World Town Crier Tournament
September 2026 - Now don’t judge me before I’ve even started. Rules dictate that there is only one way to start a blog on this particular subject. It is tradition. It is the law even, and I am not one to break with either tradition or law.
So, if you will allow me to…
Oyez, 🔔🔔 Oyez, 🔔🔔 Oyez 🔔🔔 !
The City of Chester has spent the past week playing host to 25 of the finest town criers, representing eight nations from across the globe, all doing battle for the title of World Town Crier. Now, this must be one of the most eccentric events I’ve been to, because the whole thing is about eccentricity, a spectacle even, all designed to gain your attention so as to pass on that all important message. In the days when the word had to come to you, rather than you look for it, it was, you might say the Google of the 1500’s.
Chester is quite accomplished at hosting this event as it has done so, on four previous occasions, in 2001, 2004, 2010 and 2014 and this time around it will be compared by the City’s own Town Crier, David Mitchell, who has held the role for the past twenty-seven years, but sadly, as host, is forbidden from entering the tournament himself. His role isn’t just a ceremonial one though as Chester is the only place in Britain to still maintain the tradition of daily announcements which he is required to do at mid-day, every day during the summer months. This takes place at the High Cross, the scene of all the City’s public announcements for hundreds of years as there has been a Town Crier in existence in Chester since 1554 with records showing that ‘an unnamed gentleman was paid a nominal sum to announce the up and coming mystery plays’, which is another tradition that the City upholds with a passion, the plays still being performed every five years, around the time of the Feast of Corpus Christi, with the next scheduled for 2028.
To win the title, the Criers are put through their paces over three days of heats and will be judged on their vocal power and proficiency, their confidence and bearing of the message, the content of the message, which they themselves have to write, and finally their showmanship and audience engagement.
Everything is about presentation, including their finery, or rather their livery. Most Town Criers are allowed to choose their own outfit, although some are encouraged by the town or city they represent to include certain elements. Most are based on the eighteenth century designs and usually include a red coat, as most Criers in those days were ex-servicemen, and it’s often emblazoned by a coat of arms, a waistcoat, a compulsory item again in the eighteenth century. Breeches, knee length only, and a pair of buckled shoes or boots. Oh, and everything is braided purely for fashion.
The stand out piece of attire is the hat however, which is, more often than not of the cockaded tricorn variety and always with a display of feathers, usually ostrich, but not always. This is again a throwback to the military where they were used to denote a rank or regiment. Some Town Criers in later years are opting for a top hat, for a little uniqueness and to stand out from the crowd with the extra height.
To read the proclamation, a scroll is always used – heaven forbid someone attempts to use an iPad one day ! ! – and finally, something is needed to gain everyone’s attention, and this is usually a bell, but some will use a whistle and on the odd occasion a rattle of the 1960’s football variety.
And so, with buckles polished and feathers preened, the tournament began.
Day 1 - Hometown Cry - …took place in the Town Hall Square where the Criers were required to wax lyrical about their home town, which you would hope they know an awful lot about. With eight different nations taking place, more in a way when you consider the size of some of the countries and how they differ from one end of them to the other, nevertheless, this was as good a chance as anyone would get to extol the virtues from where they had come. I did have an element of sympathy for those Criers that had limited control of the English language mind, as only 20% of what they cried could be in their native language !
…and the day’s winners were: -
1st - James Stewart, New Glasgow, Canada
2nd - Chris Wyman, Kingston, Canada
3rd - Christian Ashdown, Haslemere, Surrey, UK
Day 2 - Retail Cry - …saw the Town Criers move to Eastgate Square, where a different challenge awaited them. Each Crier had been partnered with a Retailer from the Shopping Centre, which they had to research and write an advertising cry for them and one of their main products, which had to be held high whilst making the proclamation.
…and the day’s winners were: -
1st - Adrian Basford, Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK
2nd - Kevin Ruane, Sefton, Merseyside, UK
3rd - Jody Huizar, Great Dunmow, Essex, UK
Day 3 - Accommodation Cry - …and so, we arrive at the final day and the last chance that any of the Criers had of snatching the title. They were all blissfully unaware as to who might have been in the lead as the standings were a closely guarded secret between the three judges.
Once again, we were out in the open, this time in Exchange Square but the storm clouds were gathering overhead and there were a few of the organisers wondering whether it was all going to be a washout. There was a Plan B though, which was to move everything into the indoor market at breakneck speed. In the end though, there was no need as those clouds were being blown in the direction of Wales and whist the sun didn’t exactly shine once they’d gone, it didn’t rain either, so all was well.
The final challenge was to proclaim the luxury and splendour that had been afforded them for the past week by the hotel that had looked after them, which was a bit of a loaded gun when you consider that the sponsorship for the whole even had been provided by Airbnb, all £50,000 of it, from their £1 million Best of British Fund supported by VisitBritain and designed to help communities and businesses in the UK preserve and promote the nation’s most distinctive traditions. No pressure then ! The Criers had been spread across the City from the border with Wales and even to the hotel that’s in the zoo, which afforded their guest their own safari. Needless to say, there were no one star reviews here and the name and reputation of all the hotels remained very much intact.
…and the day’s winners were: -
1st - Les Cutts, Halifax, UK
2nd - Judy Campbell, Tongala, Australia
3rd - Liam Cragg, Almwick/Haldimand, Canada
…but the big question still remained, who had done enough to have been voted World Town Crier. The excitement was building as the votes were being collated from across each of the three days and we eventually got to the time when the all-important envelope was handed to the Host, David Mitchell for his final duty of the Tournament. A deathly silence fell across the square, the crowd waited with bated breath, would it be a home win, or would one of the other nations take away the much coveted prize.
In 3rd Place - Christian Ashdown, Haslemere, Surrey, UK
In 2nd Place - Joris Goens, Veurne, Belgium
…and in 1st Place - Kevin Howarth, Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, Australia
Now, Kevin, better known as ‘Krazy Kevin’ is originally from England, although you wouldn’t guess it from his accent now. Twice winner of UK DJ of the Year Award before becoming the morning presenter for the biggest radio station in Bahrain and then moving to Australia with his wife, some fifteen years ago, he continued presenting on the radio where he once interviewed the then Toowoomba Town Crier, but when he sadly lost his battle with cancer and passed away, Kevin applied for the role a few months later and got the job - and is now the new World Town Crier Champion 2026.
So, there you have it, it’s the Australians that take home the big prize. At the time of writing, there’s no news as to where the next Tournament will be held or when, but as we’ve only just experienced this one, there’s plenty of time yet.
You can see the full list of all twenty-five Town Criers that took part in the Tournament on the Visit Chester website, by clicking here…
