UBC’s 35th annual Apple Festival held Sunday
Posted October 19, 2026 9:43 am.
Sunday was a beautiful, crisp autumn day — the perfect backdrop for the 35th annual UBC Apple Festival.
The event, held at the UBC Botanical Garden, gave visitors a chance to experience a classic fall harvest and to get up close and personal with, you guessed it, apples.
The festival attracts over 10,000 apple enthusiasts every year, with apples ready to be purchased by the bag over the weekend. There are also plenty of other tasty treats, including candy apples, apple cider, and apple chips, and you can even take home an apple tree.
There are so many varieties to choose from, apple connoisseurs have plenty to sink their teeth into. Each apple has its own distinct flavor profile and scent, including varieties not commonly found at the supermarket, like the Summerland Sunset.
“We’re really partial to Ambrosia, because UBC Apple Festival introduced Ambrosia to the world,” said UBC Apple Festival chair Lisa Vogt.
“One of our B.C. growers discovered them. You can buy them anywhere in the world right now.”
There was even a variety called a Winter Banana, which one visitor said actually did smell and taste a bit like a banana.
On the other side of the festival, a tasting tent had a very long line of apple lovers eager to sample over 50 different types of apples, with volunteers slicing them up for the crowd to try.
The festival is already looking ahead to next year, hoping to offer Tropical Punch, the newest apple cultivated right here in British Columbia.
