After a long, hot, dry summer, we’re all looking forward to the breezy early days of autumn. Want first dibs on all the apple-picking, harvest-fueled fun? Head to Walden next Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18 for Angry Orchard’s annual Community Harvest Fest.
Enjoy live music, great food, and (of course) a selection of crisp, innovative ciders available exclusively at the historic 60-acre orchard where the Angry Orchard team specializes in growing bittersweet heritage apple varieties that long ago made the Hudson Valley a famous cider-making region.
Admission to nearly all the weekend’s events are free; however, don’t miss the once-a-year chance to pick the very apples that will contribute to the next vintage of Angry Orchard’s Albany Post, its 100 percent estate-made cider back sweetened with ice cider. Walk with the cider makers and learn about the different apple varieties and the history of the orchard. Adults can end the tour by tasting the first pours of the 2021 Albany Post vintage.
Tickets to the apple-picking experience and tour are $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under. For those who want to go even deeper into the cider making process, sign up for one of Angry Orchard’s signature tours and tastings.
For the first time ever, visitors will also be able to go apple picking in the orchard and take home a bag of scrumptious apples from this year’s harvest. No reservations are needed—just head to the Cider Garden to purchase your picking bag and enjoy.
The weekend will also be packed with live music: “Hot Tea” takes the stage from 1-4pm Saturday, and “The Big Takeover” follows from 4-7pm. Guests on Sunday can enjoy tunes by “Town Meeting” from 2-5pm.If you’re hungry, several vendors will be on hand to satisfy any cravings, including Angry Orchard’s own wood-fired pizza oven, Oyster Party, Fat Boyz Barbecue, Up in Smoke barbecue, and Aye Oh! Cider Donuts.
While you’re picnicking on a blanket or relaxing at one of the many tables sprinkled throughout the picturesque orchard, buy a draft cider from the Give Back Tap—the orchard’s donating a dollar to the American Cancer Society from each pint sold through September and October.
Angry Orchard’s Community Harvest Fest is free to the public and runs from 11am-8pm on Saturday, September 17, and 11am-6pm on Sunday, September 18. Seating is first-come, first-served. The apple picking tour is weather-dependent and tickets can be purchased in advance here.
Angry Orchard
2241 Albany Post Road, Walden
(800) 362-7110
Angryorchard.com
