The world's oldest surviving Olympick games — with a Contemplative Labs gathering before and after.
Dover's Hill above Chipping Campden has hosted this ceremony since 1612, founded in the same Renaissance moment that produced Shakespeare and the Hermetic revival. What looks like an eccentric rural festival is something older underneath: a hilltop gathering, a beacon lit at dusk, a torch-lit procession descending into the town. We're going as a group — to watch, to compete if the spirit moves, and to be present together for the procession, which is the heart of it.
"...Events come and go; the novelty passes. But Robert Dover's Games continue to attract crowds to Dover's Hill on a late May or early June evening. One may ask why and offer emotional reasons — The setting has its romantic qualities. The sound of a band, particularly a pipe band, echoing across a hillside can be haunting. Bearing a torch aloft can evoke the past. Combine all three elements in the procession from the hillside as darkness falls and one can feel part of the agelessness of ways in which people have always enjoyed themselves." — Dr Francis Burns - A life-long friend to and scholar of The Games.
HOW THE EVENING UNFOLDS
4:00 pm Gates open on Dover’s Hill
Early arrivals welcome — a good time to walk the hill before it fills.
5:30 pm We meet on Dover’s Hill
Time to find each other, settle in, and have time together before the ceremony begins.
6:45 pm Opening ceremony
The formal beginning. Worth being in place for.
7:00 pm The Games
Shin-kicking championships, tug of war, folk dancers, musicians, circus entertainers, a vintage ferris wheel. Participate or watch — no agenda.
Sunset Fireworks
The games draw to a close as the light goes. The fireworks follow.
After dark The torch-lit procession
Pipes and Drums lead the descent from Dover's Hill into Chipping Campden — a mile or so through the dark. This is the heart of the evening. Stay for this.
Town square We eat together
The procession arrives in Chipping Campden town square, where food stalls are waiting. Find each other, eat, and talk over what arose. For those still standing, W!RED — a high-energy live covers band — play on into the night.
PRACTICAL NOTES
Tickets— £10/adult at the door; early bird available at last year's prices through Eventbrite.
Contemplative Labs gathering fee — £8, covering coordination and hosting.
Getting there — Dover's Hill, Weston Subedge, Chipping Campden GL55 6UW.
On the hill — no dogs, no alcohol permitted during the games.
Getting there — Dover's Hill, Weston Subedge, Chipping Campden GL55 6UW.
Dress — layers. It will be warm on the hill and cold after dark.
