Vancouver’s Apple Festival is UBC Botanical Garden’s biggest fundraising event. It features live entertainment and lots of tasty apples to buy and sample.
In 2024 the event happens on October 19th and 20th.
Other events taking place on the same weekend in the Lower Mainland include Harvest Days at VanDusen Garden and Canyon Frights at Capilano Bridge. There are also Circo Osorio Circus shows in Richmond, plus an Oktoberfest event at the Austria Vancouver Club. The Vancouver Winter Extreme Ski & Board Swap takes place at the PNE Forum as well.
If you like farms and the harvest season, and you have young children, then places to visit in the Fraser Valley include the Harrison Pumpkin Festival, Peteys Pumpkin Patch and the Farm Fall Activities at Maan Farms.
To learn about the event at the UBC Botanical Garden in mid-October, continue reading.
Click on any of the following to skip to a specific section:
About the Apple Festival | Admission Details | Festival Activities | Tips & Advice | Other Information
UBC Botanical Garden Apple Festival
In 2023 the UBC Apple Festival was on the Saturday and Sunday of October 14th and 15th. It takes place at the UBC Botanical Garden which is located at 6804 SW Marine Drive on the main University of British Columbia campus.
The UBC Botanical Garden is a recommended place to visit in Vancouver, especially between mid-October and mid-November with all of its fall colours. There’s even more to see than usual during the Apple Festival. It’s not a huge festival, but a nice one to complement a visit to the garden.
About the Apple Festival
Attracting over 15,000 people in years when the weather is good, the annual UBC Apple Festival takes place on the weekend after Thanksgiving. In 2024 the event runs on October 19th and 20th after Thanksgiving on Monday, October 14th. In 2023 the two-day festival ran from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm each day. We expect the times to be similar for the event in 2024.
Entertainment includes child-friendly shows, dancing and all kinds of music. Furthermore, there are dozens of apples to sample and buy and even apple trees for sale. All proceeds go to UBC Botanical Garden.
Admission to the Festival
In 2023 admission to the event was about $9 each but free for children ages 7 and under. All tickets have to be purchased online.
Moreover, you can enter the Apple Tasting Tent and sample different varieties of the fruit for an additional $9 or so. Most other activities (outside of buying things) are included in the price of admission. We expect pricing to be comparable when the festival returns in 2024.
Apple Festival Activities
There is lots to see and do at the UBC Botanical Garden’s Apple Festival, not least of which is the opportunity to wander around the botanical gardens. They are especially beautiful with their fall colours.
Activities specific to the Apple Festival include the apple tasting, which features about 48 different kinds of BC-grown apples. Being a fundraiser, there are also apples for purchase as well as a variety of apple trees for sale too. There is also an interesting market with other things for sale and live entertainment.
Tips & Advice
Below are some tips and information to help you make the most of your visit to the UBC Apple Festival.
TIP #1: If you’ve never been to UBC Botanical Garden but want to, then check out this event! The fall colours are beautiful, admission is discounted and it’s a fabulous time to visit.
TIP #2: The apple sampling venue sells out so don’t wait until the end of the day to buy your tickets. Get them early!
TIP #3: Parking close by can be a challenge but a free shuttle bus is available most years starting at 9:30 am between the venue and both UBC’s Fraser River Parkade and Campus West Parkade.
Other Information
For more information on the gardens, see UBC Botanical Garden.
Click Botanical Garden Events for additional details on the festival.
For ideas on other things to do in autumn, click Vancouver Fall Activities or October or November in Vancouver’s Best Places’ calendar.
