| Where: | Much Marcle, Herefordshire at the Village Hall and surrounding area including Hellens and Weston's Cider |
| When: | 2nd Full Weekend in October |
| Time: | From 10am ; Hellens from 11 am, Westons from 11.15. |
The Big Apple is a relatively modern institution, though dating back over forty years, celebrating the long tradition of the apple harvest in Herefordshire, and is one of the best established festivals of its kind. Held in October, various events are organised including cider and apple tastings and the Feast of Apples at Hellens, a nearby historic house, where folks can take along apples from their own trees to have the variety identified (a bit like Antiques Roadshow for orchard enthusiasts) or buy them from a wide variety on offer. We found the tasting table was very interesting, where you can sample cooked apples of many named varieties to see which one you like best. Cider making demonstrations are given at orchards in the area as well as the opportunity to make your own cider & perry; apple dishes are widely available including teas at Much Marcle Memorial Hall from 2pm, and there’s often morris dancing at nearby Weston’s Cider. Though well established, the festival continues to grow to incorporate fresh venues and activities.
Helpful Hints
The 2026 dates should be Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th October. Full programme and location details are available on the website link below.
Admission fee to Hellens is £3 with an additional charge for house tours at intervals in the afternoon. The biggest car park is at Hellens and visitors are encouraged to walk between the sites, or catch the tractor bus around the village.
Click here for the event website : http://www.bigapple.org.uk/ and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bigappleherefordshire
for Hellens : http://www.hellensmanor.com/
and for Weston’s : https://www.westons-cider.co.uk
I have taken over as voluntary editor of the Much Marcle Mercury monthly magazine.
Our next issue will be sent out in early September.
Please use this address to let me know what plans you have for this October.
I do hope the Big Apple Weekend will be going ahead this year?
(I do not have a website)
Charmian Mocatta
Hi Charmian,
Congrats on taking on the magazine! Your message has come through to calendarcustoms, a website all about the many annual traditions around the UK, and we have no connection to the organisation of the Big Apple. However, if you visit https://www.bigapple.org.uk/new-contact/ you will be able to get in touch directly with the Big Apple Association as all their contact details are on there. Fingers crossed for this year- we’ve visited and it’s a very enjoyable event.
Best wishes
Averil