Have a look at the meaning of the Cooper’s Hill British Cheese Rolling and Wake Festival, race rules, competition origin and more about the sport
British Cheese Rolling is a wild and dangerous sport that is held every year, find out more details about the competition and about this year’s winners below.
Every year, the sport sees thrill-seekers hurling themselves down the steep Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire for a runaway wheel of Double Gloucester cheese.
What is the Cooper’s Hill British Cheese Rolling and Wake Festival, race rules, competition origin, sport history, format, location, deaths and injuries
🧀🏆🫣 Cheese rolling chaos. At Cooper’s Hill, a daring competitor went airborne, tumbling down the 180-meter slope in pursuit of the speeding wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. The viral clip shows him losing balance, flipping mid-air, and crash-landing before appearing knocked… pic.twitter.com/0GW0fk1vuf
— GoodMorningRooster (@RoosterGM) May 28, 2025
have a look at these baby’s, cheese roll today in the uk
Look interesting 🧐 this year. pic.twitter.com/8IxwMr1olK— Nesly Lexine (@NeslyJunior24) May 27, 2025
The race sees participants reaching speeds of over 70 mph, although the cheese is virtually impossible to catch.
British Cheese Rolling history
According to historians, the British Cheese Rolling tradition started during the Roman times. However, the earliest written record comes from during 1837. According to food historian Emma Kay, the event likely has pagan roots and was most probably tied to midsummer rituals involving flaming hay bales. Over time, the villagers eventually swapped fire for food, possibly turning it into a fertility or harvest offering.
This ceremony originally took place each Whit Monday, but was later moved to the Spring Bank Holiday and the first written evidence of cheese rolling is found in a message written to the Gloucester town crier in 1826 and even then it was apparent that the event was an old tradition, and it is believed to be at least six hundred years old.
Due to the steepness and uneven surface of Cooper’s Hill, there are usually several injuries each year and despite no medical aid available on site, no deaths have been reported till death despite severe injuries.
In 2025, two people were rushed to hospital for injuries.
British Cheese Rolling type of cheese used
Cheese chasing champion two times in a row – what an incredible sporting achievement from German Tom Kopke who emerged victorious at the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake in Gloucestershire for a second time.
"It's my cheese – back to back"pic.twitter.com/baFi1f4RXG
— German Embassy London (@GermanEmbassy) May 27, 2025
The competition typically uses a 7-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese, made from the rich milk of Gloucester cows. It is a full-fat, hard cheese, aged for six months, and has a smooth, buttery texture and golden hue from annatto seeds. Notably, a local woman named Diana Smart of Smart’s Farm famously crafted the race cheese for years. She started making them in her 60s and continued for several years, up until her death at 86. Following her death, her son Rod Smart has since carried on the tradition.
British Cheese Rolling competition rules and format
Each year, the event takes place on Whit Monday in late May, and features up to 20 competitors. All the competitors line up at the top of Cooper’s Hill at the beginning of the race, while a local dignitary launches the cheese. The race begins as soon as the cheese is rolled and there are no fancy protocol or officiating crew. The rules are simple, with the first person to reach the bottom of the hill winning the wheel of cheese.
From the top of the hill, a 7–9-pound (3–4-kilogram) round of Double Gloucester cheese is sent rolling down the hill, which is 200 yards (180 m) long, and with a slope of around 50 percent (26.6 degrees) and competitors then start racing down the hill after the cheese.
[Cheese Rolling] The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake: Broken bones, death threats, and a very, very, steep hill.
byu/Tokyono inHobbyDrama
There are 7 races during the festival– 4 downhill races (3 men’s, 1 women’s) and 3 uphill races (2 children’s, 1 mixed adults).
Several people were hospitalized after Monday’s cheese-rolling event in the UK. It’s a tradition that dates back centuries😬pic.twitter.com/Bea6NB8ZLF
— kira 👾 (@kirawontmiss) May 27, 2025
British Cheese Rolling schedule
The competition is held annually on Whit Monday, and the 2025 Cheese Rolling took place on Monday, May 26, 2025.
British Cheese Rolling 2025 Winners
This year again, German YouTuber Tom Kopke claimed his second straight victory at the 2025 Gloucestershire cheese-rolling event in the men’s race. Meanwhile, local Luke Preece, dressed as Superman, won the second men’s race. Ava Sender Logan, who is a 20-year-old student from London, won the women’s title. This was her first-ever competition and she won the race despite hitting her head. Lastly, a New Zealander, Byron Smith, who came in second last year, won the final men’s race.
The prize for each race winner is an eight-pound wheel of cheese.
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