Jersey Cider Festival appeals for apples as poor harvest threatens traditional celebrations

Organisers of Jersey’s annual cider festival are appealing to Islanders for spare apples after an unusually poor harvest left them facing a serious shortage of fruit.

The wet beginning to 2026, followed by several heatwaves in late spring and summer, has resulted in a significantly reduced apple crop across the island.

The shortage could affect this year’s traditional cider-making demonstrations at Hamptonne, where volunteers use a horse-powered stone crusher and a wooden press to turn thousands of apples into juice.

Nicola Lucas, who has organised Jersey Heritage’s La Faîs’sie d’Cidre for the past 12 years, said the festival normally receives around 80 large sacks of apples from its main orchard supplier.

This year, however, organisers expect to receive just two sacks.

“We’ll be lucky to fill two sacks this year and are also hearing that any apples that have been harvested are not offering much juice,” Ms Lucas said.

Organisers regularly ask Islanders with apple trees or orchards to donate surplus fruit, but this year the appeal has taken on greater urgency.

“We need their help to ensure the event can go ahead as planned,” Ms Lucas said.

She stressed that the festival itself will still take place, although the programme may have to be changed if supplies cannot be increased significantly.

Traditional crushing and pressing demonstrations will continue, but there could be fewer opportunities to see the process in action. Organisers also say it is unlikely there will be enough freshly pressed apple juice for visitors to sample.

Adult visitors will, however, still be able to taste cider made from last year’s harvest.

The festival typically uses around 160 sacks of cider-making apples as part of its celebration of Jersey’s traditional cider-making heritage.

This year’s La Faîs’sie d’Cidre will be held at Hamptonne on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October.

Islanders with spare apples of any variety are being asked to help by taking their fruit to Hamptonne from Monday 12 October onwards.

The apples do not have to be cider varieties, but they should have intact skins. Bruised fruit is acceptable, and all donations should be bagged.