The Museum of East Anglia’s Cider and Song Festival is returning for its second year. This celebration of all things apple will be taking place on October 18 and 19, and promises plenty of live music, specialist craft ciders and entertainment for all the family
With homegrown musical talent, a well-stocked cider bar and a number of apple experts on hand to answer your questions, the festival has so much to enjoy. Let's take a look at the line-up for the two day event.
Friday, October 18
The museum has teamed up with the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust for an evening of music and cider on Friday 18th October. MC'd by the ebullient Richard Cove, visitors can enjoy Traditional Music and Song from the Company of Horham Old School and friends. The format is a session/concert party style, with people taking turns to sing or play. This gives the session the informal feel of a group of friends spontaneously bursting into songs and music - so expect a very laid-back and easygoing atmosphere! To accompany the music, there will be a cider bar showcasing a range of specialist craft ciders.
Saturday, October 19
On Saturday, guests are invited to celebrate Apple Day with an exciting day of family-friendly activities. There's the William Tell Archery Experience to test your bow-and-arrow skills, along with storytelling from local author Victoria Brock and a puppet show from Nutmeg Puppet Theatre.
There'll also be an Apple identification session with Orchards East and the Suffolk Traditional Orchards Group and apple pressing, where you can have a go at making juice or even bring your own fruits to be pressed. There will also be cookery demonstrations from Monica Askay. Head on over to the Makers Marquee and you'll encounter a range of East Anglian craftspeople and makers, along with nature-based foragers and food stylists.
Music through the day includes Shanty music from Capstan Full Strength, acapella folk from Sound Tradition, the exciting and vibrant Stumpy Oak and folk songs from Potiphar's Apprentices. The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust will be on hand with concertinas, melodeons and harmonicas as well as Jig dolls to try your hand at.
This is all in addition to the museum's stunning 75 acre site, 17 historic buildings and engines in steam.
On Saturday evening, there's more music and cider with two performances from Harbour Lights Trio, singing East Anglian local traditional songs and tunes, music hall and a few more recent gems. The Sam Kelly Trio are Saturday's headlining act, and will be taking to the stage later in the evening.
Sam is a Radio 2 Folk Award winner, and as a teenager made it to the final of ITV's Britain's Got Talent. He has since become one of the most prevalent folk singers of his generation. Sam's debut EP, entitled 'Your Way Home', was released in March 2013, which swiftly created a buzz of interest in the folk scene for Sam's music. He followed this up with the release of the widely acclaimed 'Spokes' EP in February 2015. This cemented Sam's place further as one of the most exciting young prospects in the folk scene. Whether playing to 13 million people on prime-time television, or to 10 people in a tiny pub, Sam's child-like fascination with music shines through, and his passion for discovering and rekindling the sounds of his musical heritage has gained him the respect of peers and audiences worldwide.
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