Apple Day

Apple Day is on 21 October each year and celebrates all things related to apples and apple products.

Apple Day was started in 1990 by Sue King and Angela Clifford, co-founders of the conservation charity Common Ground. The first Apple Day was held at London’s Covent Garden market and marked the return of fruit to the market after 16 years absence.

Apple Day takes place in October to coincide with the end of the apple harvesting season.

Some apple varieties ripen in late August whilst other do not ripen until late October or even November. However, most apples will have been picked by 21 October.

Apples come in all sizes and types, with uses including eating, juicing, cider-making and making into food products like Apple Butter and Apple Sauce.

From the start, Apple Day was intended to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety of heritage apples we are in danger of losing, as well as the threats to the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too.

The success of Apple Day has shown what the apple means to us and how much we need local celebrations in which, year after year, everyone can be involved.

a cider stall and practical demonstration at an apple day

What started on 21st October 1990 as an attempt to spread environmental awareness and a celebration of autumn as a whole, has quickly grown into a public holiday that celebrates apples, apple products, orchards, the provenance and traceability of our food and the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability.