Orchard Wassail Celebration with Black Swan Border Morris - Sat 24 Jan, 1.30pm-4pm SOLD OUT
Join us for a lively orchard celebration filled with music, song and blessing. Make your own wassail headdress, enjoy live fiddle and accordion, sip warm spiced cider and watch the Black Swan Border Morris dance at 3pm for the orchard’s good health.
- Booking essential
Join us for a lively revival of the ancient orchard tradition of Wassailing, as we gather to bless the trees and wish for a fruitful harvest in the year ahead.
We’ll begin in the Stableyard Exhibition Space, where you can create your own colourful Wassail headdress and decorate a lucky wand with bells, ribbons and natural materials. (You’re welcome to bring a hat from home to personalise!) After practicing the songs, we’ll parade to the orchard in joyful procession, driving away unfriendly spirits with cheerful noise, song and cider-soaked toast – a gift to the robin, the orchard’s guardian spirit.
Our festivities will end around the majestic black mulberry tree, raising a warm cup of spiced cider Wassail (or apple juice) in a toast to the trees and the promise of next autumn’s harvest.
We’re delighted to then welcome again the Black Swan Border Morris dancers, whose energetic music, rhythm and movement will fill the Rose Garden with the spirit of midwinter celebration at 3pm, open to all visitors in the park to enjoy.
Booking essential £12 per adult | £7 per child
Times
Prices
| Ticket type | Ticket category |
|---|---|
| Adult | £12.00 |
| Child | £7.00 |
The basics
- Booking details
Call 0344 249 1895
- Suitability
Suitable for children
- Meeting point
Stableyard courtyard
- What to bring and wear
Wear clothing that is appropriate for the weather.
- Accessibility
Some walking will take place on grassy areas, but we’ll stay close to the paved paths, ensuring that participants with reduced mobility can still fully enjoy the group ceremony.
- Other
We encourage you to bring anything noisy to help create a lively atmosphere - whistles, pots, pans, and rattles are all welcome! If you have an old straw hat, bring it along to decorate with leaves and branches for the festive dressing-up. Please note: No dogs are allowed except for guide dogs, as there will be considerable noise throughout the event.
Upcoming events
Great Reindeer Hunt Trail, from Sat 29 Nov, 10am-4pm
Can you crack the clues and find Father Christmas’s reindeer hiding around Morden Hall Park? £2 per trail.
Park Explorers for under 5s term time on Mondays
Our Park Explorers group is for children aged 2-5 years old and their parents/carers. Together we learn about the natural world around us, with a different outdoor theme each week.
Big Park Birdwatch - Sat 17 Jan, 11am-3pm
Discover a wealth of bird life at Morden Hall Park this January. Drop in to meet expert volunteers and help us identify the feathered friends that call this urban oasis home.
Queer Botanical Drawing Workshop, Sat 7 Feb, 1-4pm
Explore nature and queerness through botanical drawing with artist Edward Luke Thrush for LGBTQ+ History Month. Suitable for all abilities.