Ottery St Mary Pixie Day

As well as hosting the magnificent Tar Barrel event in November, Ottery St Mary is the setting for a very different annual custom in June: Pixie Day. While the current event dates back to the mid twentieth century, its origins are believed to go way back to the fifteenth century. The legend goes that pixies once lived in Ottery, but were driven out by human occupation and in particular the building of the church and the ringing of its bells, as a pixie death occurred  every time the bells were rung and they couldn’t abide the noise. Eventually the pixies took the bellringers prisoner and kept them in a cave; luckily they escaped and Pixie Day was founded so that the events were not forgotten. Today the day begins with a fair in the afternoon, and as evening draws on children in pixy costume fill the streets of the town, re-enacting the capture of the bellringers at the church and imprisoning them in a specially constructed Pixies Parlour in the square; the bellringers’ eventual escape signals the end of Pixie Day for another year. There is plenty of screaming as the pixies frantically run around in circles (often shedding their hats!). Expect lots of family friendly entertainment and activities such as a pet show and ferret racing at the fete.

Helpful Hints

Its  normally held on a Saturday near to Midsummer’s Day (which falls on 24th June). In 2025 Pixie Day should be on Saturday 21st June (to be confirmed).

Click here for more: https://www.otterystmary.info

Thanks to Steve Szypko for drawing this one to my attention!