The village of St. George celebrated the arrival of harvest season during its 41st annual Apple Fest, which was held on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21, 2025.
Well over 20,000 people, including local residents and out-of-town visitors, spent the weekend exploring Main Street and beyond, as they browsed the 156 different vendors set up to sell their goods.
From homemade preserves and specialty meats to mobile eateries, jewellery, home décor, clothing, and art, there were plenty of ways to support the local small businesses and organizations who were on site for the two-day celebration.
As per tradition, Brantwood Farms and Brantview Apples and Cider were there selling an array of fresh-from-the-orchard apple varieties, as well as apple-based products like fresh cider, donuts, dumplings and barbecue sauce.
Jean Tucker, the event’s festival coordinator, said that beyond the endless varieties of food and apple goodies, she had a pretty good idea as to why the event has become a beloved family tradition.
“I think because we’re a street festival, it really creates a certain vibe that people are drawn to. Another thing is that it really showcases the community,” she said. “Part of our mandate is to bring people into town so they can see what we have to offer, and so all the businesses and restaurants stay open. That really allows people to not only check out all the vendors from the nearby area, but the businesses who are right here in town.”
During the two-day event, visitors got to enjoy a selection of live music and various acts across two stages, providing plenty of entertainment for those in attendance.
Saturday’s lineup featured Jacob Moon, the Vooodooo Kingz, Darin Parise & the Bluegrass Sweethearts, Cobby’s Kitchen Party, Embrace, Rock County, Kerosene Creek and the Dirty Pioneers, who all took turns entertaining the crowd throughout the day and into the evening.
Sunday’s performances included music from Albatross Norfolk, the John Atlee Band, the Murray Williams Band, and the Paris Port Dover Pipe Band – a longtime crowd favourite.
Over in the Kids Zone, youngsters enjoyed several Team K9 Dog Sport shows, met storybook characters and explored the children’s entertainment stage, large inflatable attractions, the petting zoo and Sunday’s foam party.
Overall, Tucker said that she was thrilled with the turnout of the event, noting that she suspected the event hit record-breaking numbers.
“The turnout has been absolutely fantastic, I know we had record crowds on Saturday and it looks like there’s a really great crowd out there today too,” she said. “I suspect by the end of the weekend, we’ll likely have had around 30,000 people come out, which is amazing.”
Tucker added that she and her planning committee love getting to put on the annual event and that none of it would be possible without their team of dedicated volunteers.
“It’s so much work, but we love doing this festival,” she said. “How could you not when the people in the community support us so well, and when we have all these great volunteers and sponsors who help make this happen each and every year.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
