The 28th Annual Great Fruitcacke Toss
It's a real toss-up!
- When: January 28th from 1-3pm
- Where: Memorial Park
- Cost: $1 per event ticket
There’s nothing quite as hearty and resilient as a fruitcake—except maybe The Great Fruitcake Toss! 28 years and counting, Manitou’s quirkiest tradition started in 1996 with a couple of looney locals tossing around leftover fruitcakes in the park. After 20 years, you’d think we would just make less fruitcake. Nope, not the moral of this story. Here in Manitou, we’ve made unpopular leftovers the center of a beloved, local event!
Let the games begin
01: Distance Toss
- Cake: One cake per throw (one ticket per toss)
- Distance: Measured at the location of landed cake
- Winner: Whoever throws the farthest distance in each age group
02: Accuracy Toss
- Measurement: 10 ft increments for measurement
- Winner: Whoever hits the smallest hoop from the farthest distance in each age group
Rules:
- 1 tosser on accuracy court at a time
- 10 and under start from 5 feet. 11 and older start from 10 feet
- Every tosser gets one “mulligan” (miss). Second miss and you are out
- Start at largest hoop and move to middle, then smallest all on 10 feet. If tosser makes all 3, they advance to 20 feet. If all 20 foot hoops are made, they advance to 30 feet.
03: Balance
- Cake: One cake per race (1 ticket)
- 5 Second Rule: If you drop your cake, you have 5 seconds to get back into the race
- Spatula: Individuals will run the race course once, balancing cake on spatula
- Winner: Fastest time on course in each age group
04: Basketcake
- Cake: Toss wooden cake into sideways hanging basket
- Number of tosses: 3 throw attempts
- Winner: Highest points in 3 tosses wins
winning tastes so sweet
The winners take the cake!
Not all fruitcakes are created equal—some are too good to be tossed! Take a bite out of these prizes with awards for our champions provided by Collins Street Bakery.
what to expect
Getting down to the nuts and fruits
Ready, set, bake!
Submit your best bake to The Great Fruitcake Bake-Off. Our judges will score based on density of fruit, flavor, texture, durability, and overall appearance.
Crowning the king & queen
This 4-game epic battle of the fruitcakes culminates in the crowning of the champions—Fruitcake King and Queen. Long may they reign!
Catapults and cocoa
Build mini fruitcake catapults with Cool Science and warm up with hot cocoa at the Manitou Heritage Center! But maybe not at the same time—hot drinks and catapults sounds dangerous.
Your fruitiest questions, answered
You would think that a traditional fruitcake toss would be fairly straight-forward. But if you’re not from around here, you may be left with more questions than answers. Like, what exactly is fruitcake? And where does it all end up at the end of the day?
No fruitcake left behind
manitou springs food pantry
Donate food for tickets to toss!
Fruitcake is funny—but hunger is no laughing matter. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Manitou Springs Food Pantry. Bring your non-perishable food items and exchange for tickets to toss!
