Apple Festival 2025 Recap

The 34th Annual Apple Festival brought thousands of visitors to UBC Botanical Garden for a weekend of apple tasting and community fun. Live music, warm cider, and the scent of fresh apple pies filled the air as attendees of all ages celebrated the season’s bounty. This year’s event featured a busy apple market, a sold-out Tasting Tent that buzzed with eager tasters and the debut of the Apple Cider Garden in partnership with Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse.

A Bustling Tasting Tent

This year, visitors tasted over 50 varieties of B.C-grown apples in the Tasting Tent, ranging from crisp and tart apples perfect for salads to soft and sweet varieties for the perfect apple pie filling.

Another Round of Mouthwatering Demos

Crowds gathered as UBC Food Services chefs David Speight and Darren Clay crafted delicious, apple-inspired dishes using seasonal ingredients. On the menu was a Waldorf salad drizzled with a Walnut Vinaigrette and Char Sui Pork Belly topped with Apple Salsa Verde and a Green Apple Celeriac Puree. Eager learners tried the freshly prepared dishes after the demo, with vegetarian options for greater accessibility.

Ps. If you’d like to recreate the recipes at home, visit the recipe cards here!

New Apple Cider Garden

For the first time, Apple Festival introduced an adults-only cider space created with Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. Guests were invited to slow down, enjoy a tasting flight, and learn more about the range of ciders made in B.C. This tent marked the perfect autumn break from the busy energy outdoors.

Children’s Area: Crafts, Leafy Fun and Interactive Puppet Shows

Families crossed through the arbour into the Children’s Area, where the iconic leaf pile returned along with crafts and hands-on activities. New this year was an interactive puppet show that ran throughout the day, drew excited audiences of all ages and allowed them to enjoy satires told by autumn critters. The space was brought to life by the sound of live steel drum music from Anthony Blackman.

A Bountiful Market: Fresh Apples and Potted Trees

The apple booths were among the busiest spots of the weekend. Many of the most popular Tasting Tent apple varieties sold out early. With over 50 varieties of bagged apples, both conventional and organic, guest had plenty to choose from. Gardeners hoping to grow their own apple trees consulted expert volunteers for advice to pick the perfect potted tree saplings.

Vendor Highlights

The scent of freshly popped kernels, fire-baked pizzas, warm cider and cozy chilli filled the air as food trucks lined the festival grounds. Local vendors offered everything from trinkets to artisan chocolates, bringing colour and sweetness to the scene. We are truly grateful to the many small business who joined and supported the event.

Apple Festival in the News

Apple Festival made headlines once again! See how the media captured the spirit and excitement of this beloved autumn tradition!

CityNews                            Fairchild                          Global News                      CBC Radio Canada

 

A Heartfelt Thanks to Our Volunteers

Apple Festival would not have come together without our incredible volunteers. We offer heartfelt thanks to the Friends of the Garden Volunteers whose collaboration with Garden staff ensures the festival continues to thrive. Their dedication preserves the spirit, community connection, and tradition that make Apple Festival so special.

Once again, UBC Botanical Garden’s Apple Festival showed how a shared love of local food, nature, and community can turn a fall tradition into something truly special. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the season together. We look forward to welcoming you back next year to make new memories and honour this cherished autumn tradition.

A Heartfelt Thanks to Our Sponsors