Hard hats at the ready! Crowds flocked to Honiton this week to join the in the fun of the town’s annual hot pennies ceremony.
Honiton Town Crier Caroline Kolek on Tuesday (July 28) led the town’s centuries old tradition, declaring ‘the glove is up’, where the ancient garlanded glove was paraded then raised, before warm pennies were thrown from High Street windows for the waiting crowds to collect.
The glove is up, centre. Fun at the annual Honiton hot pennies ceremony. Photos: Focus Toys.
The ancient ceremony dates back more than 800 years and was a way of encouraging people into the town for the annual fair.
Waiting crowds at Honiton hot pennies 2026.
Photos: submitted.
For years, the pennies thrown from windows and balconies were later spent at the fair. Now the event is always held on the first Tuesday after July 19, even if the fair is out of town.
A busy Honiton High Street as crowds keen to catch hot pennies follow the town crier. Photos: Focus Toys.
Today, many people wear hats and helmets as a shield while they try to catch the coins falling from windows of some of the High Street businesses and pubs.
Left: Coins rain down below at Honiton hot pennies 2026. Right: The Glove is Up. Photos: submitted.
There is always much laughter and excitement as the crowd scrabbles to pick up the pennies, or use buckets and umbrellas to catch the coins as they rain down from above.
The celebrations are brought to a close when the garlanded pole is hoisted high and the town mayor scatters the last of the hot pennies.
Left: Coins were thrown below to waiting crowd. Right: Honiton Town Crier Caroline Kolek led Honiton hot pennies 2026. Photos: submitted.
This year was Honiton Town Crier Caroline Kolek’s maiden hot pennies event, leading the crowds through the town, stopping at pubs and historic buildings for pennies to be scattered from above to the waiting throng.
She took over as town crier in 2025 after Dave Retter hung up his bell and retired after 30 years.
Shortly before his retirement Dave revealed the ‘quirky’ event had been the reason he agreed to become town crier, remembering his time as a boy, skiving off school to go, because 6p of collected hot pennies made him ‘well off’.
The hot pennies celebrations start after the town crier calls ‘Oyez, oyez, oyez! The glove is up, the glove is up, the glove is up. The Fair has begun, the fair has begun, the fair has begun. No man shall be arrested, no man shall be arrested, no man shall be arrested, until the glove is taken down, until the glove is taken down, until the glove is taken down. God save the King!’
The route changes each year so the garlanded pole is rotated between the businesses and pubs distributing coins.
For many years it was held as part of the town’s celebrations to mark its royal charter anniversary.
