Children to scramble for hot pennies as Sussex town holds unique Mayor Making ceremony

The event, on Monday May 4, will see the newly elected Mayor throwing hot pennies from an upper window of the town hall for children in the street below to scramble for.

The origins of the popular annual tradition appear to be lost in the mists of time but may stem from when Rye, which is one of the Cinque Port towns, had its own mint.

There is a legend that the town ran out of pennies on Mayor’s day and a boy was sent to fetch them from the mint, bringing them back so fast that they were still hot.

Cllr Abul Azad, who attended last year’s ceremony, said: “The historic event is steeped in local custom. It is a vibrant celebration of civic pride and centuries-old tradition.”

People can gather outside the historic town hall at Market Street from 12.15pm on Monday May 4 for the ‘Throwing of the Hot Pennies’ from 12.30pm.