A Local’s Guide to the Kent Wassail 2026: History, Traditions & Where to Celebrate
Discover the ancient tradition of Wassail in Kent. From torch-lit processions at Nightingale Cider to the King Tree at Brogdale, here is everything you need to know for the 2026 season.
If you’re looking for a way to shake off the January blues that doesn’t involve a gym membership, you’ve got to head out into the Kent countryside for a Wassail celebration.
It’s easily one of our quirkier local traditions. Forget quiet winter nights; we’re talking flaming torches, cider, Morris dancers with bells on their shins, and enough noise to wake everyone (or at least the trees!).
What on earth is a Wassail?
The word comes from the Old Norse ves heill and the Old English was hál, which basically means “be healthy” or “be whole.” It wasn’t just a greeting; it was a powerful toast.
When you said “Wassail!” to someone, they would respond with “Drinc hæl!” (“Drink and be healthy!”). Over time, this evolved from a person-to-person toast into a ritual to protect the “health” of the trees and the community’s future.
So, here in Kent, this tradition is all about the apple orchards. We gather in the freezing cold to “bless” the trees, scaring away any bad spirits and waking the spirits of the trees to ensure we get a great harvest later in the year.
What happens during the Wassail
We soak pieces of toast in cider and hang them from the branches of the oldest tree (the “King” tree) as a gift to the robins and spirits. Historically, it was a “gift” to the spirits of the trees, but practically, it attracted robins, who keep the orchard healthy by eating the pests that wake up in the spring.
We don’t wassail every single tree (we’d be there all night!). We pick the oldest, most gnarly tree to represent the whole orchard, believing that if the “King” is happy, the rest will follow.
Afterwards, everyone sings traditional songs to the trees. And the most important thing – everyone brings pots, pans, whistles, or even shotguns (in the old days!) to make as much noise as possible to frighten off the “evil” bits of winter!
Where to catch the magic in 2026
While Old Twelfth Night technically falls on 17 January, Kent puts on some brilliant events around that weekend. Here are the two big ones you shouldn’t miss:
1. Brogdale Collections (Faversham)
Brogdale is home to the National Fruit Collection, so they take their cider very seriously.
- What to expect: Super family-friendly and genuinely magical.
- The Highlight: The ceremony takes place under their massive, ancient Bramley tree. It’s torch-lit, atmospheric, and very “Old England.”
- Tickets: From £8.50 (Adult Tickets)
2. Nightingale Cider (Tenterden)
If you want something a bit more spirited, head to Gibbet Oak Farm.
- What to expect: A proper folk party. They usually have a return coach from Tenterden town centre so you can enjoy a few local ciders without worrying about the drive.
- The Highlight: A massive torch-lit procession through the orchards led by folk musicians.
- Tickets: Around £19.25 (usually includes your first drink and entertainment).
A Local’s Top Tips
- Dress sensibly: It’s January. In an orchard. It will be muddy. Wear your thickest wellies and a coat you don’t mind smelling a bit like woodsmoke. The weather in January can be really cold and the events are usually towards the evening, so it gets even colder!
- Bring your “Instruments”: Don’t be shy! Grab a saucepan and a wooden spoon from the kitchen. The louder you are, the better the apples will be (allegedly).
- Check the dates: While the “Ancient” date is 17 January, some orchards host theirs on the nearest Saturday. Always double-check the ticket link before you set off!
The fascinating history of Wassail tradition in Kent
Kent has been the “Garden of England” since the time of Henry VIII, who ordered the first large-scale commercial orchards to be planted here.
For centuries, the local economy lived and died by the apple harvest. If the trees didn’t produce, people didn’t eat (and more importantly, they didn’t have cider!).
In fact, historically, farmers often paid their workers partly in cider. This made the “health” of the orchard a matter of survival, not just a hobby.
While the West Country (Somerset/Devon) is also famous for this, Kent actually has the earliest recorded mention of orchard wassailing—way back in 1585 in the village of Fordwich near Canterbury, which today is famous for being the smallest town in Britain. Back then, it was recorded that groups of young men would go around the local orchards “howling”—a great Kentish term for the singing and shouting we still do today—in exchange for a “reward” (usually a bit of money or a strong drink from the farmer).
In medieval times, priests used to go out and bless the fields and trees. After the Reformation, the Church stopped doing these “superstitious” outdoor blessings. Farmers, however, still wanted their trees protected! So, they took the old secular toast (the Wassail) and turned it into their own DIY “blessing” ceremony.
There are actually two types of Wassail. The first one is house visiting. This is where poor people would carry a decorated bowl from door to door, singing for food and drink (this eventually turned into modern Christmas Carolling).
The orchard visiting, is a Kentish speciality! Instead of visiting humans, you visit the trees. In Kent, this was sometimes called “Apple Howling” because of the incredible noise the villagers made.
Why is Wassail celebrated on 17 January?
This is actually the best part of the story! The reason we wassail on 17 January is that it’s technically the “real” Twelfth Night—or at least, it was for hundreds of years until the government stepped in and messed with the calendar.
It all comes down to a massive historical “glitch” called the Gregorian Calendar reform.
Before 1752, Britain used the Julian Calendar (introduced by Julius Caesar). The problem was that Caesar’s calendar was slightly off—it was about 11 minutes too long every year. By the 1700s, those minutes had added up to 11 full days, meaning the calendar was completely out of sync with the actual solar seasons.
To fix it, the British government decided to switch to the Gregorian Calendar (the one we use today). To catch up with the rest of Europe: People went to sleep on Wednesday, 2 September 1752 and they woke up the next morning on Thursday, 14 September 1752. Eleven days simply vanished overnight!
The public wasn’t happy. People literally rioted in the streets, famously shouting “Give us back our eleven days!” because they felt they’d been robbed of life, wages, and—most importantly—their holidays.
While the “New” Twelfth Night moved to 5 January, the stubborn farmers of Kent (and the West Country) refused to change. They figured the apple trees didn’t care what the government said; the trees were still on “Old Time.”
In Kentish tradition, 17 January became known as “Old Twelvey Night.” Even though the rest of the world moved on, many orchard communities kept the 17th as the “true” date to bless the trees.
This blog post was originally published on 29 December 2025 and last updated on 29 December 2025
