Legend has it that one bone-chilling day, a group of vendors were keeping their spirits up and goofing around in an attempt to stay warm. Quite spontaneously, these merry marketeers began rolling their wares down the empty floor planks of the market pavilion.
There is no official footage of the curling that took place that day, but word is, there were a variety of root vegetables, hearty muffins, and even a frozen chicken entered into the mix as the competition between vendors heated up.
Back in the day only a handful of adventurous customers were willing to brave the elements for the last market of the season. The Rutabaga Curl was organized in 1997 as an event to bring people down to the pavilion.
And rutabagas were selected as the official item that competitors would be curling due to bounce and availability.
What started out as a laugh has now turned into an event which is beloved by the whole community and truly brings together a diverse group of creative, jovial people willing to brave the elements for our festive, close-of-the-season celebration!
It’s a warm-hearted event, but the competitive nature of the game has never waned. It’s a seriously fun time with both smiles and structure.
We find ourselves having to explain this jolly event to the curious public each year, because naturally people have many questions. We invite you to experience it for yourself.
The 29th Annual International Rutabaga Curl will be held on December 19th, 2026, from 10am- 2pm.
This is the day of the last Saturday outdoor market of the year.
The Rutabaga Curl takes place at the Ithaca Farmers Market pavilion during normal hours.
All the while the market is open for business as usual with some stalls full of local farm foods, artisans with their wares, hot food booths, tea and coffee.
Plus the merch booth where the 2025 Rutabaga Curl tee shirts and tote bags will be available.
Joe Crookston paints a fun picture of the event in this song; have a listen as you read on!
How the Event Rolls- Register on the day of.
Sign up at market between 10 -11:30 AM at the Registration Table.
We have two categories:
1. Rutabaga Curl for anyone 8 years or above.
2. Turnip Toss for our under-8-year-old crew.
Cost
$5 registration incl. rutabaga or turnip / $10 = rutabaga and a bag.
Prep & Practice
Folks can carve their root veggie into a more ideal shape at our carving station.
There will be time for practice shots while announcers hype everyone up. Hone your edge!
Schedule
11:30 AM- Announcer + Ref Meeting
11:45 AM- Rutabaga Goddess- makes some noise!
12:00 PM Olympic theme song/parade
12:05 PM Parade of athletes
12:10 PM Rutabaga Choir, Cheerleaders: The Curl Girls, Ceremonial Toss: Miss Rutabaga
12:20 PM Turnip Toss
12:30 PM Rutabaga Curl – Round 1
12:50 PM Rutabaga Curl – Round 2
1:30 PM Final Round & Winners announced!
1:50 – 2 PM Final Awards: Ref’s Choice Award, 3rd, 2nd, 1st Place
Bring the whole family to this wild, wacky, and ridiculous event. Of course, you don’t have to throw root vegetables around; audience members are welcome! Simply sit back and enjoy the show. Dressing up is encouraged; the more layers, the better!
You’ll see MCs, referees, protestors, a chorus, instrumentalists, camera/radio crews, and more rutabaga lore than you ever knew existed.
Adults and kids can register on site between 10-11:30am. Younger participants can join in the turnip toss!
You’ll have ample time to practice throwing and adorn your rutabaga to your own specifications.
On The Record
Here’s the leaderboard lore from the Rutabaga Curls through the ages. Be encouraged; it’s anyone’s game!
The early days of the Rutabaga Curls were also the early days of the web, so now many of the links from the Wikipedia Page are dead ends. We are rebuilding a place for stories about this event here, as Substack is fertile ground for tales to grow.
Have you been to the Rutabaga Curl before? Have we left anything out? What do folks need to know? Leave us a comment below.