebes climb the greased Herndon Monument to swap a plebe hat for a midshipman's hat, a team effort that closes their first year. Dos Pueblos High School in California runs a contest during senior week.

Today and change

Rules have shifted over the years, often for safety. Egremont dropped its greasy pole in 2004 because insurance against a fall cost too much, and a sculpture of a pole was put up in the town in 2008. Queen's students stopped throwing objects at climbers, cleaned the pit and began letting women take part. At Bear River in Nova Scotia competitors must fall clean: anyone who grabs the pole on the way down is out. In July 2024 Grace Thompson became the first woman to reach the end of Blakeney's pole.

How Greasy pole is kept

A pole is greased, then placed upright, laid across water or fixed at an angle over the sea. Organisers hang or nail a prize at the far end or the top: a flag, a hat, money, household goods. Competitors take turns or work in teams. Some climb; others walk the length of a horizontal pole and are judged by how far they get before falling. The winner is the first to touch or take the prize. Crowds gather to watch, and the fall is as much a part of the event as the success.

When and where

Timing follows the local festival. Indonesia's panjat pinang is held on or near 17 August. Malta's il-ġostra runs in late August. Gloucester holds its contest during St. Peter's Fiesta, Philadelphia in May, and Chile around the Dieciocho. Blakeney schedules its pole for high tide.

The game appears across Indonesia, Brazil, Portugal, Italy, Malta, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Turkey, Chile, Canada, Britain and the United States, and in Taiwan, the Philippines and the Zomi areas of Burma, India and Bangladesh. It is strongest where a fair, saint's feast or national holiday already brings a crowd together.

What Greasy pole means

For the people who run these contests, the pole is a public test. It rewards grip, balance and nerve, and it often rewards a group that works together. Failure is expected and is part of the fun; falling into water or mud draws a crowd. In Britain the phrase took on a second life as a picture of a career: Benjamin Disraeli said in 1868 that he had climbed to the top of the greasy pole.

Days Greasy pole is marked

Questions people ask about Greasy pole

See also

PasolaA ritual horseback spear contest in western Sumba marking the rice-planting seasonJack-o'-lanternA carved pumpkin lantern lit with a candle to brighten and protect Halloween nightsBrigid's crossA cross of woven rushes or straw, made for Saint Brigid's Day on the first of FebruaryBarn raisingA communal tradition where neighbours assemble to erect a farm barn in a few days

Good reading and sources

• Greasy pole on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.