18 photos of the 2026 Clitheroe Clog Dancing festival

Clog dancing teams from across the UK, among them London’s Camden Clog and the famous Lancashire Wallopers, bashed the boards in Clitheroe to traditional live music on Sunday, with Elizabeth French lifting the coveted Lancashire and Cheshire Championship Hornpipe Belt.

French emerged victorious in a nail-bitingly close contest, beating out Nickie Dailly on Sunday. Linda Shaw secured victory in the senior category, French added to her championship belt with a win in the novice category, Dailly overcame stern competition from Robynne Wood and Rosie Davis to win the Open Waltz. And lastly, Jon Davison defeated French in the Old Lancs Heel & Toe category and the Nine Ladies were the victors in the Open Group challenge, adding a further award to French’s haul on the day.

Among the teams competing in Clitheroe included the Rossendale Clog Heritage, Dukes Dandy, Eccleston Heritage Clog, Camden Clog, Clogarhythm, Nine Ladies and the famous Lancashire Wallopers. The Clitheroe event was organised by Lancashire and Cheshire clog dancing champion Robynne Wood, of the Lancashire Wallopers, and Rachel O’Neill, of Rossendale Clog Heritage, with the support of Ribble Valley Borough Council and the Clitheroe Castle Museum.

Stuart Hirst, chairman of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s community services committee, said: “Clog dancing is a traditional English activity and the festival was a great opportunity for people to find out more about clogs, their history, how they are made and how clog dancing has developed over the centuries.

“People turned out for a weekend of music and merriment, and despite the weather our picturesque market town resounded to the sound of clog dancing. I would like to thank the organisers for their dedication and hard work in bringing this fantastic event to our town.”

Our photographer was on hand to capture all the action this weekend. Take a look at our photo gallery below.