Wassailing at Brogdale

Wassailing: Tradition, Cider and Celebration
Date: Sunday 26^th January 2025
Open: 4pm – 6.30pm

Ticket Prices:
Family – £20 (2 adults & 2 children 3-15yrs)
Adult – £7.50 (16yrs+)
Child – £5 (3-15 yrs, under 3’s free)

Tickets include entry, a free glass of mulled cider or warm apple juice and a complimentary piece of homemade apple cake. Free kids’ crafts – children can make their own decoration to hang on the tree during the ceremony.

Join us on 26^th January at Brogdale Farm for our first-ever Wassailing celebration! This ancient tradition is held to bless the orchards, ward off bad spirits, and encourage a bountiful apple and fruit harvest for the coming year. A wonderful and unique family experience. The event will feature traditional Morris dancers, a procession and wassailing ceremony, and a hullabaloo under our oldest Bramley apple tree. Bring your saucepans and spoons, lanterns, torches and your loudest voices and step back in time as we toast the trees, sing, celebrate with cider, good company, and festive cheer. As well as singing, dancing, drinking and general merrymaking, kids can create crafts to hang in the trees.

Don’t miss this unique celebration of heritage and nature! Come and help us keep the tradition alive and encourage the spirits into ensuring a good harvest at Brogdale Farm in 2025! We’ll be making lots of noise and we don’t want to scare your furry friends, so no dogs allowed to this event.

TIMINGS

4pm Arrival – Get a free glass of Brogdale Craft Mulled Cider, or Brogdale Apple Juice and a complimentary piece of homemade apple cake. Kids can craft their own decorations to hang in the tree during the ceremony (all included in ticket price).

4.30pm – Welcome from our Master of Ceremonies, Morris dancing and music.

5pm – The procession will start at 5pm. We will walk for about 5-10mins. Please make sure you are wrapped up for winter and have appropriate footwear. The route is flat but the ground may be wet and muddy.

5.15pm – Ceremony starts – this will include, singing, and making lots of noise, so bring your instruments, loudest voices, and a glass of cider for the toast!

5.45pm Return for music and Morris dancing. Warm up with Brogdale Craft mulled cider, hot chocolate and drinks from Ookidon and delicious Bids Bakery sweet and savoury snacks, available for sale at the event.

6.30pm Event ends.

What to bring – Battery-powered torches or lanterns (not real flame for safety reasons), saucepan and spoon, drum, whistle bells, horns, or just some stones in a tin to rattle – it’s up to you but something to make lots of noise and scare away the bad spirits!

Drink & Food – Brogdale Craft Cider will be selling craft cider mulled cider, tea and coffee and hot chocolate from Ookidon, and sweet and savoury treats from Bids Bakery will be available too

Dogs – Due to the nature of this event and the noise we will be creating during the ceremony, no dogs are allowed to this event.

Noise – Driving away bad spirits during a Wassailing ceremony is a lively and noisy tradition. Please take precautions if you or someone in your group has sensitive ears. There may also be distant gunshot fire too.

GENERAL FACTS

• Tickets are available online or can be purchased on the day (cash or card)
• The food stall and cider stall accept cash and card.
• Accessibility – the procession route is flat but the ground may be wet and muddy. We have 2 off road wheelchairs which can be booked in advance. If the route is too muddy the ceremony area is still accessible for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility.
• Dogs are not allowed to this event.
• Warding off bad spirits is loud and noisy. Please take precautions if you or someone in your group has sensitive ears.
• There is free parking for visitors.
• Brogdale Farm has accessible toilets.
• Event closes at 6.30pm.

Event tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable.