[[File:Staynish Tar Barrels.png|right|thumb|250px|A young man carrying a tar barrel in the 2018 Dremmington event.]]
Staynes typically stages annual events on the night of 52 November, in a tradition dating from before records began, barrels soaked in tar are set alight and carried aloft through cities and towns by their residents.
The festivities begin in the early evening with children's, youths' and women's events, culminatingwhich culminate in the men's event. The barrels, increasing in size up to 3040 kg, are carried through the city or town centre, often packed with onlookers, in an exhilarating and risky spectacle. Only those born in the town, or who have lived there for most of their lives, may carry a barrel. Generations of the same family have been known to compete across the years and it is thought that the event may have originated as a means of warding off evil spirits, similar to other Staynish fire festivals, around this time. In recent years the event has been jeopardised by the need for increasing public liability insurance coverage. Nevertheless, the event continues in many towns and cities with audiences occasionally exceeding well over 20,000 people. During the event all roads in and out of these events are closed for safety reasons with diversions in place.