Craig Gibson captures the return of his hometown’s iconic greasy pole challenge

Marymass is a traditional horse festival held every August in Irvine, Scotland. Established in 1920, it holds events like horse racing, fireworks, parades, and a funfair. But among these rather conventional offerings is one peculiar activity: the greasy pole competition. Each year, teams are challenged to climb a totem, slick with thick brown grease. The prize? A juicy ham donated by a local butcher, wrapped in black parchment and secured at the top of the pole.

Much to the locals’ disappointment, this iconic competition was postponed for four years in 2019 due to insurance and legal issues. This summer it made a comeback, and photographer Craig Gibson was there to document it. “I wanted to go and shoot it out of curiosity more than anything,” says Craig, who was born in Irvine and has attended the Marymass festival since he was a little boy, often attending with his dad and grandpa. “I wanted to see if it had changed or if it was how I remembered it. When I went as a kid it used to be just a few mattresses at the bottom and no barriers.”

The event now has extra safety measures in place, but the thrill of the competition remains. Craig’s images capture both the tension and absurdity of a tradition that has somewhat defined the local spirit. Shot entirely off the cuff with next to no planning, the images show limbs, socks, and cheeks covered in dense layers of grime, and men balancing in human pyramids, gripping one another’s ankles in a bizarre yet heartwarming display of togetherness.

One interesting feature of the series is that it doesn’t feature any faces, as Craig explains that the pole climbers weren’t too keen on having their portraits taken. Instead, he shot the back of people’s heads, slick with grease and sweat. The anonymity of the participants making it appear as one unified mass, all seeking the same goal.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Craig’s photographed unusual traditions. Last time we featured his work on It’s Nice That, he’d travelled to Australia to photograph punters at Mulletfest 2020. These portraits were more formal and uniform, but they share similarities with the images from Marymass. They’re brimming with grit and humour, a testament to the pull of tradition – no matter how offbeat.