Welcome to the Highbury Harvest page! Here you will find all you need to know to enjoy the day out.
The Harvest date is usually set as close as possible to Apple Day (12th October), and this year it falls on Saturday 13th October, 11-4. It’s a day to celebrate our community as well as soft fruit, honey, herbs, wood, and of course apples and pears.
Highbury Harvest is a day out for everyone, whether as a family, with a bunch of friends, or simply on your own.
Tickets are available on the day for £3.50 each, or £10.00 for three people, with children under 3 coming for free. You may purchase tickets in advance here and avoid long queues when you arrive! The advance single ticket is £3.50 and the advance group ticket is £9.00 for three people.
100% proceeds from the ticket sales will help support our community programmes. Highbury Orchard Community CIC exists to connect people and land by caring for both, and we do this through our community programmes: Stick Around (Forest School and well-being for adults), Woodland Play (families with 0-8s, learning together), and the Community Orchard (volunteer days, managing the Orchard Garden). Each of these programmes contributes to local people being fit and active outdoors, learning with Nature and feeling connected to it, and giving something of themselves to the community.
On the Harvest day please come on foot if you are able, and avoid creating congestion at the car park. If you are coming through the park, follow the signs and aim for the bottom of the orchard path. If you start from Four Seasons, 92 Queensbridge Road, you could enjoy the stalls there before coming down the track to visit the activities at the Brick Floor and Orchard Garden, the Meadow, and the Play Area. For people who are disabled, there are some parking spaces at Four Seasons car park.
With Children in Mind
We invite you to come dressed as a woodland creature. There will be a parade of all the creatures and a small prize for you and your costume at 3:20
At the Welcome Tables, you may pick up a Treasure Trail quiz. Correctly completed quizzes will be put into a prize draw and announced at 3:45
Look out for the BareFootPath, Sara’s Parlour, Bonkers Conkers Tombola, Birmingham Orienteering, Tees2Totes, the Coin Labyrinth and others
The Apple Press is at Four Seasons. Make sure to bring clean bottles to put the yummy juice in when your done pressing. It’s loads of fun!
Event Details, Park - Orchard - Four Seasons:
PLAY AREA
Birmingham Orienteering Club challenges you to go through their maze and the play trail
MEADOW
Pawfect Dogsense is the place to take your dog for some canine fun
Yoga with Dubstretch Fitness
GATHERING SPACE
Welcome Table 1 where you can show or buy your ticket (cash or card), and pick up a Treasure Trail quiz
Birmingham & Black Countries Wildlife Trust information
Sunshine the campervan: HoneyCake BakeOff competition. You be the judge 1:00 - 3:00 HoneyCakeBakeOff Instructions-for-bakers
Basket-making demo with Sustainable Life
BASECAMP
Tees2Totes 12-2, and Ringing Bowls 2-4, at the Bell Tent
HOCCIC HQ, Bonkers Conkers Tombola, LOST CHILD POINT, and First Aid at the Bell Tent
Turn into the Woodland Base Camp. Help Susie with some campfire cooking, and visit the Parks Rangers for some wood working
ORCHARD GARDEN
Learn about our fruit trees, and taste some apples with Rob, Let’s Grow Together. Walks & Talks 12:00 - 3:00 on the hour
BRICK FLOOR
Change Kitchen CIC with delicious vegan delights
Natural Dyes: make a scarf with beautiful effects from plants, with Jitka
Kings Heath Explore Learning will show you ways to learn maths outdoors
Music with Tara Chinn and Didier Solier
Sara’s Parlour is your go to, for beautiful face-painting
Kick your shoes off for the BareFootPath, and let your toes wriggle through a variety of textures!
Coin Art Logo: help make our logo shine by adding coins along its shape.
Chamberlain Highbury Trust will share their restoration plans for the estate, and games
A Natural Undertaking invite you to decorate a coffin to contemplate Life in all its fullness
Aromatherapy In The Garden, chat with Juin
Have a go at stone-painting with Laura,before going up the Farm Track to Four Seasons
FOUR SEASONS
Welcome Table 2 where you can show or buy your ticket (cash only), and pick up a Treasure Trail quiz
TOILETS
TRJFP will be cooking up a lunch-time storm
Birmingham Bee Keepers Association
Highbury Park Friends
Friends of the Earth information and craft
Four Seasons: tea and cakes
Caribbean Food, Marva
Apple Press: please bring a bag of your own apples if you have them - washed and unbruised if possible - and also clean bottles to put your juice in. Leftover juice will go to make Apple Cider Vinegar.
LOOK OUT FOR PEOPLE (wearing Wonderful Badges), WHO WILL LISTEN TO YOUR WONDERFUL HOPES & DREAMS FOR THE ORCHARD!
Volunteers
We have a small team of volunteers for the event, and may wish for more! People of 16 or over volunteering for 2 hours or more earn themselves a free place. Please sign up here, as we may have room for you on the team.
What a shame I am away this weekend! Looks like a really good event with lots of new ideas. Hope it all goes really well