A regional gathering place
A rural township near Mount Alexander, Castlemaine and the Calder Freeway, known for orchards, cider, wine and community life.
About the festival
About Applefest
A community celebration of Harcourt, apples, local growers, food, arts and regional identity.
About Harcourt Applefest
Celebrating place through apples, food, arts and community.
Applefest is a way for Harcourt to gather around the orchards, growers, volunteers, artists, local businesses and community groups that give the town its character.
Creative local life
Makers, musicians, artists, producers, schools, clubs and community groups help give Applefest its character.
Our Story
Since 1991, Applefest has gathered neighbours, school friends and visitors in the Harcourt Valley.
Festival history
Our Story
Applefest is a one-day-a-year celebration in the fertile Harcourt Valley. It brings together produce, local talent, live music, volunteers and the community groups who make the day possible.
The festival began as a local celebration of the valley’s produce, people and shared pride in place.
Applefest continues through volunteer effort, goodwill, service clubs, sporting clubs and local organisations.
Harcourt’s Apple Heritage
A festival shaped by orchard country.
Harcourt Valley has long been renowned for crisp, tasty apples. By March, new season apples are part of the reason people gather from near and far.
Growing country
Hundreds of hectares of apple trees shape the valley, especially through summer and autumn.
Local knowledge
Fruit growing and granite quarrying helped draw early settlers to the valley, and growers remain central to its identity.
Seasonal celebration
Applefest turns harvest season into a day of food, music, competitions, markets and family fun.
Community
Volunteers, local organisations and businesses make Applefest possible.
The festival is planned, hosted and supported by local people. Please consider joining the committee, volunteering on the day or supporting Applefest through your business or community group.
Acknowledgement of Country
On Dja Dja Wurrung Country.
We acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung as the Traditional Owners of the land on which Harcourt gathers, and pay respect to their Elders past and present.
Past events