N.S. Apple Blossom Festival back in full swing

It’s festival time in the Annapolis Valley.

The 89th Apple Blossom Festival is underway and the long running Annapolis Valley tradition is back in full-swing following a lull over the pandemic.

“I think that the second year back after Covid is really getting people out and enjoying the full scale event,” event president Logan Morse said.

The festival that was first organized in 1933 highlights the famous Annapolis Valley apples and celebrates the summer season to come.

“For the community this is a springtime celebration where friends, family, newcomers really get to connect together as a community,” Morse said.

Emily Lutz, the Deputy Mayor of Kings County, said the festival “is something that sort of transcends modern day, it goes back generations really.”

Thousands flock to the Valley with the festival acting as a home-coming for many families in the area.

“It’s based in Kentville, but it really affects the entire (Annapolis) Valley community as people come out, people from away will make the trip home. We have people that come from all over Canada, and really all over the world, that come back to the valley to celebrate the apple blossom,” Lutz said.

The festival took a two year hiatus due to COVID-19 and a scaled-down-version of the event was held last year. This year, however, it’s full steam ahead.

Apple blossom is photographed in the Annapolis Valley on May 26, 2023. (CTV Atlantic/Jonathan MacInnis)“We are anticipating a lot of really great crowds. Last night at the food truck party, it was phenomenal. So many people came out, more than prior years,” Morse said.

Valley resident Cynthia Peck is glad to see the festival return.

“It’s nice to see the people around, there’s a lot of people around. It’s nice.”

The event is also the unofficial kick-off to the tourist season.

“It is a big event that happens and it’s when you see a lot of local businesses that are seasonal, they really do start to open their doors this weekend,” Lutz said. 

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