Traditional Morris Events: January

New Year's Day

We've worked our way through the entries and flagged those that usually happen with TBC if there's nothing on-line yet.  If we've missed you or can confirm your event, shout out. Meanwhile it is worth checking with individual sides' web or Facebook pages for further confirmation.  

Happy New Year to all our readers ... who have read this far.

January is named for the two-headed god Janus who could look backward and forward, to the old year and the new at the same time and for the Romans 1st January became the official start of the year. From the 12th century the official new year in Britain was on March 25. New Year’s Day on January 1 marked the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It was adopted immediately in some areas of Europe but wasn't used by many countries until centuries later. The United Kingdom only started observing the Gregorian calendar in 1752, when 11 days were dropped. Officially in England, 1751 was the shortest year ever, lasting only from March 25 to December 31. It has only been a UK Bank Holiday since 1974, so for most morris sides dancing in the New Year, or dancing off the hang-over, is a relatively recent tradition, but as become well established.

• Abingdon Traditional Morris Men:  Lunchtime tour in Abingdon -  2:00 pm The Punch Bowl County Hall, 6 Market Place OX14 3HG, 3:00 pm Broad Face 30-32 Bridge Street OX14 3HR
• Aldbury Morris Men ​: 12 noon, TBC The Valiant Trooper, Aldbury HP23 5RW; 1:00pm - The Greyhound, Aldbury HP23 5RT
• Alvechurch Morris :1:00 pm - TBC Mummers' Play around Alvechurch (at The Crown in Withybed Green)
• Ashdown Forest Morris Men : 1:00 pm - The New Inn, Hadlow Down TN22 4HJ TBC
• Barnsley Longsword : 12 noon, TBC The Spencer's Arms 21 Church St, Cawthorne, Barnsley S75 4HL TBC
• Dartington Morris : 1:00 pm. Hope Cove, Devon TQ7 3HQ About 2:00pm we will adjourn to the Hope and Anchor Inn.
• Etcetera Morris Men : TBC New Year's Day Spectacular 12:30pm, The Wonder, Batley Rd, Enfield EN2 OJG.  We may be joined by dancing friends from Hertfordshire Holly and Camden Clog, as well as other Cotswold Morris dancers. Followed by music and song in the bar
• Exeter Morris : TBC 12 noon to 2:00 pm -  dancing on Exeter Quay EX2 8GY TBC
• Hereburgh Morris : TBC 12 noon Starts at The Crown, Crown St, Harbury, Leamington Spa CV33 9HE; 13:30? outside Harbury Supermarket and Post Office, 1 Mill Street CV33 9HR ;  Somewhere in Manor Orchard, TBA
• Kennet Morris : Dancing about 12:30 pm followed by music and song until 3:00pm Calleva Arms, Silchester RG7 2PH
• Mersey Morris:  12.00 - 1.30 pm The Plasterers Arms Hoylake Wirral CH47 2DJ
• Monkseaton Morris :  12 noon outside the Ship Inn, Monkseaton and then afterwards in the Ship Inn. follow us as we dance in all the pubs in Monkseaton during the afternoon: Black Horse, Monkseaton Arms,  Front Street Tap House & Left Luggage Room
• Plymouth Morris : TBC 12 noon The Dolphin, The Barbican,PL1 2LS
• Ripley Morris - TBC 12:30pm Red Lion, Main Street, Hognaston DE6 1PR TBC
• Rose and Castle Morris : 12 noon, The Boat, Bridge Road, Stoke Bruerne, NR Towcester, Northants NN12 7SB with Queen's Oak, followed by "musical diversions"
• Shakespeare Morris : New Year's Day Celebrations - 12 noon The Coach House, 42 Rother St, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6LP; 1:00 pm - Mummers
• Taunton Deane Morris Men  : TBC 12:30 pm for 1:00pm:  The White Horse Inn  Bradford on Tone TA4 1HF
• Towersey Morris : Morris & Mummers Windsor. As guests of Taeppas Tump -  11.30 - 12.10  Windsor Royal Station SL4 1RH; 12:30 - 1:00 pm Windsor & Eton Bridge Windsor Rd, Eton SL1 2EJ
• Yateley Morris Men : 1:00 pm, The Cricketers, Hartley Wintney RG27 8QB - with Mummers Play

12th Night - Mummers, Wassails, Ploughs & Bears

Twelfth Night takes place on Monday 5th January 2026. Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas. It is defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking". There is some confusion these days, however, as to which night is Twelfth Night: modern practice is often to regard the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night. The older tradition of Twelfth Night being the 5th January stems from the medieval practice of the day beginning at sunset, rather than at midnight as it does now. Or the 5th can be celebrated as Old Christmas day, or it could be Old Twelfth Night, 17th January, as determined by the Julian calendar - or even the twelfth night after Halloween! See Wikipedia for a full explanation.  There's not enough room here, but whenever it is, enjoy the festivities below - as you can see there are many ways to celebrate in January. Also see this list of Midwinter Sword Dancing from Rattle Up My Boys, a magazine for longsword dancers, kindly provided by its publisher Jeff Lawson. Many are included in the traditional list below but there are several others. Midwinter Sword Dancing from Rattle Up My Boys.pdf

• Adlington MM and Mummers : Friday 2nd January – Alderley Mummers Play, Macclesfield & district tour - 
  7:30 pm Church House, Church Lane, Sutton Lane Ends, SK11 0DS; 8:30 pm, The Harrington Arms, Church Lane, Gawsworth SK11 9RR; 9:30 pm Macclesfield, The Waters Green Tavern, 96 Waters Green, SK11 6LH
• The Flowers of Ilmington Morris :  Friday 2nd January - 5 pm Wassail from The Red Lion, Front St, Ilmington, CV36 4LX
• The Traditional Ilmington Morris Dancers : Friday 2nd January - The Ilmington Mummers Twelfth Night  8:00pm The George Hotel Shipston; 9:00pm The Howard Arms Ilmington TBC
• The Broadwood Men : Saturday 3rd January Wassailing at John Batcheldor Cider Orchard.  Dancing and procession to the Orchard starting 7:30 pm from The White Horse Inn, Maplehurst, RH13 6LL
• Chanctonbury Ring Morris : Saturday 3rd January Wassail 4.00pm The Cider Tap (Wobblegate),
  Bolney RH17 5
• Letchworth Morris : Saturday 3rd January - 6:30pm Dunton Wassail, Church Farm, Dunton SG18 8RR with Bedford Morris Men,  dancing, The Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance & Wassailing, then a mummers play from the Brafront Guizers and a traditional music session in the March Hare pub afterwards, 34 High St, Dunton, Biggleswade SG18 8RN
• Silurian Border Morris Men : Saturday 3rd January - 5.30 - 9.00 pm Annual Wassail at Westons on behalf of St Michaels Hospice, Bartestree, HR14HA. This is a ticketed event. Click to contact the Hospice for tickets.
• Ravensbourne Morris Men : ​Saturday 3rd January - 8:00 pm Wassailing The Apple Tree -in the gardens of The Two Doves, 37 Oakley Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 8HD
• Long Man Morris : Twelfth Night - Saturday 3rd January 7:30pm - Here We Come A Wassailing -Wassail Ceremony at The Ram, Firle BN8 6NS
• Claro Longsword: Plough Sunday 4th January  -  a 40 year tradition at St. John's Parish Church Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Claro Sword perform traditional Yorkshire Longsword at the 10:30 am  Plough-blessing service and afterwards, weather permitting,  wheel the plough to Knaresborough Market Place for more dancing to the multitude around noon.
• Thaxted Morris Men : Plough Sunday Service 4th January 11:00 am Thaxted Parish Church, Watling St, CM6 2PE TBC
• Wath Morris : Sunday 4th January  -  12.25 pm - Introduction at The Old Grocers, 25 Beastfair, Pontefract WF8 1AL; 12.30 pm Morris with Sheffield Steel Rapper; 2.15 pm Mummers Play; 3.00 pm Songs & Carols
• Cambridge Morris Men : Plough Monday - 5th January dancing in Cambridge during the afternoon.. In the evening we join the Balsham Ploughboys in a tour of their village as Cotswold Dancers, visiting many hospitable families and the village pubs. TBC
• Leominster Morris : Twelfth Night - Monday 5th January 7:00pm - The Wassail - the first event revived after the side was re-formed in 1983, this year at The Crown Inn, Dilwyn HR4 8HL ENTRANCE BY (FREE) TICKET ONLY  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-leominster-morris-wassail-2025-tickets-1078718689639
• Hinckley Bullockers : Thursday 8th January - Sharnford Evergreen Village Hall 25 Leicester Rd, Sharnford, Hinckley LE10 3QD(Opposite the Bricklayers Arms)
• Silurian Border Morris Men : 1st Saturday after 12th Night - 10th January  7:00pm Wassail at Westons Much Marcle HR8 2NQ Tickets from https://www.st-michaels-hospice.org.uk/event/the-wassail/Dancing is followed by an atmospheric torchlight procession into ancient cider orchards. After the Ceremony of singing, carousing and general merriment there will is food, music and Mummers at the Scrumpy House. The popular event raises much needed funds for St Michael's Hospice at Bartestree - the 2023 total was £5,300. Silurian would like to remind all participants that there is darkness, mud, cold and REAL fire involved - come prepared!
• Jockey Morris : 1st Saturday after 12th night - 10th January - Plough Tour of Birmingham City Centre; Plough Tour of Birmingham City Centre; 10.30 am to 11.30 am (ish) St Martin in the Bull Ring B5 5BB (Inc plough blessing) ; 11.45 to 12.30 pm Victoria Square B2 4BP; Lunch 12.30 to 1.30 pm; 1.45 to 2.30 pm Chamberlain Square B3 3AX; 2.45 to 3.15 pm Centenary Square B1 2ND; 3.30 to 4.00 pm The Prince of Wales (Cambridge Street B1 2NP) ; Wind down in one or two local hostelries.
• Peterborough Morris Men  : 1st Saturday after 12th Night - (17th January 2026) - lead the Whittlesea Straw Bear procession 10:30am-3:30pm with Rutland MM and many other dance teams followed by
  Sunday 12th January, Straw Bear Church Service, St Mary's Church, Manor House, 6 Manor View, Whittlesey PE7 1TF. - A Morris display as part of the Plough Service
• Sweyn’s Ey : Saturday 10th January - 2:00 pm - dancing at the Wassail Event Gower Heritage Centre, Parkmill, Swansea SA3 2EH
• Goathland Plough Stots :Sunday 11th January - Plough Sunday Service 10.30 am Blessing at St Mary’s Church Goathland Whitby YO22 5AN
• Sullivan's Sword : Sunday 11th January  - will host Plough Sunday starting with a Plough Service in St Denis's
  Church in Morton, Southwell NG25 0UR and then continue at 12:00 in Southwell with several guest sides. Sullivan's will also perform the local Farnsfield Plough Play Contact:Tim Clarke email: tbjlclarke [at] gmail.com
• Whitchurch Morris : 11th January - Plough Sunday Service and Celebration - 3.00 pm Buttermilk Hall Farm, Meadway, Oving HP22 4EY
• White Hart Morris Men : Wassail, 12 noon Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire (Hosted by Silhill Morris)
• Lincoln and Micklebarrow Morris Men  Sunday 11th January - The Navenby Plough Jags will be performing the Plough Play in Navenby at 6.00pm in the garden of Mrs Smith's Cottage (East Road) and then at 7.00 pm inside the Lion and Royal.57 High St, Navenby, Lincoln LN5 0DZ. Musicians and singers are welcome to join them at the Lion & Royal after the 7pm performance for a session.TBC
• Bedford Morris Men -  Plough Monday - 12th January - Plough Play Tour of Bedford - The Devonshire Arms, 32 Dudley St, Bedford MK40 3TB - 7.30 pm;The Castle, 17 Newnham St, Bedford MK40 3JR - 8.30 pm; 
  The Wellington Arms, Wellington Arms, 40-42 Wellington St, Bedford MK40 2JX - 9.30 pm
• Datchet Border Morris: Saturday 17th January  Hedgerley Wassail, 2:00pm  White Horse, Village Lane Hedgerley SL2 3UY​
• Exeter Morris : Saturday 17th January - from 6:30 pm Sandford Cider Orchard Wassail starting at The Lamb Inn The Square, Sandford EX17 4LW TBC
• Goathland Plough Stots :12th January - 10:00am Tour of Goathland, Darnholm and Beckhole.
• Lyme Morris - Saturday 20th January - 6;00 pm Wassailing Jubilee Wood, Hinton St George, Somerset TA17 8SL
• White Hart Morris Men : Sunday 19th January - Trews Weir Orchard and Topsham Brewery! We’re busy making plans for the event and will of course release further details nearer the time
• Taunton Deane Morris Men : Friday 23rd January - 6:30 pm Sheppy’s Cider Wassail,  Bradford on Tone TA4 1ER Tickets are available now. See: www.sheppyscider.com for more details
• Dartington Morris : Saturday 24th January 4:00 pm Littlehempston Wassail- Littlehempston Community Orchard, Brookwood, Littlehempston, Totnes, Devon. TQ9 6LW,
• Claro Longsword : Sunday 25th January 10:00 am at the Plough Sunday service at St Andrew’s Church in Aldborough (nr Boroughbridge) and then dancing at The Crown Hotel, Horsefair, Boroughbridge, York YO51 9LB at around 11.30 am..

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