Bramley Festival celebrates 25 Years!

This year’s Bramley Apple Festival on Saturday 20th October is very special as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the event, which was set up to celebrate the town’s unique connection with the nation’s favourite cooking apple.

Celebrations begin at 10am with a parade of apple-pickers and the raising of the Bramley Apple flag above Southwell Minster before the Festival is officially opened by the Master Fruiterer of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers John Warner, with music courtesy of Tamar.

Other special guests include two visitors from Japan where the Bramley has its own fan club, and from the USA.

Japanese author Sakuko Kitano, who features the Bramley in several of her books, is back again this year. She will be joined by Kimi Mizuno, who promotes the Bramley in Japan, while American author Susan Allen is returning to read extracts from her latest children’s book about the mice in Southwell Minster who save a squirrel!

Valued sponsorship from Newark and Sherwood District Council, Southwell Town Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Kenwood, Denby and other supporters enables the Festival to get better every year.

This year’s events range from apple-themed activities at the National Trust’s Southwell Workhouse to the popular Festival of Food and Drink from 10am to 4pm, with cookery demonstrations and more than 30 stalls representing the best of local produce in historic Southwell Minster.

A display of apples from John Hempsall’s Heritage Orchard can also be seen in Southwell Minster while the Archbishop’s Palace and Education Centre will host apple-related children’s crafts and trails around the garden.

The WI’s Annual Apple Pie Competition, as well as their own Apple Day stalls and refreshments will take place in the Bramley Centre. The local library is also organising the annual Bramley Apple Painting Competition and Exhibition and will host prizegiving ceremonies for the Painting and Poetry Competitions on Sunday 21st October.

The prizegiving ceremony for the WI competitions will take place in the Bramley Centre on the Saturday afternoon when visitors can also witness the crowning of this year’s Bramley Apple King, Queen, Prince and Princess at 3.30pm.

Visitors and residents alike, can stroll through the streets to admire the many apple-themed window displays. There will also be performances of music and dance by groups of Morris Men and the Minster School Ceilidh Band.

The Festival has already got off to a great start with a special Bramley Race at Southwell Racecourse earlier this month.

For more information see below or click here.