Jersey’s annual Cider Festival, La Faîs’sie d’Cidre, returns to Hamptonne Country Life Museum later this month, with the ‘Apple Bus’ back to transport festival-goers to and from the popular event in St Lawrence.

La Faîs’sie d’Cidre, which is sponsored by Ogier, celebrates the Island’s history of cider making and takes place on Saturday and Sunday, 14-15 October. As well as the option of jumping onboard the free Apple Bus from St Helier, people are being encouraged to walk, cycle, get dropped off or car share to the event to minimise the impact on the quiet lanes of St Lawrence that surround Hamptonne.

Nicky Lucas, Jersey Heritage’s Community Events Curator, said: “Our annual Cider Festival, La Faîs’sie d’Cidre, is one of our most popular events and the stars of the show are always our volunteers, who use the traditional horse-drawn crusher and wooden press to make the cider. With its farming history dating back hundreds of years, Hamptonne is the ideal location for us to celebrate our cider making heritage. On-site parking is limited so we are asking people to find alternative ways to travel to the festival. The Apple Bus will be making regular trips to Hamptonne from Liberation Square and we hope everyone jumps onboard or finds other ‘green’ ways to enjoy La Faîs’sie d’Cidre.”

The two-day festival includes delicious food, a fantastic line-up of live music, blacksmithing demonstrations, nature activities in the orchard with naturalist Stephen Le Quesne and much more.

Inaugural exhibition

There will also be the opportunity for festival-goers to visit the inaugural exhibition in the newly-completed museum space at Hamptonne. ‘Wild Islands: through the lens’ celebrates Channel Islands’ biodiversity through the work of local photographers and opens on Saturday, 14 October, the first day of the Cider Festival.

Chris Addy, Jersey Heritage’s Sites Curator, said: “Forty talented photographers from Jersey and Guernsey have contributed to this wonderful exhibition, which is the first to take place in our new museum space at Hamptonne. More than 200 images, printed on banners, capture the incredibly rich biodiversity we have in the Channel Islands, from birds, insects and mammals, to wildflowers, fungi and sea life.”

Kate Kirk, Ogier’s Marketing Director, said: “Throughout 2023, Ogier has partnered with Jersey Heritage to offer a series of family learning events and activities. The Cider Festival not only celebrates a rich part of Jersey history, it also turns the tradition into an experience that everyone can be a part of, which keeps Jersey’s traditions alive.”

More information about La Faîs’sie d’Cidre can be found at www.jerseyheritage.org. Disabled parking is available at Hamptonne and a donation of £2 is suggested for anyone using the Apple Bus.

Usual entry fees to Hamptonne apply. Entry is free for Jersey Heritage Members and children under the age of six.