Orange Rolling: Bizarre 200-year-old Easter tradition returns to Dunstable Downs with a new look

It’s time to go Orange Bowling at Dunstable Downs!

The Downs is hosting a revival of the 200-year-old Dunstable tradition of orange rolling this Easter with its own version – Orange Bowling.

Orange Bowling is a fun, family trail which runs from April 3-10 at Dunstable Downs, run by the National Trust.

Each National Trust Easter trail ends with a chocolate egg, or vegan and free from egg, made in the UK using cocoa that’s responsibly sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Car park admission plus £3 per game, includes a chocolate Rainforest Alliance Easter egg.

The tradition of orange rolling was held every Good Friday, when the people of Dunstable and neighbouring villages would gather at the top of the Downs, then chase oranges thrown down the hills, trying to catch them.

By the end of the 19th Century newspaper records show that it was an annual event attended by hundreds of people, known at the time as 'pelting oranges'. Participants were either a ‘pelter’ or a ‘pelted’, with oranges being thrown at people, especially those dressed in top hats, to encourage being hit.

It was common for bands, fairground-type rides and stalls to set up at the bottom of the pit, to entertain the revellers.

The practice stopped during the Second World War as oranges were in short supply, and post-war, the Dunstable Chamber of Trade attempted to bring back the event, but by 1968 the decision was taken to cancel it.