Quirky old tradition of 'Caking Night' revived at Sheffield pub - here's what it is
Caking Night comes back to Sheffield pub
For the second year running, the old South Yorkshire tradition of Caking Night will be revived at a Stannington pub by a bunch of folklore enthusiasts.
Caking (sometimes spelt Cakin’ Neet or Kay Kay Night), was similar to Halloween but peculiar to the rural fringes of north-west Sheffield – Stannington, Dungworth, Loxley, Deepcar and environs - and traditionally took place on the following day – 1st November (All Saints’ Day).
The essence of the custom was similar to modern-day Halloween in that local children would visit houses in creepy disguise, inviting householders to guess who was underneath the costume. The tradition also encompassed adult fancy dress competitions in the pubs of Stannington and Dungworth, as documented by photographer Homer Sykes in 1974 for his book Once A Year : Some Traditional British Customs.
Caking Night died out around the mid-to-late 2000s, killed off by the universal embracing of Halloween and the closure of some of the main pubs associated with the tradition like the Robin Hood at Little Matlock.
For 2026, a new venue in the custom’s traditional heartland has been secured to host the revived event - the Rivelin Inn on Tofts Lane. Norma Reaney of Stannington Local History Group remembers being dressed up for Caking Night as a child, as part of a procession up Tofts Lane lead by Nina Fox on horseback; Nina was the daughter of the then-publican of the Rivelin Inn. ‘When we went to someone’s house we all said “cake, cake, copper, copper” the idea was that you were given cake or more likely sweets or some coins’, Norma recalled.
Participants for the revived Caking Night event are invited to gather at the Rivelin Inn from 7pm on the traditional date of 1st November in their creepiest fancy dress, with the aim of full disguise.
Landlord Matt Begley, who took on the Rivelin Inn in November 2025 following a period of closure, said, ‘The pub is for the community so I like to encourage these traditions – we’re also hosting a bonfire and fireworks on Saturday 7th November’.