CHINCOTEAGUE, VA - The Town of Chincoteague has announced new security measures for the island’s 100th Pony Penning Week slated for this summer.
According to a release published on the town’s official website Friday, additional security screenings will be added to the 2025 Pony Penning Week events and the following items will not be allowed:
-Coolers
-Umbrellas
-Glass containers
-Bags or backpacks
Bags or backpacks that are clear vinyl, plastic, or PVC will be permitted, according to Chincoteague officials. One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags and small clutch or belt bags so long as they are less than 4.5”x6.5” will also be allowed.
The Town of Chincoteague also discouraged large water bottles and thermoses in their release, though did not list the items as banned from the events.
All items brought to the 100th Pony Swim will be subject to search, according to Chincoteague officials.
In a social media post on March 29, 2025, Chincoteague Mayor Denise Bowden cited online threats as the impetus behind the new security measures.
“Never before has this event had a credible threat such as we have now,” Bowden said Saturday. “With that being said, it could all be nothing BUT we have to prepare and put measures in place because there is always that possibility.”
On January 17, Bowden, along with Chincoteague law enforcement, acknowledged an online threat directed at the Pony Swim’s 100th Anniversary event - one of Delmarva’s most anticipated annual attractions.
"Unfortunately folks, this is going to change pony penning forever," Mayor Bowden said Saturday. "The fire company and cowboys roles won’t change, they will continue to do the fantastic job they do. It will change how the town handles the event forever. We just cannot take the chance of one person getting injured due to something like this. And while nothing is guaranteed in this life, you bet this, the Town of Chincoteague is going to do everything in its power to make sure our residents, our visitors, our cowboys and our ponies are as safe as can be."
Bowden says she is working to add water stations in Memorial Park and Pony Swim Lane.
In 2024, Chincoteague hosted the 99th annual Pony Swim, drawing ever-growing crowds and saw the bidding record for buyback foals broken. The annual event was first described in 1835 but was officially adopted as a fundraiser by the Chincoteague Fire Department in 1925.
The 100th Anniversary Pony Swim is scheduled for July 30, 2025.