Peckham Conker Club cancels 2026 extreme conker championships, citing health and safety

Peckham Conker Club, in south-east London, has cancelled its 2026 extreme conker championships, saying "the health and safety police shut us down". 1 2 Organisers said that around 2,000 people took part or watched last year, and that the authorities had deemed attendees "too raucous and fun-loving" for the current space. 1 2 The club said there was a chance of getting approval, but it would have had to drop its "Battle Royale rules" ("aka there are no rules") and replace them with formal rules, and that the costs and hassle would "not be a lot of fun". 1 2

The club has declared 2026 a "fallow year" and promised to return in 2027 for the contest's ten-year anniversary. 1 2 Both outlets say it is understood that the host, a local brewery, decided the event could not go ahead with such crowds without external event managers, who insisted on extra safety measures. 1 2 The Daily Mail named last year's host as Brick Brewery Taproom and reported that the brewery was rescued from administration in 2023, with its website since taken down and emails bouncing back. 2

The game permits wrestling opponents to the ground when conkers tangle, stamping on conkers, biting, and tampering such as reinforcing with glue; players take three strikes per turn, winners perform a victory dance, and the top prize is the "Golden Nut". 1 2 The Irish Independent (Telegraph copy) explained that large events normally must meet local authority standards, including a safety advisory group, an event plan, risk assessment, security and first-aid staff; the Mail added that the event began with friends in a pub and grew during the pandemic, and noted that the World Conker Championships tightened security last October after a steel-conker row. 1 2