This is our 8th Wassail at Gibbet Oak Farm and we’re very excited to invite you back! The tradition of wassailing dates back to pagan times, with "Was Hael" originating from Old English, meaning "Good Health". The first recorded wassail took place in Kent in the 1400s. If you're unfamiliar, a wassail is a celebration of the past harvest and a blessing for the future crop. It involves honouring the trees and scaring away evil spirits to ensure a fruitful year ahead. This family-friendly event offers the chance to learn traditional wassail songs and join in the festivities.  We're thrilled to once again have the fantastic Ashford Folk musicians leading the torch-lit procession and providing evening entertainment. Joining us for the evening will be The Jolly Boys – a newly formed group featuring members of the former Woodchurch Morris Men alongside dancers from other local Morris sides, performing their traditional dances.  The Ceremony 17:45–19:00 The torch-lit procession will begin promptly at 18:00, with torches being lit just beforehand. We’ll be walking for 15–20 minutes into the orchard, so please ensure you’re warmly dressed for a winter’s evening and wearing sturdy footwear. This is a farm, so expect the possibility of mud. The ceremony will take place in the orchard, where everyone is encouraged to join in with the wassail songs and help scare away the spirits. We’ll then return to the farm building for the second part of the evening. The return walk could take an additional 15 minutes, so we aim to be back by 19:00.  From 19:00 Enjoy folk music, Morris dancing, and general merriment as the celebrations continue.  Food and Drinks  A paid bar will be available, offering a fantastic selection of mulled cider, still and sparkling cider, beer, and non-alcoholic hot and cold drinks. The bar will be open both before and after the ceremony. A range of gourmet, locally sourced food will also be on offer, with both meat and vegan options provided by Wild Tayberry. Food and drink will be served throughout the evening.  Transport There will be no parking on site. This is for safety reasons, we are on a dangerous road, and also to stem the environmental impact of having many vehicles on site. Instead, we’re offering a return coach service from outside the Vine Pub in Tenterden.  Address is: 76 High Street, Tenterden, TN30 6AU Transport coaches will run between 16:10 and 17:30 from Tenterden to Gibbet Oak Farm. Return coaches will run from 19:00 until 21:30. Please note that you will only be able to travel on the coach that you've booked with your ticket. By prior arrangement, drop-offs will be allowed. Please email wassail@nightingalecider.com to arrange for this. Parking (no parking at the event)  The following car parking is available in Tenterden and charged until 18:00 at £1.30 an hour: Recreation Ground Road car park (Waitrose side) Recreation Ground Road car park (smaller car park on the Recreation Ground)  Leisure Centre car park Station Road car park (link to car parks) Before and After the Event Tenterden is a lovely town to enjoy in the day before the event, and has a selection of great pubs and overnight stay options if you wish to keep going later into the evening.  If you have special requirements, please email wassail@nightingalecider.com­ and we will try our best to accommodate you.  Dogs Please note that your furry companions will have to stay at home. We're a working farm and, while we love all dogs big and small, we can't have them on the site. Apologies, but we hope you understand!   What's Included 🚌 Transportation - return coach from Tenterden - outside the Vine Pub. 🍺 First Drink - pint of beer/cider or mulled cider (non alcoholic beverage for under 18s)   What you'll need 🧤 Warm clothing - warm clothing to be outside on a cold winter's night. 🥾 Footwear - sturdy footwear suitable for mud and unstable footing. ☂️ Waterproofs - if rain is forecast.

Visit Nightingale Cider in Tenterden, Kent! See what happens on our family fruit farm and in our cidery with a tour and tasting led by founder and cider maker, Sam Nightingale.  Our popular tours for groups of up to 12 people are back on the following dates: Saturday 21st June 2025  at 1pm Saturday 13th September 2025  at 1pm Guests will enjoy a welcome drink and a chat in our tasting room before heading into the stunning orchards of Gibbet Oak Farm.    Upon returning to the cidery, the group will delve behind the scenes to see where we make, mature and blend our ciders. The tour will conclude with a tutored tasting of a selection of our range, including tasting ciders direct from our tanks.  Tours take on average 1.5 hours. On completion, visitors are welcome stay to enjoy our taproom and purchase ciders to take home.  If you're buying the tour as a gift, please select the Gift Tour and Tasting from our online shop here . If you wish to arrange a tour for a private party, please contact us to discuss. Email hello@nightingalecider.com or call 01580 761410 with any enquiries.   Inclusions What's Included 🥤 Drink - Cider Tastings   What you'll need 📋 Other - Suitable footwear for an orchard walk.