UBC Apple Festival October 14 & 15, 2023

UBC Apple Festival Tickets Volunteer at Apple Festival!

Apple Festival

Our 32nd Year!

A family event for all ages, UBC Apple Festival celebrates one of BC’s favourite fruits. From learning about the diversity of apples to tasting rare and unusual varieties, Apple Festival is a great opportunity to discover more about this delicious fruit.

Download our Festival map.


Your visit supports education, research, conservation, and public display at UBC Botanical Garden.

To make sure we deliver a great experience, we are limiting ticket sales and only selling tickets online. Buy your tickets early to avoid disappointment. Tasting Tent tickets are especially limited due to capacity within our tent so that people can try the most apples possible during their time slot.

Festival admission and Tasting Tent tickets are required for all guests 8 years old and up. Although there is no cost for children up to age 7, we require you to book a $0 ticket for each child, in order for us to understand how many individuals attend Apple Festival each year. Children aged 8 and up need regular price admission tickets and (optional) Tasting Tent tickets. All children under 13 must be accompanied by a guardian over 18 years of age.

Not sure which day to come to Apple Festival? Worried about purchasing apples on the Sunday? Although the goal of Apple Festival is to sell out of apples & raise funds for UBC Botanical Garden, we ensure that there is a selection of apples each day of the event, plus entertainment and all types of goodies available over both the Saturday and Sunday!

Volunteer

Join us in our 32nd year of celebrating the apple! Events like Apple Festival wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers. Help with selling apples and trees, apple cider, apple pie; the apple display, music and more. If you are interested in being a part of this year’s festival, visit our registration form.


Admission

Admission this year is online only. Early bird tickets available until October 2nd, 2023! Regular priced tickets available from October 3 – to the event on October 14 & 15, 2023.

Although there is no cost for children up to age 7, we require you to book a $0 ticket for each child, in order for us to understand how many individuals attend Apple Festival each year. Children aged 8 and up need regular price admission tickets and (optional) Tasting Tent tickets.

* Festival admission includes access to UBC Botanical Garden, which usually costs $10.

Purchase Tickets

*Membership cards or passes for UBC Botanical Garden Members, UNA members, affiliated organizations, and discounted tickets are blacked out and are not accepted in lieu of the admission fee.
This fundraising is organized by the Friends of the Garden.

  • All proceeds support UBC Botanical Garden.
  • This event aims to be zero waste.

No pets are allowed in the Garden (except service animals). Please leave your pets at home.


Bagged Apples For Sale

This year, we are expecting to receive and sell conventional apple varieties, heritage, and “tried and true.” We will also have pears and quince. Approximate quantities of each will be announced as we are able to confirm them with our growers.

For reference, the 2022 list of apple varieties that were available for sale last year can be found here.

Some varieties of apples sell out quickly. A list of expected apples for sale will be posted once the apple growers have confirmed our orders.

Friends of the Garden Apple Tasting Tent!
One of the most popular activities at the Apple Festival is the Friends of the Garden Apple Tasting Tent. For an additional fee, curious event-goers can sample as many apples as possible – we’ll have a large variety of conventional and heritage BC-grown apples, something for every tastebud to enjoy.

  • up to 40 varieties of new and heritage apples grown in British Columbia.
  • Friends of the Garden’s Apple Booklet ($5), available for purchase at the event, lists the history, propagation needs and features of more than 100 varieties of apples.
  • Tasting sessions from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday.

Please note that not all the apples in the Tasting Tent will be available for sale due to the very limited availability of some heritage varieties. A list of apples available for tasting will not be published ahead of the event this year.


Apple Trees For Sale

We will have 43 varieties of apple trees and 5 varieties of crab apples available for sale in 2023. The size of trees are mostly 1 year whip (60 cm to 120 cm tall). $35 per tree.

Feel free to read through a spreadsheet of trees available for Apple Festival 2023. This complete spreadsheet includes a list of trees that were available for sale, a glossary of terms, and apple tree planting instructions. 2023 Tree List; learn more about the varieties and care here: 2023 Apple Trees for Sale.

More information about the trees for sale at Apple Festival:

Tree rootstock: All trees are grown on dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstock (B9, M9 or M26).
Contact: Email garden.communications@ubc.ca if you have questions

Note: The presence of apple maggot has been confirmed in non-commercial host trees in the Fraser Valley, Greater Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Prince George. Apple trees in pots from the Lower Mainland and Prince George should not be taken to the Okanagan, Similkameen and Creston valleys as they are the only commercial apple-producing regions in North America free of apple maggot.


Activities & Displays

Children’s Area
Kids can engage in a number of activities in the Children’s Area. They can learn about biodiversity, the environment, bees and other pollinators and more from our outreach partners. And don’t miss everybody’s favourite—the Leaf Pile!

Best Apple Display in Canada
Also at the event is The Vancouver Island-based BC Fruit Testers Association, which hosts a physical display of the nearly 200 apple varieties that are still grown in British Columbia.

  • Demonstrations of grafting and cider-pressing
  • Apple ID – try to stump the experts with apple varieties from your garden (hint: bring along four apples and a few leaves if possible from your unidentified tree)
  • Master Gardeners will be available to discuss apple and fruit tree-related diseases and pest management for those seeking problem-solving advice
  • Learn all about bees and pollination

Attractions at the Garden (included in your ticket price)
Be sure to spend some time exploring our beautiful Botanical Garden:

  • Take a “walk in the trees” on the Greenheart TreeWalk – special event pricing in effect!
  • The Shop in the Garden features an exciting array of apple-related merchandise as well as tools, books and gifts
  • Our Garden Centre has a variety of fruit and ornamental trees and hundreds of plants for your garden

Food Fair & Crafts

This year’s Food Fair promises to have something for everyone! From apple pie to hot coffee, chocolate, pizza, cookies, popcorn and much more, you’ll be sure to have fun sampling all of the different offerings.

You can also discover great finds from our crafters, including books, soaps, pottery and stationery.

  • Coconama Chocolates (flavoured ganache)
  • Dog Meister ( hot dogs )
  • Golden Crust Specialities ( pies)
  • Green Coast Coffee (coffee, pastries)
  • Mom's Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
  • Simply Delish Soup and Salad ( dried soup mix)
  • Klippers Organics ( soft and hard cider )    *(New)
  • Sun Valley Treats ( apple chips) *( Sunday only)
  • FOG's Pie and hot cider ( Savoury Island Pie)
  • Blink Chocolates ( Chocolate Bark)
  • Chili Tank ( hot chili)
  • Creighton Valley Apiaries ( honey )
  • Dvorak Fine Foods ( fancy nuts)
  • Maple Sugar shack ( maple sugar products)
  • Martha's Kettle Corn ( popcorn)
  • Old Country Pierogi ( pierogies, cabbage rolls)
  • Rocky Mountain Chocolate ( candy apples)
  • Whistler Wood Fired Pizza
  • Mukasi Coffee Roasters ( coffee)
  • Aji Gourmet Sauce ( salsa, sauces)
  • Casa de Nata ( Portuguese custard tarts) *( New)
  • Sun Valley Treats ( apple chips )  * ( Sunday only)
  • Other
  • Mysgreen ( waxed food covers and fabric pouches )


Entertainment – Schedule to be released soon

Here is what you can expect based on last year’s schedule!

A variety of talented entertainers were featured to keep the family amused, including family-friendly shows on both the Great Lawn Main Stage and the West Entrance Small Stage.

Our previous 2022 Entertainment schedule can be found here.

To learn more about each of the talented artists that performed at last year’s event, read their bios.


Zero Waste

Environmental consciousness and deep respect for our beautiful Garden continues to guide how we operate Apple Festival.

We’re always working hard to keep UBC Botanical Garden clean and green – along with the rest of our environment.

Our continued efforts towards a waste-free Festival wouldn’t be possible without strong collaborations. This year, we are working with UBC Sort it Out, Metro Vancouver, Ocean Ambassadors and City Farmer to provide waste reduction education at our Zero Waste hub on the Main Lawn.

Getting to UBC Botanical Garden

We encourage a variety of environmentally friendly options for getting to Apple Festival: public transit, pedal power, carpooling, or on foot. Once again, we will be offering a shuttle bus from UBC Fraser Parkade and West Mall Parkade to the Festival site.

Waste Reduction

During Apple Festival we encourage Festival-goers to consume less and take the time to sort their waste. Recycling and composting receptacles allow us to sort waste to ensure that we don’t contaminate regional recycling systems.

Thank you to all Apple Festival visitors for their efforts in adopting our recycling and composting program. We continue to encourage visitors to look for the signs and put waste, compost, and recyclables in appropriate bins and not on the ground; cleaning up after yourself is cool!

Please don’t . . . pick plants or flowers, remove leaves or branches from our beautiful trees, enter ponds, or feed the wildlife.

Please do . . . enjoy yourself and minimize the amount you leave behind.

Waste Elimination

NO bottled water is sold on site over Apple Festival weekend. We encourage all visitors to bring their own water containers, there are several spots throughout the Garden to refill your water containers.

Compostable cups and cutlery and even stir sticks and straws are used throughout the site. Please take the time to sort these items into their correct waste streams.


Plan Your Visit

Transportation
There is NO parking at UBC Botanical Garden during Apple Festival. Please park at the West Parkade or Fraser River Parkade. There is a free shuttle bus from the UBC Campus West Parkade and Fraser River Parkade beginning at 9:30 am and running every 15 minutes. The last shuttle leaves the Festival at 4:45 pm. The Garden is serviced by the #49 UBC/Metrotown bus and the UBC Shuttles #68 UBC Exchange/Lower Mall. Please check the Translink website for up-to-date bus schedules.
Bike racks will be available at the main entrance. Please note that there is no Bike Valet this year.

Event Entrances

Apple Festival entrance map

This year we will have three event entrances. A) One at 6804 SW Marine Drive (the Garden’s main entrance and where our shuttle bus stop is located), B one on Stadium Road across from the St. John Hospice near the intersection with West Mall and C, the third entrance on 16th avenue between SW Marine Drive and East Mall for foot traffic.