Chester is getting ready to welcome town criers from across the globe this September, as the World Town Crier Tournament returns to the city for the first time since 2014.
Taking place from 22–26 September, the tournament will see 25 town criers from eight nations – including Australia, Canada, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA – come together in Chester to compete for the title of world’s best town crier. Across three competition days, they’ll be judged on vocal power, clarity, showmanship and audience engagement.
And for the second day of competition, they’ll be heading to Eastgate Square!
On Thursday 24 September, we’ll host round two of the tournament, with sessions taking place from 11am–12.30pm and 2pm–3.30pm. This round has a particularly fitting Eastgate Square twist, as competitors will perform retail cries celebrating our fabulous stores in front of a panel of four judges.
Scores will remain under wraps until the tournament’s final announcement, although a celebrity judge will be on hand to reveal the winner of the day’s competition.
Chester is the perfect setting for the spectacle. The city’s town crier tradition dates all the way back to 1554, and Chester remains the only UK city to have a daily town crier proclamation throughout the peak summer season.
The tournament is completely free to watch, so whether you’re following the competition throughout the week or simply fancy hearing some of the world’s finest town criers giving our stores something to shout about, we’d love to see you at Eastgate Square for Day 2.
Thursday 24 September
11am–12.30pm and 2pm–3.30pm
The Square – Eastgate Square