Grab a Seat! The Chair Luge is Back!

The wildly popular — and definitely the zaniest —Gardner event is back after a two-year hiatus… and you won’t want to miss it!

The twelfth running of the Chair Luge will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, September 24, in downtown Gardner — right on Parker Street in front of the Gardner Ale House.

This year’s theme is one familiar to kids of all ages: Superheroes! Yes, you’re sure to see a host of counterfeit Batgirls, Avengers, and Green Lanterns when contestants take to the street with their creatively concocted chairs. A fall tradition prior to the pandemic break, the Chair Luge is a key component of the local Oktoberfest celebration —a full day of partying in the street, complete with a beer garden (featuring, of course, Moon Hill beverages brewed at the Ale House) and plenty of food.

If you’ve never been to the Chair Luge, be prepared, because you’ll be laughing till your sides ache! It’s a short race — just about 200 yards — run in a series of three-chair heats, so the fun lasts for hours. Picture it: office chairs, recliners, lawn chairs… you name it, if it’s recognizable as a chair, it qualifies for entry after it acquires a set of wheels, brakes and some kind of steering mechanism.

When it’s time to roll, contestants take their seats and get a muscular assist to begin the downhill course. What happens next is anyone’s guess… but making it to the finish line is always a good sign for these makeshift race-chairs.

Created in 2009, this wild and wacky battle, now run as a collaborative project by the Acadien Social Club, Gardner Ale House, and Gardner Festival Committee, is always a crowd-pleaser.

Want to try your hand — and chair — in this crazy competition? Visit the Gardner Ale House website for an entry form and rules … and think about X-Men, Mutant Ninja Turtles, Incredible Hulks… and fun!