St. Peter's Fiesta

Hosted by the Italian American community of Gloucester, Massachusetts,[1] the festival involves a carnival, seine boat races, and the Greasy Pole contest, and attracts people from all over.

The festival began in 1927 when a life-sized statue of St. Peter was enshrined by fishermen in the heart of Gloucester's Italian district.

The fishermen and their families began to pray to their patron saint, and soon plans for a religious procession on June 29 came about.

The Greasy Pole is a three-day competition where people, commonly males, attempt to cross a 40-foot wooden piling that is extended horizontally 30 feet above the cold water of the harbor.

The pole is covered in bacon fat, Crisco, fish guts, and lard from local restaurants, and each contestant must try to retrieve the red flag attached at the end.

The winner is carried through the streets of Gloucester and can drink for free at each public house stop along the route.

About 40 or 50 people between ages 18–60 go out from Pavilion Beach in Gloucester MA during the St. Peter Fiesta, the last weekend of June.

These injuries can range from scrapes and bruises to broken facial bones or ribs from falling and landing on the pole.

1931 to 1998 (Before Friday Competition):[citation needed] 1999 to Current (Friday Competition Introduced) [6] To help raise some of the money needed to replace the greasy pole platform that was damaged by tropical storm Irene, the Saint Peter's Fiesta Committee hosted the 2011 Greasy Pole Fall Classic at Gloucester High School's Newell Stadium.

The two time champ Joe DaSilva is the first person to ever win on sea and land, which earned him the nickname "Surf and Turf Champion."